Introduction to Routines

Photo by onkel_wart

Isn’t it funny how your children are better scheduled than you are? Breakfast, lunch, play dates, baseball practice, violin lessons, ballet, dinner, homework, bath and bed happen the same time every day, yet, and you can’t find time to shower or grab a bite to eat. When you have a baby, you spend hours agonizing over how they will spend their time awake. You make sure that they eat every three hours, they nap in between that, and then when they’re not sleeping or eating, you try to fill the hours with meaningful activities and experiences.

Why don’t you have a set routine?

Having a routine is extremely important. Time is precious, and if you know what you are supposed to be doing next, you aren’t wasting it. This, in the end, will give you more time to devote to your children, and, dare I say it, personal interests. This will teach your children important lessons about productivity. And, if they see you doing it, there might be less of a fight when they have to complete their routine. It’s hard to motivate a kid to take a shower, brush their teeth and get dressed when you haven’t done it yet.

Maybe you are one of those people who think that not knowing what comes next makes life more interesting. Maybe you make fun of the Mom in your circle of mom friends that schedules her family down to the last second. I’m not proposing that you become fanatical about keeping to a schedule. After all, having a set routine actually increases your flexibility to adapt to the daily meltdowns and life bumps.

Over the next week, I will post entries about setting up your own routines and the tools I use that keep my home running smoothly.

What are your routines like? What is the hardest thing about sticking to your routines?