I’ve never been one for a routine. I’d really like to be, but as many times as I’ve tried, I have failed. I make the lists, buy the planners, download the apps… You name it, I’ve tried it. Doing the exact same 25-step routine in the morning and evening, has really just never worked out for me. I know many people that love routines and thrive when they have them. But if you’re enough like me, you might want to think up a simple daily rhythm.
Now you might be thinking that a rhythm and a routine are the same thing. And you’re sort of right at the basic level, but practically, they look very different day-to-day. And that’s exactly what I’m going for here.
The rhythm of your household is the very general structure of your day. Think of your rough daily outline. You get up at a certain time, eat meals in the regular order, and go to bed at roughly the same time each night. This is the basis of your rhythm, and what you do in between those times are what complete it.
You don’t have to do each daily task at exactly the same time, and you’ve got the flexibility to add in or take things away as needed. I’ll give you an example with my current rhythm.
I typically wake up when my husband gets up for work. Sometimes it takes a few minutes to convince myself to get up, but other times, I’m up and at ’em before the alarm sounds.
The first part of my day is when I’m most focused and energized, so I have delegated it for getting ready and doing my active tasks for the day. I do make sure to do my daily Bible reading before starting anything else, but for the rest of the morning, I can do chores and projects in whatever order I’d like. Sometimes my morning is chock full of projects, cleaning, and errands, but other mornings, it’s just a few dishes.
I round out the morning by making lunch for Caleb and I and sitting to eat together. It’s a nice way to wind down from busy mornings, and a good fresh start to the afternoon.
I have each afternoon set aside to do blog work. Having this time flexible is important since the work never looks the same. Sometimes I’m glued to the computer for a few hours, but other days I’m recipe testing, creating content, or planning future posts.
The last part of our day is dinner and spending time as a family or with friends. As a person who enjoys cooking and serving, dinner is most often my favorite part of the day. Dishes, however, are my least favorite part, so I leave them for the morning.
As you can see, I’ve structured my day around the things I know about myself and my energy levels, and I’ve also taken into consideration the things I enjoy in order to keep the morale up.
I have found that having a rhythm has helped me in many ways, and may help you if you’re looking to make a change in the way you structure your day.
Because I have the morning for chores and the afternoon for blog work, I no longer carry the mentality of having ‘nothing’ to do in a day. This is something I struggled with when I transitioned from my 9-5 to staying home. There are always dishes in the morning, and a little blogging to do in the afternoon.
On the other hand, having a rhythm rather than a routine has allowed me to have flexibility in the day without feeling guilty or stressed about not sticking to a strict routine.
Having moderate expectations for the day has given me just the right amount of structure and peace to boost my productivity and leave room for creativity and spontaneity.
If you’re feeling too stressed by your rigid routine or unmotivated from a lack of structure, consider how setting a rhythm with moderate expectations could help in either of those areas.
I know that this is not a brand new idea, but sometimes we need to be reminded of the seemingly obvious things.
If you have a favorite part of every day, share it in a comment here or snap a photo of it and tag me on Instagram or Facebook.
Until Next Time,
Rebekah
This makes a lot of sense. I’m very much a calendar/planner/list maker, but since I retired and am full time blogging, I’m struggling to find the right daily routine. Maybe this will help me. 😊
It’s definitely difficult to enjoy the time freedom and also be productive. Hope you settle into something soon!