Three Questions To Ask Yourself In Order To Improve Your Routine
It’s around this time every year where I start to get antsy for the kids to go back to school, but mostly for me to have my beloved routine again. I’m not naturally a go-with-the-flow type of person. However, summers have proved to be a great opportunity for me to grow in this area.
I thrive in routine. I long for plans, productivity, and alone time. 😉 Most days, I literally daydream about what my days will look like this fall and think about how my routine should change from last school year.
This year is a big one for me, because my youngest is beginning kindergarten, and I will be left at home to figure out what I want to do and how I will help provide for my family. I have big dreams for growing my blog, getting in better shape, and growing as a person.
But they are only that…dreams. I have no real plans in place to make these things happen at this point. So, as soon as my kids start school I will hit the ground running. The struggle will be for me to not take on too much in my excitement. After all, I still desire to live simply in every area of life.
The beginning of the school year feels like a fresh start. An opportunity to get back to routine, a better routine than last year.
Do you thrive on routine like me? Are you feeling the need to improve your routine in order to live a more intentional life? Try asking yourself the following questions to begin planning for a more intentional routine.
For more information on ways to simplify your life, check out this post!
Three Questions To Ask Yourself In Order To Improve Your Routine
Here are the three questions I am asking myself in order to prepare for a better routine this school year:
1. What am I not accomplishing with my current routine?
This is where you think about what is super important to you but is always getting placed on the back-burner. Think about what frustrates you about your past or current routine.
For me, I was frustrated that I never had enough time to do what I wanted to grow my blog. It felt like most of my time was being spent doing things that I no longer had a passion for or could no longer see its purpose. What I wanted to do (grow my blog) wasn’t given as much priority in my routine as I would have liked.
2. What do I want to have more time and energy for in my routine?
This goes hand-in-hand with the last question, so you may have already answered this when you thought about what you are missing out on. But, don’t forget to dream big! What do you picture yourself doing years from now? Who do you want to be?
When you get some clarity to these questions, you will know what needs to change. Click here for some help with getting what you want out of life.
For example, I know that if I want to grow my blog, I need to devote time to this endeavor every week, if not every day. I need to have time for writing, planning, creating, and promoting in my routine in order to grow my blog this year.
3. What am I doing that I need to cut back on in order to have more time for priorities?
The fact is, you still only have 24 hours in a day like everyone else. If you are going to add more time in your routine for your new priorities, something else will have to give. (Check out this post for help with saying no. Or this one for areas to downsize.)
Maybe you haven’t been spending your time wisely and waste a lot of time on social media or playing games on your phone. Then it’s easy to see what needs to go.
But, what if you spend most of your time on really good things? This is where it gets tricky. Only you can decide what you need to take a step back from, and only you can decide how many steps.
I have had to set limits on myself for browsing social media and playing games on my phone in the past. And I have also had to step back from volunteering at my kids’ school or our church from time to time. These are good things, but they weren’t one of my top priorities at that point in my life.
Need more help to plan your priorities? Check out this post!
Are you feeling the itch to get back to routine? Or are you already living with a routine that needs improvement?
Share with us in the comments!
Theresa Bedford is a syndicated freelance home and travel writer with regular contributions to the Associated Press wire and MSN. She helps everyday people love the life they have through simplicity, organization, and prioritization.
Very practical and true. My routine is so-so but can already be improved! Always wish I had more time and energy
Thanks, Natalie! I found myself always wishing for more time and energy too, and that’s when I finally realized that I was taking on too much. Simplifying my life was key. 🙂
This is an excellent post. While I work full-time, I know that I am looking forward to less random days off for day trips and a more consistent schedule.
Thanks, Emily! I’m right there with you. I long for consistency. 🙂
I definitely need to figure out where to cut back on in order to find more time! Pinterest is so addicting though lol!
I know, right?! I find myself looking at Pinterest WAY too long if I don’t keep an eye on the time. Set a timer if you have to!
Always important to take a step back and see how we can improve our daily routines. Thanks for these 3 great tips!
You’re welcome, Bruce! Thanks for reading. 😉
These are excellent questions to ask yourself when you’re feeling unorganized! I especially think that asking what is NOT happening is a great way to get on track. Great tips!
I’m pretty good with lists and hitting the goals but there’s always something that I still have to do at the end of the day… I think my issue is that I have to be more focussed, I get distracted sometimes…
It sounds like you already pretty intentional with your time!
It’s always nice to take a little guilt-free me-time. Enjoy!
Thanks, Ellen!
These are definitely helpful tips. I so need to start asking myself how I can better use my time!
Try time blocking! That’s what helped me get an accurate picture of how I’m spending my time by writing everything I did in a day and for how long (including dinking around on my phone). 😉 Then I time-blocked my day in advance with realistic blocks of time for each activity so that I could use my time more wisely going forward.