How To Set Up Routines That Will Make You Love Your Life

“Where there is no vision the people are unrestrained” –  Proverbs 29:18

Last week I talked about why it’s important to establish daily rhythms and routines in your life. If you didn’t get a chance to read that, you can read it here.

Now that you know some of the ways setting up rhythms and routines allows you to live with intention and clear space for those things that matter most, this week I want to give you some practical steps to set up routines in your life.

While routines provide a definite way to make sure what matters gets done, no one-size-fits-all. What works for me may not work for you.  You need to find your own rhythm.  So don’t be surprised if you need to continue to make adjustments until you find what works best for you.

Also, it’s important to realize that your routines will change through the various seasons of life. What my routines look like today are very different than what they looked like when my kiddos were little.

No matter the season of life you’re in, the key is to keep things simple. What this means is no unreasonable expectations of yourself.  Simplicity really is the key to feeling in control.

Solid workable routines are ones that will allow you to get done what you need to get done without feeling overwhelmed or like a deer caught in the headlights when the unexpected happens.

7 Ways To Set Up Routines

So when you set up routines in your life, remember the goal is to ensure you are able to balance everyday life while taking time to enjoy the things that matter most to you. Good routines will leave you feeling accomplished at the end of the day.

Here are 7 ways to set up routines that will make you love your life.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you purchase something mentioned in this post. See more details here.

1. Write Down Everything You Do

Trust me, I know this is not an easy assignment. After all, there’s so much you have to do on a regular basis.

But writing down EVERYTHING you do is really the only way to get a clear picture of how your time is being spent.

One thing I found super helpful when doing this assignment was to create categories and then start listing tasks under each category.

For instance, I would have a category for home tasks.  Under that category, I would list things like laundry, meal planning, dishes, etc. My next category might be finances.  My list within that category would include paying bills, balancing checkbooks, budgeting, etc.

When you’re making your categories, be sure to include categories for your kids your husband, and yourself.

One important thing I want you to realize is that you are not making a to-do list here.  You are just writing down the things you do on a regular basis.  Honestly, I even include things such as showers and getting dressed. The point is to get it all written down.

Now, I want you to grab a new sheet of paper and write down all those things you really want to do on a regular basis. This might include, date nights with your guy or kids, a regular girls’ night out, or a family night weekend. 

Don’t forget about those little things like reading more, being creative, or playing an instrument.  Whatever it is that really matters to you that tends to get pushed to the side or only happens if time allows, should be written down.

This is not a five-minute assignment. I want you to really take some time and make this list as complete as possible. Keep this list handy so you can add to it as needed or jot down things as they come to mind. It’s better to throw everything in now and edit it out later.

2. Identify Time-Wasters

Come on, we all have them. These are the things that take our precious time and provide no real benefit in return.

I’m not just talking about aimlessly scrolling through Facebook, honestly, sometimes your mental health requires a little bit of time-wasting.  What I want you to do here is focus on those things that take up your time but provide no value in return other than perhaps increasing your stress level.

These are things like staying up way too late so that you’re dragging the next morning. Procrastination on unfinished tasks, perfectionism, or comparison would also be the types of things I might include.

3. Plan It Out

To start we’re gonna look at those time wasters and how you can solve the problems.

Take your list of time wasters and create a second column. Next to each time waste,  start listing possible solutions. Your list might look something like this:

You’ve now eliminated the stressors created by these time suckers and can move on to planning your must-dos and want-tos.

But first, here are some guidelines:

To begin with, remember you are setting up a rhythmic routine, not a to-do list or a strict hourly schedule. Basically, you just want to figure out what days and times will work for you as you go through your list.

Also, in the beginning, when you set up routines, expect them to take a little extra time to implement.  But before long, I promise you will work on auto piolet.  There are important things to include in your regular routines to make them run smoothly.

Have A Weekly Planning Day

Sunday evening is my planning day. I go through my calendar for the upcoming week so I know where my busy days are. I then plan my meals for the week. If I know I have a day with lots of appointments I can plan a Crock-Pot or easy meal that day.

