Welcome to Week 2 of the 31 Days of Simplicity series, where I share easy ways to simplify your life. Because, let’s face it: who doesn’t want their life to be just a little bit easier?
In case you’re just joining us, here’s a quick recap of last week’s posts. On Day 1, I talked about why we need Simplicity. One Day 2, I gave you my take on Simplicity, which is a little bit different than many other perspectives I’ve seen in the “Simple Living” world. One Day 3, I introduced the Ultimate Planning Tool (a.k.a “My Brain”), then expanded on that in Day 5 with my post about To-Do Lists.
Today we’re gonna talk about how Routines simplify your life. We all know that children do best when there’s a routine. That’s why every morning in kindergarten starts the same way. Hang up your coat and backpack, sit in Circle Time, sing the Hello Song, yadda, yadda, yadda. Somehow, when we grow up, we rebel against that structure, or think we don’t need it any more. But routines make tasks automatic, and really do simplify your life.
Last year, a friend introduced me to FLY Lady, where I really began to understand the power of routines. If you’re looking for an easy, no-brainer way to simplify your cleaning routine, I highly recommend her system. By following her simple plan (which she conveniently delivers to your email inbox each day) you’ll systematically clean your home in short, easy-to-handle increments. No more Saturdays wasted on marathon cleaning sessions. Love it!
One routine that’s saved me a lot of time and money over the years is making Fridays my Library Day. It used to be Wednesdays and Fridays, but I’ve easily reduced it to just one day a week. If I have books on hold, I simply wait til Friday to pick them up. (Here’s a bonus time-saving tip: Don’t waste time browsing through the library looking for the book you want. Simply request it online, then pick it up on your Library Day. In and out, easy peasy.)
Remember that Simplicity is about making your life easier – saving time and energy on less important things so you can focus on what really matters. By going to the library on one designated day, I don’t waste time on multiple trips for just one book. But the best part of this routine is that I don’t have to remember when my books are due. It’s always on a Friday! So every Friday, I simply log onto my account and renew my items, or take them back when I pick up new books. (Yes, I go to the library almost every week, so there’s usually something due.) Hello no more late fees! By taking the “thinking” out of it, it’s now an automatic process for me, and I’ve freed up precious brain space for more important things. And really, who doesn’t need more brain power these days? 😉
What routines can you add to your life to automate repetitive tasks? Have you done this already? How has it added simplicity to your life? Leave a comment and let me know.
Only recently did I realize how helpful a routine can be. Currently laundry on Saturday (electric costs less then). Now I’m thinking how I can get routines for other parts of my life. Any tips or ideas will be appreciated! Monique (WildFlowerLives@yahoo.com)
Routines rock! At first I thought that using routines would make my life too rigid, but they actually make me more flexible! If I need to move something around, having routines helps me quickly figure out how to rearrange things, so less things fall through the cracks. I’d definitely recommend checking out Flylady.net to get started using routines in your life. She focuses a lot on cleaning, but has some lifestyle routines as well. And check out my other posts in this series for more routines.
Thanks Holly. You’re a great speaker & teacher.
Monique