Yesterday I talked about the importance of establishing good habits and turning them into your routines. Today I am talking more about my Evening/Bedtime Routine. I call it my Evening/Bedtime routine because really it is not something that I just do at bedtime. I start my bedtime routine (at least the kitchen part) while I am preparing my families dinner and it lingers on until I go to bed. It really doesn't take long - even though it looks long - and most of the things in it are second nature to most people. However, I do not fall into the category of "most people" so I needed to learn how to break my day down into parts and then I had to figure out what I needed to do in each part of my day.
I break my Bedtime Routine down into 3 parts.
Pick up the house.
Think about tomorrow.
Focus on me.
Pick up the house.
Kitchen - After dinner is done do your dishes, wipe off your counters and sweep your floor.
Load and Run your Dishwasher.
Check your Washer and Dryer - make sure all clothes are put away
Put away all toys, clothes, etc...
Quick run through of the house - no more than 15 minutes to tidy up.
Think about tomorrow
Check your calendar.
Make "to do" list.
Lay out clothes (iron if needed).
Pack/prepare lunches (as much as possible).
Pack back packs.
Think about "What's for breakfast?".
Think about "What's for dinner tomorrow?".
Check/Send emails, Facebook, blog.
Prep coffee pot.
Focus on Me
Bath/Shower
Skin Care
Teeth
Lotion
Read/Pray/Journal
Snuggle with my husband
Are you ready to start this with me? You can follow my bedtime routine or use it as an example and come up with your own. It takes 21 days or 3 weeks of being consistent to form a habit. Lets start today with our evening/bedtime routine and work at making it a habit.
This is a picture of my bulletin board in my kitchen with 21 little "post it" note page markers on it. I saw this somewhere and thought it was a good idea to mark our 21 days of forming a habit. I encourage you to do this, make a chart or get a calendar so that you can mark off each day that you successfully do your Bedtime Routine.
Once we master this we will move on to our morning routine. Oh yes, there is a morning/afternoon routine as well. And after we get our daily routines established we will move on to a weekly cleaning schedule.
What about you? Do you currently have a Bedtime Routine that you follow? If so, what does it look like? Are you consistent with it?
Jen,I have to say that I love your blog!!! I really enjoy all your tips and love how you have your routine down. All your encouraging words and examples have really helped me to get into a daily routine and become more productive. I continue to love and enjoy your blog!!!
ReplyDeleteTracey, thank you so much for your sweet comments. It makes my heart happy to know that you are enjoying my blog. As for the routines - I am a work in progress. lol I try hard but things do not always go like I plan but the good thing is we can start again, and again. :)
DeleteJen, I just want to say that I will try me best to follow this evening routine. I try my best to get organized and stay organized, but I am a work in progress as well. I try to get my usual task done, like the kitchen area and the downstairs, but I get "tired" and plop on the couch. So I know that I need to prioritize my time. Thanks for sharing!! Can't wait to see the morning routine!
ReplyDeleteJari, good luck establishing your evening routine. Remember you need to do what works for you. If nothing else just do a quick run thru of the house and make sure your dishes are washed before bed. Even just those 2 things will make your mornings so much nicer. Thanks for commenting. Let me know how you do.
DeleteOh, goodness the "pick up the house" part is so important for me!If I wake up to a messy kitchen it's like I'm starting my day three steps behind and playing catch up the whole rest of the day.
ReplyDeleteMarty, I have many days of feeling like I am starting 3 steps behind. Working on changing that though. :) Thanks for your comment.
DeleteJen, hopping over from Deep Roots at Home. Sounds a lot like my routine, I just don't have mine on paper. Great ideas!
ReplyDeleteI love that you have that 15 minutes of picking up your house. When the kids were little we had a whole house pickup at 7 pm. We did the same as you, ran around and picked up and put away for 15 minutes, daddy included. It was so nice to start in the morning with a clean house.
ReplyDeleteI think it was easier when the kids were little and picked up before bed. Mine are older now, young adults and I usually go to bed before THEY do, lol!
Although I have posted my cleaning schedule I don't think I have ever posted my evening and morning routines. I have meant to but just never did. But yes, I have one.
But as I commented earlier, I have been off many of my routines (including my cleaning routine) and I need to work back to them!
I love your idea with the post-it notes helping to establish a habit. What an awesome idea! Thanks so much for linking up to "Making Your Home Sing Monday" today! :)
Dropping by from Titus 2 Tuesday. Great advice. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this. Going to start tonight! Will make for an easier morning!
ReplyDelete