MY BEST TIPS FOR A CONSISTENT DAILY ROUTINE

There’s no doubt that establishing a daily routine can have it’s challenges, especially in the times we’re currently living in. For myself, and our family, keeping a sense of normalcy every day is so crucial in running our lives and our household. A daily routine is a HUGE part of my every day sanity and when I stick to mine, things run so much more smoothly and I have peace of mind. I’m so much more productive. With that, I’m sharing my best tips for a consistent daily routine (I shared my makeup routine here the other day) to help you through this very challenging time in our lives that none of us were prepared for.

I’m used to working at home, but I’m usually driving the kids all over the place too, so now with our new schedules, things are definitely different for all of us. My husband Neil’s office is now closed for the next three weeks at least, so he’s also working from home.

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THE LAST TWO YEARS

A few years ago when our kids were a little younger, I shared another post on our daily routine (read it here), also filled with my top daily tips for keeping our household organized and running smoothly in our home. It’s a great resource, you’ll want to read it, especially if your kids are a little younger! It’s so helpful and I still stick to most of it.

Now, a few years later, things have changed a little, along with our daily routine and now of course, they’re completely different for all of us – which we all know is only temporary, right? I won’t go into details in today’s post, but the last two years have been very challenging for me, personally.

Some of you know, many of you may not know, that my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer two years ago, and my father passed away suddenly last summer. The hardest two years of my life, and losing my dear Daddy was the most difficult experience I’ve ever gone through, and am still going through. He left us too soon…

Two years of very trying times for myself and my family, and now we’re all facing something together globally that we’ve never experienced before. Now more than ever we need normalcy and consistency, for ourselves, our children, and our homes too! So, without further ado, here we go…I hope you find these tips helpful to bring consistency and productivity to your day too!

MY DAILY ROUTINE NOW: GETTING MY DAY STARTED RIGHT!

I’ve fallen out of a regular workout schedule and healthy eating because of so much of what I’ve gone through over the last two years, and I’ve decided I’m taking the opportunity right now, with more time on my hands, to get back to myself! Here is what I’m currently doing every day and my tips for a daily routine that works for me:

TIP #1 – Waking up early and on time is key to a productive day. In my perfect world, I’d be up at five am, working out and ready to start by 6:30. I’m not there yet so for now I’m up at 6:45, I have my coffee, do some work – checking my website analytics, check my emails and scheduling my pins for Pinterest.

TIP #2 – By 8:00 I do a quick workout – I’m easing myself back into things, and I’m slowly getting back to my HIIT training – for me, these are the BEST workouts. Quick and effective and all you need is 15 minutes a day. Not easy at all, but I love them. I shared a link to some great workouts in my organized life post. Not working out? No worries – take a few minutes to stretch, meditate, or write in a gratitude journal (something that’s on my to-do list!).

TIP #3 – I shower, get myself ready for the day (don’t forget my beauty post here) and make the bed – I always make the bed! All of these are essential to getting my day off to the right start. Showering and getting ready are key for my day also. I love a clean bedroom and it feels great getting into a neatly made bed every night – I hate messy sheets!

MY DAYTIME TIPS 

TIP #4 – By 9:30 – 10:00 (I’m working on getting started earlier!) I’m ready to work. I grab my laptop and agenda, sit at the kitchen table and get my day going. There are days where I start later, because I’ll work longer in the morning before showering too, so of course, there is flexibility!

TIP #5 – Play music! I’m not one to watch TV during the day, but I don’t like complete quiet. So I turn on the tunes and work away! I check the news here and there only, but do NOT have it on all day, especially with so much doom and gloom at the moment. Stay informed but stay POSITIVE. Playing your favorite music keeps your mood light and is the best remedy. Not sure my teenagers love it blasting while I’m trying to wake them up haha.

TIP #6 – This may or may not apply to you but we have teenagers who like to stay up late and sleep in! I’m trying my hardest to let them relax and not feel and stress or pressure with everything that’s happening in our world at the moment. That said, I don’t want them sleeping all day either! By 10:30 – 11:00 (some days it’s later) I open their doors so they can start waking up and get their day going too. I feel it’s important that the kids still contribute and do chores. Bed making, room cleaning, emptying + loading the dishwasher and laundry is still on their lists! 

TIP #7 – Our school board hasn’t yet given an at-home curriculum yet (I wish they would!) and they may not, but I still try to get them to do a little bit of practice if possible. Math or reading, or something creative. Our daughter Sydney loves to bake and experiment in the kitchen so I love letting her tackle different creations. She’s a competitive dancer so she practices daily as well. Our son Liam normally trains at an MMA gym (a new endeavour he LOVES), so he’s working out daily too. If you have kids at home, get them moving! 

TIP #8 – Eat healthy! I’m not a huge daytime eater, and now that I’m working toward getting back to my healthy living habits (I fell off the keto bandwagon, and now I’m getting back on!), my eating is healthier too. I do snack often, but I make healthy choices. Snacks include almonds, cheese, cherry tomatoes – all some of my faves. A light lunch will include either leftover meat and veggies, tuna or eggs.

TIP #9 – Take something out of the freezer early in the day to cook for dinner. I love to search Pinterest for recipe ideas and our meals are always pretty healthy. They usually consist of meat and veggies, rarely a starch, but I still do make those on occasion too. I keep my cooking simple and healthy.

TIP #10 – Take a break! We still have snow here, but it’s finally getting a little warmer, so we’ve been taking walks outside with the kids when we can. The fresh air and sunshine feels so good and I can’t wait for summer!

TIP #11 – Make it a point to eat together as a family. Whether you like to cook or order out (helping our local restaurants and communities is so important right now!), eating together as a family is worth everything to me. We grew up on home cooked meals each night and we always ate together every night. I want to give my family the same values and coming together to eat and talk about our day is so important!

TIP #12 – Try and find some family time together. Ok I admit, our teenagers don’t always want to spend time with us, but if I can get them to do something with us, I am a happy mama! Taking a walk, cooking together, watching a movie, playing a game…anything simple just to spend some quality time together.

TIP #13 – Keep your regular cleaning routine up too. I like things neat and tidy (messes give me stress!) and although I normally clean on the weekends, I usually clean in between as well. The kitchen gets cleaned throughout the day, I can’t stand dishes in the sink – I work in the kitchen so it needs to be clean. I like to wipe down the bathrooms regularly as well, vacuum every night or every other night. We have a bunny who runs around and makes a mess! The kids and hubby do too ;) Get everyone involved in cleaning up after dinner, we all have a role to play! Again, you can find more about that in my organized life post.

TIP #14 – If you aren’t working and you’re looking for things to fill your days, read a book you’ve always wanted to. Sort through photos, organize a closet. FaceTime your friends or family. Journal. Create a vision board. Just a few ideas to keep you busy. Stay tuned for another blog post full of ideas and projects you can tackle right now.

TIP #15 – Take time to unwind, unplug and relax if you can. For us, we love to binge watch our favorite shows at night (although that’s not really unplugging!), but maybe you like to workout or do yoga at night, instead of the morning like me. If you can, take the time to turn off your mind that’s probably racing all over. 

TIP #16 – Get a good night’s sleep. Don’t stay up for hours watching Netflix or the news. Get to bed at a decent hour so you can get up at a decent hour. Keep your schedule and daily routine as regular as possible, so you’re refreshed every day and you feel like yourself. It’s too easy to let things go, and instead of letting it easily happen at a challenging time like this, take the opposite approach and challenge yourself ;)That wraps up my best tips for a productive and consistent daily routine – I hope you find this both helpful and useful! Even if just one of these tips can help you better your day, then I’m happy! I hope you can make this uncertain time in our world a pleasant one for yourself and your family. While we’re all spending so much time in our homes right now, it’s so crucial to create spaces that we love, and take time for ourselves, for our families and for our homes! Stay healthy, stay safe and please stay home! xo