Routines

Routines

How does that word, that concept, that strategy make you feel? Anxious? Frustrated? Overjoyed?

Routines. You either love them or hate them. Depending on the kind of gal you are, I know you fit into one of three camps.

Camp #1:

You have no routines at all, constantly wondering what’s for dinner, which child is meant to be where for whichever sport, or constantly run late for your exercise class.

Camp #2:

Your house is scheduled and routine-ised to within an inch of its life, with charts in the kitchen, children’s rooms, garage, all giving you and your family constant reminders of what to do, when, with whom and where.

Camp #3:

You have routines for some things (like getting out of the house on time, jobs for the children “¦maybe, when to grocery shop and wash) but not others (exercise, catching up with friends, scheduling ‘me’ time).

Designing, implementing and maintaining a solid household routine can be really tiring. If there are no routines in a busy household chaos is likely to be your constant companion; if your routines are tightly scheduled you might feel anxious trying to keep on top of it all; if you have routines for some things but not others you might feel worried, wondering what you’ve forgotten.

So what to do?

1. Pause. Regardless of which routine style you are, just take a breather, have a cuppa (or something stronger if you’d prefer!) and let some of the stress melt away.

2. Evaluate your current routines. Do you have absolutely none, is your life scheduled and “routined” down to the last minute, or are you somewhere in between?

3. Ask yourself “Why?”. Why is your current routine like this? Is it working? If so, why? If not, why not? Be honest the idea is try to bring balance and clarity into your life.

4. Look at what’s really important. To do this you need to get a piece of paper and start writing. What things in your day or week are absolute must-do’s? Some examples include dropping children to school, cooking dinner, regular appointments (eg yoga class, reading groups) and children’s sport. Write them all down and allocate them a day and time in your diary/on your calendar/in your phone.

5. Look at the time. Quite often when we schedule our appointments and create our routine we forget the amount of time needed to complete the task. For example, an hour yoga class is never really an hour it’s more like one and a half hours depending on how much relaxation time you like at the start of the class, travel time, purchasing of more classes “¦ you get the idea! Always add extra contingency time, particularly if you are always known as the late arriver!

6. Fill in the gaps but not all of them! Once you know what’s really important in your routine you will find there are gaps. “Free time” if you like. But, alas, as a busy Mum we all know there is no such thing! Use these gaps wisely, give yourself time to reconnect with what you love because that’s what will help you fill your tank and re-energise yourself, ready for that next late night with sick children or change of routine due to unforeseen circumstances.

So what kind of routine style do I have? I firmly fall into Camp #3. Most of my routines relate to our son (school, sport, holidays, appointments, his daily jobs and routine) and my business. The rest I try to keep as “free time” because there’s not much of that anyway!

Until next time, happy organising!

Helen Butler is Director of Clutter Rescue (www.clutterrescue.com.au) and an Accredited Expert with the Australasian Association of Professional Organisers. Helen works with busy Mums to bring calm and clarity to their Space and Time.