FALLING OUT OF OUR ROUTINES

STRUGGLING WITH ROUTINES

I decide to do this topic today because lately, I feel like I cannot get back to my good routines. I’m sure that there are times that this happens to all of us. There are times when I feel like I have all of the basics under control. I never feel like I have everything under control. But, when my routines are working they really help me with making sure that all of the basics are getting done. I feel really good when I am keeping up with them. Everything might not be getting done that I would like to get done, but I don’t feel overwhelmed or super behind.

WHAT ROUTINES AM I REFERRING TO?

There are so many types of routines that we have that help us keep things in order in our lives. Some people say they don’t follow routines.  But, most of us really do, even if there are just a few and we don’t really think about them as routines. A routine is just a sequence of actions regularly followed. So, it’s just something we do on a regular basis in a certain order. We have routines related to cleaning our home. Some of those routines are related to daily tasks. And some of those are related to weekly, monthly, or annual tasks. There are routines to work on our finances, take care of pets, go grocery shopping. We might have exercise routines, relaxation routines, or any number of routines to cover other things that we do in our lives.

WHAT CAUSES ROUTINES TO BE DISPRUPTED?

Routines seem to go along great when life is going smoothly. Then, something happens that disrupts those nice routines that you built. It could be a change in a season where your daily schedule is different. In the summer both of my daughters work at the boardwalk at different locations and on different schedules. I know that in the summer routines are very difficult to stick to. The thing that happens doesn’t even always involve a loss of time that causes you to fall out of your routine.

Sometimes we just don’t have the mental or physical energy to do the things we want to do. If you are struggling with a financial situation, a medical issue, or any other stressful situation it could cause you to fall out of your routines. You may still have the time, but you are mentally drained and just don’t feel like doing certain things. Or you could be sick and have no physical energy.

IT IS OK TO STOP ROUTINES WHEN NEEDED

There is nothing wrong with stopping certain routines when life gets hectic. It’s actually important to stop doing some things so that you do not overwhelm yourself. I know when things get crazy there are certain things that I just can’t do. If we have a super busy weekend and I worked all week and had busy evenings, the shower is not getting scrubbed this weekend. The floors will still have some dust accumulating in the corners and carpets might need to be vacuumed. We will survive.  It’s necessary to accept that at certain times certain things just can’t be done and they will get done later. The problem is that it can be difficult to get back into our routines when life goes back to normal.

KNOW WHAT YOUR MINIMUMS ARE

If you are going through a difficult time in life either for lack of time or mental energy, it’s important to have minimums established for your daily routines. These are the things that need to get done no matter what else is going on. You might have daily minimums and weekly minimums. For example, my daily minimums are doing the dishes, feeding the animals, cooking dinner. Doing the dishes and cooking dinner could be skipped if needed, but not in the long term.  They basically need to be done daily.

My weekly minimums are cleaning our guinea pigs’ cage, doing a water change in my fish tank, doing laundry, and watering the plants. In the weekly list, laundry could be skipped if needed.  But, again it’s going to have to get done pretty soon or you will run out of clothes. The reason it’s good to have minimum routines is so that when you are having a rough time you have something to focus on.  You can tell yourself, I just have to get these things done and that’s it.

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO GET BACK TO ROUTINES?

If we have to skip our routines a few times, it’s usually pretty easy to get back to them. But when the situation continues for longer it can be difficult to get back into our routines again. Maybe we forget exactly how we were doing something that seemed to work really well. So, we might procrastinate until we can remember the best way to do it. We might be overwhelmed by starting back up on a routine.

Say you haven’t reconciled your checking or credit card statements for much longer than usual. You know it’s going to be a lot of work to get caught up so you may keep putting it off, creating an even bigger job. If we haven’t yet been impacted by not doing the routine, we may question if we really even need to do it. And actually, it is a good time to question if you do need to get back to certain routines if you don’t really feel impacted by stopping them.

DON’T GIVE UP ON YOUR ROUTINES

Routines are so important because they reduce the number of decisions we have to make each day. It’s just like when you get ready in the morning.  You know the exact order you will wash your hair, brush your teeth, etc. You don’t sit there thinking about what you should do next. The more we can develop these in our lives the smoother things go. So, just because you may have fallen out of routines that you had in place, don’t give up on getting them back.

Take it slow and try something new if you need to. You don’t have to follow the exact routines always.  If you don’t remember a great way you were doing something, just start fresh.  You will figure out a way that works. Make them fun if you can. While I’m reconciling our checking and credit cards on the weekend, I put something on TV in the background to kind of half-watch while I’m working on the computer. When I do dishes or put away the laundry I love to listen to podcasts or audiobooks.

PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION

What helps me the most when I need to get back to a routine when it feels like too much is to remind myself progress over perfection. I literally say it to myself often when I am doing things. I might be cleaning the bathroom, knowing that it needs a really deep cleaning. But, I only have time to clean the sink and the toilet.  While I’m wiping down the sink, I have to remind myself progress over perfection. It’s better now than it was before.  It is 100 percent worth doing what I am doing, even though I would like to have time to do more.

Thanks so much for checking in! If you would like to hear the podcast version of this topic to check out Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast! Also, be sure to check out my other blog posts on this site!

I would love to have you join my mailing list! Sign up here:

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you’re human: