The Key to an Organized Life Series: Life
We’ve reached the final post in the “Key to an Organized Life” series. I really enjoyed writing this series and will most likely do more in the future. But for now, I wanted to close out this series by talking about life. Particularly ways you can get your life in order. Or at least in some kind of order.
And in this blog post, I’m going to talk about how you can gain order and structure of your life using routines.
Routines can help get your life in order, if even for an hour. And they’re a great way to organize your life so you’re not always wondering what to do next.
Let’s look at some ways routines have the power to get your life in order
Morning routines
Perhaps the most popular type of routine, morning routines are everywhere. Celebrities and influencers share them on social media. There are books written specifically about them. Morning talk shows discuss their importance and versatility.
But one misconception people have about morning routines — and routines in general — is that they take up too much time.
They could, but how long a routine takes depends on you. If you wish to cram 5-10 activities in your morning routine, then yes, it’s going to take a long time. But the truth is most of us only have time for one or three.
For example, I do my best work from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Once I finish lunch, my productivity plummets. Because I like to get to work as quickly as possible, my morning routine is simple:
Wake up at 7:30
Wash my face
Have breakfast
Brush my teeth
Get dressed
Make coffee
Check emails
Start deep work at 9:00
That’s it. What makes it a routine is that I do the same thing every day. You may already have a routine without even knowing it. Take note of the things you seem to do each morning. If you’re inclined, add something else like reading for 15 minutes or journaling.
Remember that your morning routine should help you prepare for the day ahead.
Evening routines
Full disclosure: I’ve been trying to put together an evening routine for a while. I haven’t been successful. So far. I’m still trying.
Evening routines are perfect for those who need a way to alert their brain that it’s time to wind down before bed. It’s particularly powerful for people with kids.
My sister, for example, winds her kids down by cutting off their screen time at a certain time. She then dims the lights and puts on a movie or show. This, her boys, know means it’s almost time for bed.
Cutting off screen time is something adults should do as well.
Like a morning routine, an evening routine shouldn’t have more than five activities. In fact, I wrote a blog post about 5 easy and productive things you can do before bed. It’s a great starting point until you find the three to five activities that help you relax before bed.
Mid-day routines
You know how movies and books have a beginning, middle, and end? Well, your day does too. It has a beginning (morning routine), an end (evening routine), and a middle (mid-day routine). People underestimate how powerful a mid-day routine can be.
Where does mid-day fall? Depends on you. For me, my mid-day is when I sign off of work for the day. That’s usually around 3:00/3:30.
So what do I do for my mid-day routine? Three days out of the week, I work out. The other days, I meditate.
I find doing something physical or reflective is a great way for me to switch my brain from work to home. Yes, I work from home, which means making the switch is even harder.
By working out or meditating, I know work is done for the day. Any emails I get or other stuff related to work can wait until tomorrow. For the rest of the day, I’m focusing on me, my family, and my personal projects.
I’ve found a mid-day routine is my best way to get my life in some kind of order. I don't mind not having an evening routine since my mid-day routine is strong enough.
So if having all three sounds like too much, start with one and then add as you get comfortable. I can already assure you you have some kind of morning routine without even realizing it. But I encourage you to try a mid-day routine because it really is a great way to make the switch from work to home.
Weekly routines
Now we’re going to break away from daily routines and look at weekly routines. Weekly routines are ideal for people who think daily routines are too restrictive.
I tend to have more weekly routines than daily. For example, I do a weekly review every Sunday where I look at the previous week to see what work and what didn’t. This allows me to better plan for the new week ahead. My Sunday planning sessions are sacred.
I also do a weekly cleaning routine that you can read all about here.
With a weekly routine, you can pair similar tasks together. Like sorting through the mail or batching all your errands on the same day.
One thing I do on a weekly basis is create my content for the week. I do this on Mondays. Since it takes me a couple of hours, it’s easier for me to do it all in one day than create one to two posts every day. I also do my laundry once a week. That includes washing, folding, and putting it away.
So when planning your weekly routines, look at tasks you can batch together. Choose a day of the week you want to get all that stuff done and commit to doing it on that same day every week. Once you do it for a month, you’ll find it comes second nature.
Monthly routines
Finally, let’s look at monthly routines. My monthly routines are quite small compared to my weekly routines, but some are still vital.
One thing I do each month is a monthly review. This is where I go over my entire month and see what worked and what didn’t. You can read my blog post all about it here. And if you want to start a monthly review yourself, you can download my Monthly Goal Review Workbook for free. It walks you through the process and includes a fillable section for ease.
Aside from my monthly review, the only other monthly routine I do is cleaning. Yes, I know. More cleaning!
I focus on one room each month so by the time I get through all of them, the first one I cleaned could use a little refresh. I schedule a single day to tackle the room. Sometimes I need two, but since I purposely schedule that day for that specific room, I tend to get it all done.
Monthly routines are perfect for those larger tasks that might need a full day to complete.
If you have kids, a good monthly routine is for them to sort through and declutter any school reports or papers they no longer need. You can do a backpack clean out once a week and a major paper clean out once a month.
While routines are not necessary to feel in control of your life, they do offer some form of structure. And structure is an important aspect of our lives. I find I commit to goals and plans more when they’re written down and pre-planned in my calendar.
Don’t get me wrong, spontaneity is important too. But too much spontaneity can make you feel out of control. And when you need to focus and get something done, routines and structure can help.
It’s your turn. Do you have any routines? Have you tried making one and couldn’t get a handle on it? What’s one thing you wish you could do each morning, mid-day, or evening to help you feel a bit more in control?
And don’t forget to check out the other two posts in this series:
