I am not naturally a person who tends to be routine driven. In the last few years however, I’ve come to realize how important simple habits and routines can be. These habits I’m encouraging you to try are mainly aimed towards moms that are home. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, homeschool mom, or you are newly working from home, these things may sound simple but they have made my days so much more productive and given me more peace and that makes it all worth it. Charlotte Mason said that “Habit is ten natures.” No matter what our nature is predisposed to do, we have the power to overrule it with the creation of habits. “Begin it, and the thing will be completed” she said and it is ever true. Our habits will never become habits unless we force them. I hope this encourages you in anything you have wanted to make a habit in your life! You can do it and it will become easier and easier until you don’t even think about it, you just wake up and do it.

1. Make your bed and reset your bedroom

I know this sounds super simple but hear me out. This habit is all about the feeling you want your home to give off. If you neglect this aspect of your home, at some point you will need to go back into your room during the day and you’ll find a messy bed and unkempt room. That is not going to provoke any feelings of peace and calm. For me, it adds to the stress of my day and puts another thing on my to-do list that day.

Instead, make your bed as soon as you get out of it. Clean up any dirty clothes, pajamas, water cups from the night before, items your hubby left out in his scramble to get to work, organize books on your nightstand etc. This task takes me about 5-10 minutes every morning and its a habit I’ve grown to love and cherish. And it leads into my next habit.

2. Wake up before the kids

If I don’t do this I am grumpy. Hahaha! All kidding aside, it’s totally true. When I wake up early, it gives me time to make my bed, reset my room and spend some time alone. During this time I read my bible and pray, check my email and instagram and read whatever else is on my nightstand at the time. It helps me put my mind and heart in the right place so that I am more gracious when my kids wake up.

I know that not all mamas can do this right now and that’s ok. When I had babies and was missing out on sleep I didn’t make this a priority because sleep was my priority. If you can’t wake up before your kids, I would suggest giving yourself this time at a different time of day (during your kids nap time or after you put them to bed).

3. Empty the dishwasher in the morning

I’ve just started this routine a couple of years ago but I don’t know why I waited so long. This one goes hand in hand with starting the dishwasher every night before going to bed. We wake up with every dish clean and the kids usually help me with this chore. It gives the kitchen a fresh start in the morning and mitigates us looking for clean dishes to have our breakfast with.

4. Get dressed and ready for the day

This will look different for everyone. I say get dressed because there have been days when I’ve been tempted to not get dressed and ready and it usually doesn’t end well. I feel tired and groggy and unkempt. The fact is, when I get dressed (nothing fancy here, just not workout clothes or sweats every day) and fix my hair and maybe put on a little makeup, I take myself more seriously. I feel more confident in my roll as a mother and homeschooler and I feel more like myself.

5. Meal plan

This is something I do weekly, not daily but if you don’t do meal planning, it will change your life. I always plan out at least 6 meals for the week. We usually end up having leftovers from one of those meals or just raiding the fridge one day. I use my planner to do this and while I’m planning out the meals, I write my grocery list simultaneously. I order my groceries from Instacart and have them delivered to my doorstep. This is something I tried a year or so ago and have really loved and stuck with. It’s so easy and saves me so much time. I like that it helps me budget too because I can easily see what is on sale or delete things in my cart if I’m spending too much. I usually just plan dinners and we have simple breakfasts and lunches that we rotate through and I always have things on hand for that.

6. Reset the house before you go to bed

This is the key to a tidy home in my opinion. During the day, the kids and I are usually home all day so we make it a point to clean up after each activity. We call it a “Little House Cleanup” after Little House on the Prairie. They used to always keep their home so tidy and swept up and when I say “let’s do a Little House Cleanup!” they know what I mean. Our house is small so it never takes long but we make sure that nothing is left out and everything is out in its place before we go to bed. That way, then we wake up in morning, we just have our morning chores to do, not the previous night’s dishes still left in the sink or piles of laundry sitting around. It’s a fresh, clean slate and it enables us to be able to start out school on a good note.

7. Shower before bed

I haven’t always down this either. I used to get up in the mornings and shower and felt like I needed that to help me wake up but for some reason I tried showering in the evenings at some point and it really changed my routine for the better. First off, taking a shower or bath before bed helps you unwind and relax. It puts you in a calmer state of rest and can even help you sleep better!
It also helps cut my morning routine down so much. I’m able to just wake up and get dressed right away, brush my hair and put on a little makeup and I’m ready for my day. I know it sounds so simple but it’s really the small changes in life that sometimes make just enough of a change.

I hope implementing some of these simple habits into your week helps bring more peace, joy and simplicity into your days! Here’s to a happy new year in 2021!