It’s a great feeling to enjoy the lack of routine over the summer as I did on my vacation to Prince Edward Island. But when my holiday was over, I realized there’s something appealing about returning to established routines as autumn approaches.
As children head back to school and work schedules become busier, routines can make the transition into fall much easier. In fact, I’d say that routines are essential for navigating life. Establishing simple, consistent routines helps reduce mental clutter, manage household responsibilities, build lasting habits, and provide a sense of stability when things inevitably become hectic.
Give You More Control
We can’t control everything that happens in our lives, but we can control how we organize and manage many of the things that happen every day. A routine takes some of the decision-making out of your day. When you already know when and how laundry gets done, when the groceries are purchased, or when you prepare for the week ahead, you don’t have to continually figure out what needs to happen next.
Predictability can be incredibly helpful when the unexpected happens.
Reduce Mental Clutter
There are countless small decisions involved in running a household. When everything is left to chance, those decisions can quickly become overwhelming. Established routines help put some of those everyday tasks on autopilot. Instead of constantly thinking, Did I forget something? Where did I put my keys? and so on, you have a system you can rely on.
Less to remember means more mental space for the things that require focus.
Help You Stay on Top of Household Tasks
As I’m sure you already know, your home won’t stay organized simply because it was organized once. It requires regular maintenance. Small, consistent routines can prevent household tasks from becoming much bigger jobs. Putting things away, dealing with paperwork, doing laundry, tidying the kitchen, and preparing for the next day are all easier when they become part of an established rhythm.
The goal isn’t a perfectly maintained home every day; it’s building routines to help you prepare for the next day—and the next week.
Help Everyone in Your Household and Beyond
When tasks and responsibilities become part of a routine, you don’t need constant reminders, so fewer things fall through the cracks. However, someone still needs to lead and take responsibility for ensuring that the systems and habits you have agreed upon are maintained consistently. Instead of “nagging” everyone, lead by example and provide positive encouragement for small successes.
Simple, easy-to-follow routines make your life easier and help everyone in the household understand what is expected and what needs to happen.
Create Better Long-Term Habits
Many of the things we want to accomplish regularly, such as exercising, meal planning, and keeping up with household maintenance, are much easier when they become habits. Rather than relying on constantly trying to find the motivation to do something you’re not especially fond of, routines provide a structure that encourages you to keep going even on the days when you don’t feel particularly motivated.
When you repeat something consistently, it generally takes less effort to do it.
Give You Something to Come Back To
Routines are essential in providing a foundation when things don’t go according to plan. There will always be busy days, unexpected appointments, illnesses, travel, family commitments, and times when everything seems to happen at once. Established routines help you re-establish a stable schedule.
When you already have routines in place, you can temporarily step away without losing the entire system. And when things settle down again, you know where to start. However, don’t step away from habits and routines for more than a few days if possible. Consistency is key.
How to Start Building Routines
You don’t need to overhaul your entire household in September. In fact, trying to establish too many new routines at once can make it much harder to stick with them. Instead, look for routines you already have that work well for you and others in your home. Then, build on the success of those existing systems to increase the likelihood of success.
Next, look for the areas of your life that tend to become chaotic or require the most mental energy. For example, it might be getting out the door in the morning, managing the gigantic pile of laundry, or scrambling to figure out what to make for dinner.
Here’s a quick checklist to help you get started. If this is all too much, please reach out, and we can help you build routines to create a more organized home and life.
5 Simple Steps to Get Back on Track
- Review your schedule. Review your school, work, appointments, activities, and other regular commitments to see what your week looks like. Ideally, have a weekly planning session, then review daily commitments first thing in the morning or the night before.
- Establish or re-establish morning and evening routines. Think about what needs to happen each morning and evening to make your days run more smoothly. Add some buffer time so you don’t have to rush. You will be surprised at what happens if you stop, breathe, and take your time.
- Schedule or reschedule household chores: Decide when you will do tasks such as laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, and meal planning. A little structure can prevent these jobs from becoming overwhelming. Delegate or outsource your least favourite tasks to household members or an assistant.
- Reset the areas that tend to get messy. Look at the entryway, kitchen, home office, bedrooms, or anywhere else that tends to become a dumping ground. Create a routine to keep these areas tidy. For instance, having a “pick up and put away time” at the end of each day can be valuable for everyone in your home. When you have a place for everything, this should only require 15 minutes a day. And, if everyone works together, you will have more success.
- Add one new routine at a time: Pick one routine that would make the biggest positive difference to your household and commit to making it a habit. Don’t try to change everything at once. Instead, create one routine, and when it becomes second nature, add a new one.
Remember, routines are essential to helping you navigate everyday life. Simple systems reduce decision-making and give you something steady to rely on when things get busy. As autumn brings new demands, think about which routines work for you and which ones need tweaking. You’ll notice how much less stressed you feel when well-established routines keep you on track.