INCORPORATING ROUTINE IN YOUR LIFE

Mornings are hard, but they can be made easier with a basic routine.  Trying to rise above the chaos of my morning I know I have the right to change what I don’t like by making a small shift in my attitude.  These small shifts can help make your mornings less of a shit show!!  However, there will always be days that sneak up on us, and destroy that routine we work so hard at keeping; hence the one I recently had.  Life throws us curveballs, and it’s all about balance.  Completing daily routines can help physically, mentally, and emotionally, and everyone needs some of that in their life.

My usual day buster of a morning sets the tone for my entire day. Then I’m rushing to catch up with a time that has already been wasted, I’m short with coworkers (due to being mad at myself for coming in the door late), then snap at my kids when we get home, yadda yadda. All because of a bad morning! The morning is over Dawn, let it the f*** go! So that day, I did. And I texted a friend to hold myself accountable.

ROUTINE BRINGS STRUCTURE TO YOUR LIFE

So back to the power of a routine.  My morning was shit because I didn’t prep and follow my usual plan. The night before my “off” Friday, I gave myself a break because let’s be honest, I didn’t feel like it, I was SUPER SUPER DUPER productive Wednesday night. To top it off I even baked a homemade pie on a weeknight which is insane with tiny people in my kitchen! On Thursday night after I got the kids in bed and set out a few minor things, I sat my ass down and had a glass of wine and some of those damn addicting-overpriced pretzels and watched some football. Before I knew it, it was way past my bedtime…BOOM. The next morning was already a goner since I didn’t stick to my nightly routine.

I woke up a few times to settle a teething Gracyn down/rock her back to sleep.  The alarm went off at 4:20 am so I shut it off by accident because I had less than 5.5 hrs of sleep! Is that even legal to function with that little of sleep regularly? Do I even need to say the workout class didn’t happen? I’d set my clothes out and committed to my friend and everything. I ended up getting up at 6:15 -eeek!  I had to shower and wash my hair, didn’t have a clue what I was wearing, the weather was flippin’ cold and sandals were a big NO!  As I’m rummaging through my Maurice’s clothing order I got in the mail the night before, it hit me the girls’ hair up needed up and freakin school-themed earrings and headbands all while still in my underwear and nowhere near ready…

HOW TO INCORPORATE ROUTINES INTO YOUR DAILY LIFE

So what makes Dawn’s mornings usually run like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory:
This is what I do the night before to have a great morning:
·         Check weather for the next day to pick out clothes
·         Lay them out upstairs for them to get dressed
·         Layout what I’m going to wear
·         Diaper bag fully packed for daycare with Gracyn’s formula, clean bottle, blanket
·         Have kitchen cleaned up – no messy dishes to ease the morning load
·         Energy (caffeine) scooped into my blender bottle – cuz I’ll be uber pissed if I don’t have time in the morning and get to work without my bottle of happiness!
·         Set out workout clothes in the bathroom
·         In bed before 9:40 otherwise shit hits the fan with my alarm clock the next morning

All of these examples help me win over the snooze button- for real!
It seems like a lot, but it’s that much LESS I have to do in the morning. See Mel’s crazy like me, so I feel somewhat normal.

MAKING TIME FOR WHAT MATTERS MOST

Think about what your “ideal” routine is and what you can do to ensure a good start to your day and mood?  Routine always begins the night before, and once you start your routine give it a little time and it will eventually feel like second nature. There is nothing quite as rewarding as having the ability to put checkmarks off of your To-do list, and always remember to make time for what is most important in your life. The best reward for routine as a mom is being more patient and present in the eyes of your children. The strength in the routine is set before all of life’s other demands of kids, husband/wife, work, house chores, and other activities set in.

BONUS TIP

Just remember the more you clean an area, the easier the cleaning becomes the second time around. It’s the same way with the power of routine; It gets better, easier, quicker the more you do it!

“You didn’t wake up today to be mediocre!”