The holidays are over, and schools are back in session. Are you back into your routine?
If you are a student, your weekday routine is planned by your school. Over the weekend you probably have school work and outside activities to occupy your time.
If you work in an office (not in your home) it’s easier to get back into routine and focus on work. You know when you must leave home to get to the office on time.
However, if you work at home or part-time getting back into routine can be a challenge.
First, let’s talk about routines.
What is a routine?
A routine is a series of tasks, chores, or actions you follow. I have a regular morning routine which I follow, no matter what time I get up in the morning. I don’t even have to think about what I’m doing. I love my routine!
Incorporated into my daily routine is a different chore each day of the week so that I get them all done and nothing takes too much of my time.
Create your own routine by thinking about what you want to accomplish before you leave the house or before you start your work day each morning. Of course, as life changes so can your routine!
Create a routine to follow before you leave your desk at work.
For example:
- put your files away
- make a note of what you want to start with the next day
For example:
You can also have an evening routine. Something that allows you to wind down from the busy day. I always make a list at night of the things I want to accomplish the next day so that I don’t have to take up brain space trying to remember these ‘to-dos’.
When you relieve your brain of the task of remembering it can be easier to fall asleep at night.
What are the challenges?
- Changing the routine: you may have decided that you want to change things up – get to work earlier, work-out a few mornings or evenings a week, begin a long-term project – the possibilities for change are endless.
- Start by changing one small part of the routine at a time
- Practice that change until it becomes easy, a habit, then change another part of the routine.
- If you’ve been away on holiday, you may have holiday decorations and gifts to put away
- Break the task down into small steps. If there are gifts to incorporate into your household, separate them into different rooms
- Then one room at a time, put the gifts away
- This may involve deciding to donate out something to make room for the new item
- If there are decorations to put away, start by getting out the decorations’ boxes
- Involve the other members of your family
- Put the decorations away slowly and carefully so that getting them next holiday season is easy
- Toss any old and tired decorations or broken decorations
- Put aside any decorations that you didn’t love, to donate next winter – someone else will love them!
Think about your routine. Are you settled in it? Are you ready to shake it up, do something a little different? Think about what you want to change. Then, give me a call, let me help you put that thought into action.
Your topic of getting back to our routines after a long break is so important and timely, Diane. One of the most significant benefits of taking a break is that we come back to our routines with a fresh perspective. Sometimes that perspective includes CHANGING our methods, especially if some habits are not as healthy as we’d like.
One of the things you said that resonated with me was the idea that if you are going to change something, think small, really small. Changing one little thing at a time sets us up for success. Build from there.
Thank you, Linda!
I had a client who recently redecorated a room. She didn’t have time to get it all set up because Christmas arrived, and all of the decorations came in. The surprisingly positive result is that family members stopped dumping items in the room both during the renovation and then during Christmas. She thought it might pick up when January hit, but it hasn’t. Seems that the changes led family members to form new habits… such a positive surprise!
What a terrific story, Seana! Thank you for sharing it.
I live outside Washington DC. We’ve had a big challenge with getting back into a regular routine during the government shut down. My business is open, but clients are affected. Schedules have changed. It seems like the new year is hiccuping along. There is always a challenge.