Are you ready to overhaul your daily routine? Whether you’re struggling to find the perfect routines for moms or even just create one from scratch and start fresh, these three simple tips to improve your daily schedule will help you get more done and reduce stress every day.
Maybe you’ve been feeling like life is just happening to you. Like you’re just plodding along with the main goal of surviving each day. Trust me, I’ve been there, and it’s not a fun place to be.
Right now, I’m two days away from closing on our new house. We’ve already closed on our current house, there are boxes everywhere, and I just came down with a virus.
Ultimately, I let my daily routine and healthy habits fly out the window, and it’s time to get back to basics!
If you’ve been struggling to create or stick to your daily routine, here are three things that are helping me get a little healthier (and happier) each day:
1. Make time for self-care.
By self-care, I’m really talking about the essentials that will make you feel better: sleep, a healthy diet, and exercise.
Full disclosure: when I’m having a busy month, self-care is the first thing to get pushed to the bottom of my to-do list, but I know that’s the wrong thing to do.
Whenever I actually make time for my health, it makes such a difference, not only in the way that I feel, but the way I treat everyone around me.
Just simple swaps, like getting a little more sleep, eating a salad instead of leftover pizza, or exercising as soon as I wake up, make a difference.
I also like the tips in 15 Days to a Healthier You to work toward total self-care (it’s not just about diet, sleep, or exercise). You’ll learn different habits that can help you get (and stay) healthy, even when you feel like your life (or just your house) is a mess.
Try different things to make self-care a priority and find what works for you.
2. Make (and follow) a meal plan.
Make a super simple meal plan to fit your schedule (key words: fit your schedule).
Especially if your kids are involved in after school sports, your slow cooker will become your best friend.
But if you hate the way that your slow cooker seems to make everything taste the same, it might be time to change it up a bit. Try some new recipes!
I’ve been using MyFreezEasy’s app to find simple, delicious recipes that don’t taste like my typical blah roasts (I’ve been using it for over a year, and even my mom wants a subscription now).
The app has been a lifesaver on those days when I was planning to use the slow cooker but forgot to thaw the meat because you can sort recipes based on the type of recipe (i.e. pork, chicken, etc.) OR how you want to cook (i.e. Instant Pot vs. slow cooker)!
But even if you like your own cooking, making a meal plan takes the thinking out of the 5:00 scramble. It also increases the likelihood that you’ll eat healthier meals.
So do yourself a favor and start with a meal plan if you’re trying to create a better daily routine. You’ll see results, even if it’s just writing “Slow Cooker Sunday,” “One Pot Monday,” “Taco Tuesday,” etc. at the top of your calendar.
If you have a schedule that stays the same, go ahead and create a monthly meal plan by planning your meals based on how you’ll cook them (slow cooker recipes on the days you need to eat quickly). Here’s how to create a monthly meal plan: Simple Tricks to Make A Monthly Meal Plan
If your schedule changes regularly, start by creating a weekly meal plan based on your family’s schedule and what’s on sale at the grocery store. Sign up for my free weekly meal planner here:
Get access to my free meal planner
Whether you’re struggling with the 5:00 “what do I make for dinner” panic or the 5:00 “we have to be out the door for practice and we still haven’t eaten” problem, these printable weekly meal planners will help keep you organized.
Sign up to get a free copy of the meal planner pages so you’ll always know what to make for dinner! You’ll also get access to the free Organized Motherhood Resource Library and weekly-ish tips to organize your life.
Enter my free resource library for my latest files and printables! The password is ‘TTWsimplelife’ — please copy and paste that in at the link above. Thanks for being a subscriber!!!
3. Change your bedtime routine.
If you’re coming off vacation mode, still adjusting to Daylight Savings Time, or starting a new after school routine (i.e. your kids have sports practice a couple nights a week), you may need to create a new bedtime routine.
That’s always fun when you’re tired and don’t want to leave the couch (or when your kids keep getting out of their beds).
But seriously, getting your kids (and yourself) on a better nighttime schedule is essential for everyone’s happiness.
Creating a better evening routine is essential to making your next day better.
Start by cleaning the kitchen and tidying the main areas of the house.
Then, try doing little things to make your morning easier, like setting out simple breakfast food and dishes, making sure the bags, coats, and shoes are by the door, and laying out clothes for the next day.
Don’t spend a ton of time cleaning before bed. Instead, try to work as quickly as possible and spend less than 15 minutes on a quick cleanup. The goal is to make sure that you finish your routine, and if it’s too overwhelming, you’ll never leave the couch (ask me how I know that 😉).
If you need more help making your evening routine, check out Make Over Your Evenings. This 14 day course was so helpful as I was trying to create my evening (and morning) routines and learning how to relax at night so I could get better sleep.
Once you make something a habit, whether it’s making time for your health, meal planning, or nailing down your evening routine, it’ll get DONE. And then you’ll feel so much better!