Do You Have a Daily Routine?

I know that there are probably certain things that you do every day, and those might be considered part of your routine. But are they really helping you out when it comes to your week and what needs to be done?

For instance, my husband’s routine (when he works afternoons) is to spend an hour or two on his phone or tablet, reading various articles and watching You Tube.

Now there’s nothing wrong with that; it’s a way for him to ease into his day when he has to work. And it’s his (or your) choice to do what you like with your free time.

But there are times when we have things that must get done. We can choose to work them into our daily routine, or we can do as my husband does, and save them all for days off.

My routine in the morning looks like this:

• Let the dog out
• Take my medications
• Since I have to wait 30 minutes before eating (and I’m not hungry anyway), I choose to use that 30 minutes to unload the dishwasher and get anything else done that is quick and easy.

Sure, I could spend my time on my phone too, but the dishes will still be there when I finally finish.

Is There Room in Your Routine?

Now I know that a lot of women work outside the home, and that mornings are a mad dash to get out of the door on time.

But think about it: do you have some room in your current routine? Are you wasting time or using it unwisely?

First, I have to say, I am not a morning person. I never have been.

So I don’t mean to pick on mornings here; you have routines in place all day long, whether you realize it or not.

Anything you do on a regular basis, especially if you do it without much thought, is a routine.

And if you think of it that way, you probably have lots of room to work with.

Develop a Daily Routine

So we’ve established that you do have a daily routine. Let’s see if we can make it a more effective one.

Because if you can make your daily routine more effective and efficient, you can end up with some significant time left at the end of the week with no real work left to do.

What will you do with all of that extra time???

We need to start by looking at two things when we’re developing a better daily routine:

1. Where do you have small (or large) pockets of time in your day?
2. What are the things that need to get done on a weekly basis that could be plugged into those time slots?

You’d be surprised at what you can get done with just a small amount of time.

I finished my college degree while I was having and raising my children. My son was born just a week or two after my summer semester ended. (It was statistics, and I swear that’s why he’s so smart when it comes to math.)

Anyway, I learned how much you can get done while you’re waiting in line. Drive through banking became my new best friend.

And before the kids came along, it was nothing to get a load of laundry done and hung on the line (!) before I left for my job at the bank.

Some Examples to Get You Started

So let’s say that you’ve got a few extra minutes in your morning schedule.

Maybe you like to check your phone while you drink your coffee. That’s OK; perfectly fine.

Or – you could take a couple of minutes to check your planner, see if there’s anything you need to know – maybe a bill is due or you have a meeting – and you could see what’s for dinner. Assuming you’ve planned it.

This would also give you time to take something out of the freezer and/or plop it into the slow cooker.

What if you laid out your clothes the night before, or adopted a capsule wardrobe? (I’ll share mine soon.)

You already know what to wear, so that takes a few minutes out of your morning.

And if you’ve worked out a simple, every day face, makeup is a no brainer too.

That might give you time to throw in a load of laundry, do a quick pick up of a room, or swish the toilet and clean the sink.

All things you don’t have to do later.

Start Slowly

As women with ADHD, we can tend to get excited about something and jump in – like all the way in!

Learn to start slowly and build as you go along. You’ll be more successful in the long run.

So maybe, like me, you’re not a morning person.

That’s OK.

You’ve got lots of time throughout the day.

Find a small pocket of time somewhere, and see what you can do with it.

If you keep a running list in your phone, you could start a meal plan and grocery list for the week. And once the week is over, save that plan! You can use it again in a few weeks.

You know our brains are always going, thinking of new things – to do, to remember, to tell someone – use the voice recorder on your phone and get them out of your head.

Put your apps to use on your phone. When you’ve got a few minutes waiting for an appointment, check your bank balance, pay a bill, start an order at Amazon or Grove for things you need. You are taking advantage of subscription services, aren’t you?

My advice? Think about what’s causing you the most stress about getting it done or the one thing you hate having to do on your day off, and then find a way to work it into your daily routine.

Mastering Your Week

Here’s the ultimate goal of this exercise: once you get the hang of adding a small task or two into those small bits of time in your day, you’ll find yourself at the end of the week with almost everything done. And that leaves you a big bit of time for you to do what you want.

So, which is it?

5 minutes every morning playing with your phone – or using those 5 minutes each morning to get something done? Remember, that 5 minutes a day adds up to over half an hour at the end of the week.

Better start taking a hard look at your schedule and routines.

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