5 Easy Steps to Create a Daily Routine for Your Family
You might be wondering what a daily routine is, or maybe you’ve had one for a while. Routines, slightly different from schedules, help us implement good habits into our days. They help us waste no time.
It can be easy for time to get away from us when we don’t have a routine to follow. If you don’t have a routine for yourself or your family, you might notice that time can escape sometimes. There may be days when you feel it’s absolutely impossible to get it all done.
You could have a routine, but it’s getting stale, and you need to revive it for it to be useful for your family again. Wherever you fall in the daily routine game, check out some valuable tips we’ve found to help you get your life and your time back!
Why Should You Have a Daily Routine
It’s easy to write off needing to have or thinking you should have a daily routine. It sounds so structured, right? But we assure you that you will be organized by setting a daily routine for yourself and your family! It will help keep you sane, strengthen family relationships, and make schedule changes more manageable.
Routines Keep Us Organized
Routines help you form good habits. Habits are things that we get to do every day. If you work outside the home, it’s good to get into the routine of making your lunch before you leave for work.
Often people will walk out and forget in the hustle and bustle of the morning. Then you’re left without lunch and have to buy or go without. Getting into a good routine of making lunch the night before and having your lunch ready can help keep your morning organized and less chaotic.
Most mornings are spent trying to get everyone out the door and where they need to go. Mornings can include getting kids up, getting yourself ready, or helping a partner out the door. Implementing a good morning and evening routine can make smooth transitions and happy starts and ends to days.
Routines Help Calm the Chaos
Not having a routine can sometimes make it hard to think about where your time went in your day. It can be so easy to get up whenever, hit the snooze one more time, and never have enough time for anything—yourself especially.
Routines can ensure you make time for yourself. Maybe that is getting up 15 minutes earlier. This can allow you to have your quiet time, drink your coffee, or go for a walk. Self-care is essential; working it into your daily routine will keep you sane and refreshed for whatever life throws you.
Routines Help Family Relationships
If you live with a family—you know that when you are short on time, everyone gets stressed out. It can strain family relationships—knowing precisely what is expected before bedtime can make getting there easier.
Mornings and evenings can be hard. Everyone is tired from waking up or having a long day, but routines can help create the calm evenings you are looking for!
Routines Can Make Schedule Changes Easier
While routines can help keep the day flowing more straightforwardly and leave less time for breakdowns (if you have a toddler, you know what I mean), they can also help when schedules change.
If you are juggling multiple schedules, you may get home later one night than when bedtime is typically scheduled. When your kiddos know exactly what to do, scheduling changes can be less hectic.
The beauty of a routine is that it doesn’t have to be rigid. You can create a predictable and adaptable routine to keep the needs of you and your family met.
How to Create a Daily Routine
Creating a routine is going to be different for everyone! Here are a few tips to help you get started!
1. Take a Step Back
Don’t try to implement a routine overnight. Take a step back and observe your practices as an individual or as a family. You can write these things down and then figure out how to work them into a routine that works for you.
2. Think About the “Who”
Who needs to be in the loop of this routine? Just you and your kids? Maybe there is another parent who needs to know the ins and outs of the routine. Do you have a nanny? Routines work! But as a family unit, you all need to be on the same page.
3. Things to Consider
When thinking about how to set up your routine, there are things to take into consideration. How many schedules are you trying to align? Do you have cheerleading, soccer, and football to think about? Knowing what you are facing will help you structure a routine that is best for everyone.
4. Be Realistic
Don’t make something unrealistic because you don’t want to feel defeated if it doesn’t work. Being flexible when you have many schedules to make cohesive is VERY important to remember.
5. Consider Using a Calendar
A family unit is unique. It comprises several people with different interests and responsibilities, and somehow you have to make it all work. When breaking down what you need to do to establish a routine—consider getting a family calendar to help keep everything organized and everyone sane!
What is the Best Daily Routine
Daily routines can look different for different people. Some people only have themselves to consider, so your routine may look more like implementing healthy practices for a healthy life. Some people have families to consider. Those routines may look more like what makes bedtime peaceful.
Whatever stage of life you're in, finding habits that work for your routine are important. It's the key to making routines stick and be beneficial for everyone. You can always take a look to see what others have implemented to get your creative juices flowing. What works for one, won't work for all. But you can create something perfect for you!
Maintaining Your Routines
Once you have examined the need you have and routines that will help you—it’s going to be important to keep them up. Here are some tips to help you stay on the right track and keep those daily routines intact:
- Take Things Slowly: You don’t have to change everything overnight. Doing one thing at a time will get you where you want to go.
- Implement Changes as Needed: Keep your routine flexible. It will take trial and error but stick to it, and you’ll find what works.
- Enjoy your Newly Organized Life: There will be days when things go wrong, but having your routine will help you handle it with grace and ease! You’ve got this!
Conclusion
Don’t forget to take time for yourself amid your schedules and routines. It can be easy to get caught up living by the clock, but schedule in some flexibility and give yourself grace if things don’t go right all the time.
Change can take time. But by implementing routines that work for your needs, you'll find a better sense of control over your time while also getting things done!