Hey y’all! I’m back today with another post on routines. I’ll probably find ways to keep talking about routines for forever because I think they’re super useful to add structure to your day. Plus, they seem to be going over really well with you guys, which is great. As long as y’all are still getting something out of these posts, I’m very happy to keep sharing my thoughts slash ideas on the topic.

So… routines. From morning routines to beauty routines to bedtime routines (Sunday routines too!) and the like, routines are basically the key to life if you ask me. Once you settle into one that works for you, they can make life so much easier. If you have yet to discover the magic of routines, I have a few tips for you today that can help you find a groove and then stick with it. Sound good? K, here we go!

Go to Bed Consistently at a Decent Time

This one is HUGE. I know everyone preaches about getting to bed early and not staring at your phone for hours while you lay in bed, and I’m here to tell you this really is a key ingredient in creating and staying consistent with your routine. Putting your phone away and turning off the TV early helps create the right environment for good, deep sleep. This way you can wake up feeling rested and ready to tackle your day.

If you’re someone who struggles to get to bed, try the tips in this post. Or if you have a bedtime routine down and you’re looking to just get more sleep, check out this post on tips for getting 8 hours of sleep.

Have a Morning Ritual

Developing my morning ritual really helped me create a solid morning routine. And if you have a good morning routine, the rest of your day is bound to go well, right? Right! For me, I wake up, wash my face, make coffee and then have an hour of journaling slash quiet time. It’s a great way for me to start my day without my phone or any technology. That said, I have the luxury of taking my mornings a little slower. If you have to get out the door quicker, there are still things you can do to maintain some consistency. Here are a few ideas:

• Wash your face/maintain a morning skincare/beauty routine
• Eat/drink something
• Meditate for two minutes before even getting out of bed using a free app like Calm or Headspace (it’s OK to use your phone here, just don’t get on social media)
• Listen to a podcast during your commute. This is a great time to get a dose of daily news or listen to something motivational to get you ready for the day. Speaking of podcasts, comment below with your favorites!

Schedule Your Day

One of my biggest tips to help maintain a routine is to 1). schedule your day (even lunch and workouts) without overbooking yourself and 2). stick to that schedule. This has literally been such a game-changer for me. I know it sounds so simple, but it truly does  make a big difference! I typically start with doing a massive brain dump of all the things I know need to get done for the week or day (depending o n how you schedule your time). I write out everything I think *needs* to get done, things I’d *like* to get done and  then things that w Ould be *nice* to get done.  Then I go through that and prioritize based on what’s most urgent and important.

Whether you prefer digital or paper and pencil planners, get yourself one and map out your days. Having a schedule holds me accountable so I’m more likely to stick to the routine I’ve set up for myself.

If you need some help setting up your daily schedule, I highly recommend batching your tasks, which I talk about in this post along with some other tips and tricks for staying focused while working.

Prioritize Your Personal Stuff

Evenings and weekends are tough because you’re tired from your day but you also have personal slash home stuff you want to check off your list too. Honestly, this is probably the part of my routine that’s still very grey. But if you think of it kind of the same way you think of work, you can batch certain tasks to specific days of the week. For example, two nights of the week you go to a workout class after work. Another night you can dedicate to picking up around the house, assign a fourth night to bible study or professional networking slash events and then a fifth to dinner with friends or social things.

I think just having an idea of how each weekday evening should be spent will help you form a routine for this part of your day and stick to it. I’m still working on this myself, though, so I’d love to hear your ideas for forming a routine and keeping consistent here.

Do these ideas help y’all? Like anything, learning to stay consistent with your routine takes repetition, so if anything, start with that and you’ll get there!

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