So much of what I do throughout my day has been created through forming habits. As I started to write this, I actually struggled remembering everything. Much of what I do during the day is just second nature at this point in my life. By no means am I blindly going through life, instead the structure and routine in my day enables me to have fun, unscheduled play time.
Here is a typical Monday is my life:
430 wake and do stretch routine
500 run
600 morning SAVERS (adapted from Hal Elrod’s The Miracle Morning)
700 routine w littles: breakfast, bath, dress, ready for day
800 boot camp (Judi takes Grace to school)
845 grab list and bags, head to grocery store
10 put away groceries, start some cooking prep
11 walk Brady
1145 P/U Grace from school
12 lunch
100 work on 3 tasks (adapted from Natalie McNeil’s The Conquer Kit and Gary Keller and Jay Papasan’s The ONE Thing)
300 boot camp
400 prep dinner and play with kids
530 boot camp
600 boot camp
645 dinner
700 routine w littles: teeth, pjs, FaceTime daddy for story, snuggle time
800 littles to bed, chat w Ty
900 bedtime routine: tea, plan next day, gratitude journal (from Gretchen Rubin’s Happier)
If I am not running, I sometimes sleep in a little. Although, I usually wake at the same time and get work done. It is amazing how much more I can get done at 5 in the morning, as opposed to 1 in the afternoon. The nice thing about my days being so rigid, I have all the flexibility in the world to change it, on a whim. The dishes and laundry are regularly done, my work is completed in a timely manner, and I schedule time with the kids each day, this allows me to blow a day off for a fun play date or trip to the zoo.
I believe structure is necessary because structure and creativity have the same parentage. It is structure that enables creativity. Steve Denning
Having structure to your days helps to increase productivity. I would totally find myself laying in bed wondering, what should I do right now. Instead, I have written down what I am going to be doing and that makes all the difference. Every morning, while the little two eat breakfast, I vacuum the floor. Every once in a while, I’m running behind, or the kids can’t sit at the table without fighting. Then the floor doesn’t get vacuumed. Is it a big deal? No, because it was done the day before and will be done again the following day. By staying on top of all my daily duties, I prevent the feeling of overwhelm at the amount of tasks I have to accomplish. I also open myself for the chance to throw the day’s plan out the window. Just today, I had to adjust. After I wrote my plan, I realized the window guys would be coming between 7 & 8. I had to shower early, which changed my morning a little. Then, they didn’t show up. So, now I am rearranging my afternoon for their new arrival time. Being a slave to your schedule is not the same as thriving in a structured environment.
How do you plan out your day? What kind of routines have you established for yourself? What is one new routine you would like to start working on to be the best you? Let me know in the comments!