REESTABLISHING ROUTINES IN THE NEW YEAR

A GOOD ROUTINE IS HARD TO COME BY

It takes hard work to establish great routines. Figuring out the right order and timing to do something to make it work best for you takes effort and often trial and error. But, once we have it figured out, a great routine makes a huge difference in the flow of our days. Unfortunately, routines can sometimes get lost when a change in our lives occurs. That can be something as simple as the holiday season. The way we eat changes, the time needed for shopping and other events often takes away time that we would have done certain routines. It can be difficult to get back to those routines when we lose that certain rhythm we had going before. But, all is not lost, it just takes a little bit of discipline to get our great routines, or even better ones put back in place.

YOU MAY FEEL OVERWHELMED

Because our routines are so important in helping us keep things orderly in our lives, it can feel a little bit overwhelming if we let them slip. We can feel like we have to get caught up and don’t know where to begin or how we will have the time to do it. Don’t focus on getting caught up, focus on doing. Do what you can and things will fall back into place, it might just take a little bit of time. Overwhelm can cause you to procrastinate which gets you nowhere. So, rather than focusing on getting caught up, just focus on getting started and doing what you can.

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 right back into them. But when it goes on for a longer period (like a holiday season) it can be more difficult to get back into the routines you had in place. If you don’t remember exactly what your routine is, that’s OK. Don’t let that hold you up. Start a new routine.  Don’t forget, you didn’t always have great routines. You had to create them from scratch at some point.  So, there is no reason you can’t do it again. You might even end up liking your new routine better than the old one. Getting hung up on getting back to the exact routine we had before can cause us to procrastinate.

KNOW WHAT YOUR MINIMUMS ARE

Because we may feel a little bit overwhelmed, it can be not easy to jump right back into our routines. Before trying to create a lengthy routine that accomplishes many tasks, start out by just focusing on the minimums that must be done daily. 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, and cooking dinner. Doing the dishes and cooking dinner could be skipped if needed, but not long-term.  They need to be done daily.

My weekly minimums are cleaning our guinea pigs’ cage, 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. Starting a good routine that covers the minimums, can help build momentum to get your back to your old routines, or even better ones.

DON’T GIVE UP ON YOUR ROUTINES

Routines are so important because they reduce the amount 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 what you should do next. It’s the same with any routine.  By creating an order to do certain tasks we can quickly move from one to the next without spending time making decisions in between each task. So, just because you may have fallen out of a routine that you had in place, don’t give up on getting them back. Take it slow and try something new if you need to. Make your routines fun. I love to listen to podcasts or audiobooks while folding laundry, putting away dishes, or just about anything.

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 about prioritizing progress over perfection. It’s always better to be making progress on something than to delay taking action by waiting for the time when you can get it done perfectly. If all feels lost with your routines, focus on starting something small. Make progress and keep making progress. It will get you where you want to be in the end. So, here is to a New Year full of new and improved routines!

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

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