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When I work with clients, they always ask me how to maintain the organizing work we’ve done or even, what the first step is to take when committing to leading a Proverbs 31 life. My answer is always the same – routines. My house (and I) didn’t get organized overnight. It took weeks, months, and in some cases, years of regular routines and habits.
My Evening Routine
I have several routines that I follow, just as regularly as drinking my morning coffee.
Let’s start with bedtime, as that routine sets your next day off on the right foot.
- After dinner, I make sure that there is nothing in the kitchen sink and, if necessary that the dishwasher is running. If there are extra dirty dishes that won’t fit in the dishwasher, I wash them by hand.
Then, I wipe out the sink. - I look at the meal plan for the next day and take the protein out of the freezer, if required.
- If the meal is one that is to be cooked in the crock pot, I’ll prep that, too and throw it all in the pot (putting it in the fridge) so that in the morning, all I have to do is turn the crock pot on.
- I then scan the counters and tables in my living room, dining room and kitchen (we have an open floor plan so all three of these rooms are visible) and put away anything laying on these surfaces.
- If I’m feeling particularly motivated, I’ll prepare the coffee pot for the next morning.
- Gathering anything I need to take with me the next day (dry cleaning, items for repair, shopping lists, etc.)
- I let all of the dogs out to go potty.
- When I go upstairs to the bedroom, I’ll take out my clothes for the next day and brush my teeth.
- I wipe out the sinks.
- I take my medications
- Hubby and I do our devotions
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Spend Time Now to Save Time (and Stress) Later
If you add up the time it took to do all of the above, you’d be looking at about 30 minutes max (unless I am prepping a crock pot meal for the next day), sometimes way less depending on how many dishes there were.
Yes, that is thirty minutes of my time, however, the dishes are done, the next day’s meal is ready to go, the coffee aroma will greet me in the morning to get my day going and I won’t have to spend unnecessary time figuring out what to wear – I’ve saved myself a good bit of time in the long run.
Routines for Moms
If you have kids, you can consider adding these things to your evening routine to save time the next day:
- Preparing lunches
- Signing and returning permission slips
- Gathering what they need for after school activities
I’ve shared a worksheet and checklist to help create routines that work for you – It’s 5 pages to help you dig deep – enjoy!
Establishing Routines – Checklist
And, a printable for you keep your routines handy until they become habit.
Here is a great book that will inspire and teach you more about establishing routines to set you up for success:
I love finding resources that help me to be more productive at home, with my website and work. I love the ebooks, checklists and other printables in the Ultimate Bundle Productivity Bundle. It has so many fantastic resources to help you save time and stress.
What things can you do in the evening to save time and stress the next day? What routines can you implement?
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In His Love and Mine,
Sue