I also use this time to note any appointments I need to make or extra things I need to take care of that week.  The rest of the day is church, rest, and self-care.

When you set up routines, make sure to create a planning day for your week.  This will help you know what you have to accomplish for the week so that you don’t overwhelm yourself.

Establish Weekly Tasks

Next, you’re going to take those necessary tasks and divide them up to take place throughout the week. By dividing your task this way you’ll find they get accomplished as you go about life. The best part is that if you miss your routine one day you don’t have to set aside hours to play catch-up.

While there are certain things that must be done every day, such as dishes and making dinner, most things can be divided up throughout the week. I do include making my bed, one load of laundry, and a 15 minute tidy-up in my daily routine.  I try and get these daily tasks done the very first thing in the morning.

Now you need to determine which days you will perform your tasks. You can get access to a printable of my daily schedule here to get you started with some ideas.  Here you will see how I set up routines to take place throughout the week.

Essentially, on Monday I focus on the bathroom, on Tuesday I focus on the bedrooms, Wednesday is my desk day. I take care of all the paper stuff and also try to group my errands on this day.  Thursday I focus on the kitchen and Friday the living room. Saturdays are reserved for family time with Sundays being focused on rest.

This helps me stay on task with my must-dos so I can be intentional about planning my want-to’s.

As you set up your routines, incorporate those important want-tos into your routine.  By putting the things that matter most to you in your daily routine you’re much more likely to do them. 

You’ll also find that you stop feeling guilty about taking the time for yourself. It all becomes just a natural part of your day.

4. Before You Set Up Routines – Delegate

I’m going to be real with you, this is an area I totally failed. I’ve always struggled with delegating. But at the same time, I have learned how important it is when it comes to being able to set up routines that are workable.

None of us can do it all and do it well, we seriously need to stop trying to. The purpose of setting up rhythms and routines is to eliminate stress. Yet trying to do it all is a superb way to increase your stress.

You have to clear the space to make sure you’re allowing room to do those little things that make you happy.  The best and easiest way to do that is to delegate.

If you can afford to hire someone for some of your tasks, such as house cleaning, don’t hesitate, just do it. Even if you’re on a tight budget, delegating your meal planning is very affordable.

If your kids are older assign them chores. Believe me, they can do a lot more than you think they can.

When you set up routines in your life, delegating as many tasks as you can, helps make life run so much smoother.

5. When You Set Up Routines – Write it Down

Eventually, your rhythms and routines will become second nature. But in the beginning, you’re going to need a way to keep track of them.

I love my paper planner for keeping track of my day-to-day. I have it set up to have separate areas to keep track of my schedule and the kids’ schedule.  My favorite part is that all of my meal plans are across from our schedule so I can see at a glance what to plan based on our schedule.

You can read more about how I use my planner and get access to a free printable of the planner here.

In addition to my paper planner, I also use Trello to pretty much organize my entire life. Trello allows you to easily lay out all of your tasks in one spot. To learn more about how you can use Trello to keep track of your rhythms and routines click here.

Even writing out your routine in a simple Word document and hanging it on the fridge will work.  It’s all about finding what’s going to work best for YOU!

6. When You Set Up Routines Be Flexible

Remember when you set up routines in your life, it’s about creating a rhythm to your day, not a hardcore to-do list.

There are going to be times when you get thrown off your routine.  That’s okay, just leave a few empty spots in your day for when the unexpected happens.  Overall, planning out your days allows you to be completely present in your life and your people. 

Why? Because you’ve intentionally cleared space in your schedule for the things that matter most!

If you’re stuck on what you should include in your routine you may want to check out My Morning Routine.  The entire site is dedicated to showing you the actual routines of people from all walks of life.  It’s a fun site to just peruse and get inspiration.

Spend some time this week setting up your routine and come back next week so we can talk about how to stay consistent and stick to that routine.