Routine

Next time you go through your memorabilia or photos, take a moment to ponder on how different life was. Different and a lot slower. Past Generations weren’t as fast moving – they couldn’t be. Not every family had a car, kids would walk to school and if an afternoon activity was too far away, you just couldn’t do it. The absence of modern communication technology meant you had to arrange things well in advance – knowing that a change could be tough to make. The way to get through a day was very much driven by routine. I had a great aunt that stuck by the same meal plan for the week for most of her life. That is a bit extreme, but she never got caught out not knowing what to cook, never had food rotting in the fridge, and always stayed in the budget. It was also scheduled around her family’s regular commitments – like going to church on Sunday and putting the roast in the oven before you go.
It might sound boring and it’s easy to ring hubby to pick up a couple of supplies on the way home from work, but the human species hasn’t really changed and research suggests, that routine does us a lot of good. We get into auto pilot; we don’t always question things but just get them done. That frees up a lot of brain space and time for more important things.
So de-clutter your timetable and form habits – here are a couple of ideas to get you started (the list should be long and personal)

Always give the fridge a quick wipe before you do your weekly shopping,
Have a meal plan and get into the habit of coking soup on the days two of your three kids are out training soccer
Flip your wardrobe every season
Take the rubbish out of the car
Sit down with a cup of coffee and a book for ½ hour every day
Get the kids to have an afternoon nap every day (till they are at least 4) – no excuses! So you can have your break
Find someone to go for a run with you on a Thursday – every Thursday
Purge kids toys every school holidays
Wash your curtains a week after your birthday
De-clutter the garage a week before council clean up