3 Reasons Why Moms Need Routines

Before I had kids, I was not too fond of routine, and I was more of a spontaneous, go-with-the-flow person. Just as our kids have a schedule, I found them helpful in making my crazy mom's life more manageable. I never thought I'd say this, but having routines literally saved my life and sanity! Now I finally understand why my mother always tried to get me to stick to a schedule when I was young.

As a busy mother of two young kids, it's not always easy to have time for myself besides looking after my kids, doing the housework and building a business at the same time. Since last year, I've been taking my personal routines more seriously, and I found it actually saves me more mental energy and allows me to have time to do the things that fuel me.

Here are my top 3 reasons why you should have a routine:  

1. Stops you from wasting time

Because my time is so precious, allocating time and having specific routines to keep me sane is essential. Otherwise, I waste time scrolling pointlessly on my phone or doing something else (There's always laundry!) besides what I want to practice (Yoga!). Then, I feel guilty for not doing anything purposeful and productive. This is not to say that I don't have days when I allow myself to binge-watch Netflix. But having routines helps minimize wasting time and focus more on getting things done, enabling me to do things that fill my mind and soul.

2. Simplifies life

Are you constantly stressed in the mornings getting the kids ready for school? Or are you always thinking about what to cook for dinner every day? In those two scenarios, having a routine can help you feel less anxiety and keep things simple. Imagine if you had an evening routine where you laid out clothes for the next day, prepared snacks for the kids, and packed their school bags. Spending a few minutes the day before to think about the day ahead will make you feel more relaxed in the mornings. Or having a routine where you make time on Sundays to meal plan ahead will create more mental space for you to focus on other things rather than stressing about what to cook at 4 pm every day.

3. Creates space for your self-care

As a mother, I know how easy it is for us to leave our needs to the last. When we don't have time for ourselves, we are irritable, edgy, and frustrated—having routines in place helps us keep up with our self-care in between busy mom lives. Imagine waking up 30 minutes before your kids, doing a 10-minute stretch, meditating for 5 minutes, and showering before your day starts. How would you feel compared to jumping out of bed, rushing through the morning, forgetting to practice yoga again, and then going straight to work in your home office?

I want to share my morning and evening routines with you to explain how I implement self-care into my day. Hopefully, it can inspire you to look at your routine and see where you can slip in some time for self-care and self-development or prepare for the next day.

My weekday morning routine starts like this:

My weekday evening routine looks something like this:

So, I'd invite you to spend some time thinking about what your daily routine could look like. Take a piece of paper or go to notes on your phone, write down your current schedule, and then add what you want to start doing. Perhaps it's morning yoga or a quick HIIT workout before you start work.

Then, schedule the things you want to do in your calendar with alerts. Give yourself 21 days to stick to your new routine, and remember it's okay if you don't do it perfectly. Just keep at it! At some point, you'll stick to your new routine. The trick is to keep showing up even after you miss a day.

Do you need help to stick to new routines? Book a call here to discuss how I can help you get accountability.