My 5 Favorite Routines for Simplifying Life

With two days left in the year, I could easily write about creating a vision board for 2022 or choosing your word of the year. And while I do enjoy doing those new year activities, I am all about the practical next steps that you can do to make your life easier.

So as you think about what you want to create this next year, I want to offer up the idea of trying a new routine to simplify your busy, working mom life.

One of my favorite parenting books, which is also full of life lessons for those of us pursuing a life of simplicity, is Simplicity Parenting. There is an entire section of the book dedicated to routines and how helpful they are for kids. Routines help them know what to expect, when to expect it, and they help to alleviate the stress of the unknown.

Aren't those things exactly what we, as working moms need too?! We need to make more decisions in advance so we're not faced with decision fatigue at the end of the day. We need rhythms for our families that everyone understands so we're not the gatekeeper of information. And we need to know that we have the time and space to take care of ourselves and even have a little fun along the way.

So as you’re thinking about the possibilities of the New Year - what you want to change, the new goals or habits that you want to create - try thinking about these routines as something to experiment with. For simplifying life, for alleviating stress, and for knowing what to expect.

1. MEAL THEMES THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.

I learned this year that choosing the meals is the hardest part of meal prep for me. It's why I plan a month at a time instead of each week. And I'm able to do that because each day has a "theme". Instead of picking from ALL the possible recipes and meal choices for that day, I'm choosing a meal within constraints. For example -

• Monday - chicken

• Tuesday - taco variation

• Wednesday - soup

• Thursday - pasta

• Friday - pizza

• Saturday - leftovers/takeout

• Sunday - new recipe

You get to choose the chicken dish or soup recipe and change it up week to week, but the category is there, making life a little more simple.

2. MUSIC FOR CLEANING UP

I love how @simplyonpurpose shared the trick of picking a dance song to play after dinner and that’s the cue for everyone to help pick up and clean up. It makes it fun. Loud music, everyone smiling and dancing, and it’s a trigger for kids too. When this song plays, we help pick up! The more you do it, the more it becomes a routine that’s fun and it helps you get ahead on the evening chores so that after bedtime you can relax instead of cleaning up.

3. WEEKLY MOVEMENT

If you already have a daily workout routine in place, you can skip this one. But for those of us who are still trying to find a routine that works, I want to suggest setting a weekly movement goal rather than a daily one. My current goal is to move my body 3 times a week in whatever ways I need. A walk, some yoga, lifting weights, or riding my bike depending on the day. And I can move my workouts around to be on the days when I have more time or more energy instead of feeling stuck to a specific day of the week. It's the perfect amount of challenge and flexibility and I highly recommend the weekly view for any habit that you've been struggling to do consistently.

4. BEDTIME ROUTINE

I’ve always thought that morning routines are challenging for those of us with small children. It’s hard to be consistent if you have kids who are early risers, a newborn who's still up at night, or if you just need that extra sleep! I have found bedtime routines to be a more realistic way to spend a few minutes each day focused on me and I’ve also had several clients agree. Whether it’s just 10 minutes where you stretch, meditate, journal, read, do a crossword puzzle, listen to music… it doesn’t matter what it is as long as you feel relaxed and enjoy doing it. So try giving yourself 10 extra minutes before bed and finish off your day focused on yourself.

5. MONTHLY DATE NIGHT

I’m going to be talking more about how I plan to invest in my relationships this year, but this is one that repeatedly comes up for me and ALL of my clients. We all want to spend more time with our partners and make that relationship a priority. If your kids are small, if life feels super busy, if you’re exhausted all the time, it feels next to impossible to plan a date with your spouse. But this is a routine worth getting uncomfortable for. If you only plan one a month, that’s nothing overwhelming and still adds up to 12 dates a year. Be creative with how you handle childcare. Be flexible with whether it’s a date night, a day date, or a brunch date. Have fun with what it is that you do together. Put it in the calendar, commit to once a month, and notice how it impacts the other areas of your life for the better!

As with any changes in habit or routine, and especially when you have work and parenting to keep up with, try one change at a time.

Which one are you most excited about? What feels easiest given your life right now? Where will you see the greatest impact?

I will preach this over and over again, to you, to my clients, to myself, but it’s all about EXPERIMENTING. Nothing has to be permanent. You’re trying a new routine on for size, adjusting it, making it work for you, and then either adding something else because it’s working so well or dropping it entirely and changing focus. That’s the fun. That’s where the progress is made.

How will you be simplifying life in 2022? Shoot me an email and let me know!