My Morning Routine

As everyone is setting up their routines for the year, there is a lot of bloggy chat about daily chores and morning/evening routines happening.  I shared with you some time back how I monitor my cleaning routines using the Home Routines App on my iPhone.

I have had some requests to detail my morning/evening routines on the blog, and while I guess I thought it was a pretty boring topic to write about, I guess it is always good to hear how someone else is doing it and if any of their tips can help your own situation!

When I first created my morning routine (many years ago now), I allocated times for each task and set it out like this:

5.25 - Turn on washing machine
5.30 - Unload dishwasher
5.40 - Make lunches  
etc

The problem for me with being time-specific is that I would get flustered if I fell behind schedule.  I have always had issues with 'time', and this system wasn't really helping me to get over constantly stressing about time.

That is when I decided to take away the 'time' allocations and just work through the list...  and that also gave me permission to work on the list in any order and in my own timeframe.  This has worked beautifully for me ever since - both when I was working full time, and also now that I am staying at home.

Obviously, you have to set yourself a realistic routine for the time that you have available.  I have always been an early riser, so I like to get up and moving and feel a great sense of accomplishment when I have done my jobs.  I know there are plenty of people out there who like to sleep in as long as possible, and therefore, they would probably have some of my morning routine jobs included in their evening routine jobs, to allow them to sleep in for longer in the mornings.  You just have to decide what is going to work for you!

My morning routine list consists of these jobs, which I complete in any order, although most days the order is pretty consistent, as shown below:

Turn on washing machine
I load the machine the night before and just press start in the morning - read more about that here

Eat breakfast

I usually have a bowl of cereal and two pieces of toast, plus a glass of orange juice.  I generally wake up starving (and always have done), so a big breakfast is a must if I want to make it to morning tea without getting hungry!  While I eat my breaky, I like to sit with Mick before he goes to work (this is another reason why I always get up early), otherwise I feel like I don't see him enough if I only see him in the afternoon/evening.

Cleaning the Bathroom - Swish and Swipe

Swishing and swiping is a fabulous way to keep on top of cleaning the bathroom.  It is another one of Flylady's brilliant ideas, which I have adapted to make work for me and my household.  As with anything, you have to customise it to suit your needs, and in my case, I always try to simplify it so that I actually do it!

What is swish and swipe?
Swish - swirling the water in the toilet bowl with the toilet brush to clean the toilet each day
Swipe - wiping down the flat surfaces in the bathroom each day