How to set your day up for SUCCESS!

Hey everybody and welcome to the Fresh Space blog!! I am beyond happy to have you here.

Let me introduce myself! My name is Jerilyn, and I am the owner of Fresh Space Home, a home decluttering and organization company based out of Vegreville, Alberta. I am a wife to my fantastic husband Mike, and a mom to 3 beautiful children. I am a Registered Nurse, an entrepreneur, a lover of all things organized, and now I am a blogger! That feels really strange to say out loud as I have tossed around the idea of starting a blog for a LONG time. I feel I have so much passion and excitement around home organization, home management and living with less, and have just been waiting for a chance to get it out on paper (or in type? I have no idea :)) So here I am!

Through Fresh Space Home, I help people to declutter and organize their homes, and my goal is that anyone can learn how to achieve a fresh, organized space that brings peace and joy to their daily life. I hope this blog can be a place of encouragement, inspiration, hope and community. My goal is that you can come here for ideas surrounding decluttering, home organization, home management, time management, and just ideas for a simpler and more enjoyable life. In the coming months I hope to post content that inspires you to live your best life, and enjoy it while you do.

Now that you know about me and my mission, let's get to the first topic: setting your day up for success!!

Mornings are my JAM. I love them. Give me a 5 a.m. alarm clock and I hop out of bed like a bunny on caffeine. I do my yoga, grab a coffee, and sit here at my computer and get some work done. We are in the middle of winter right now, and boy do I despise the cold but love the view. Winter mornings are some of my favourites as it is dark and quiet and sometimes it has snowed and there are absolutely no footprints in the snow out my window. I get so much energy from the clean, clear days of winter. So much promise and potential!

That being said, it is so important for me to start my day off right. And that is where my daily routines come in!

So what is a daily routine?

Webster's Dictionary defines routine as "a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program." This could not be a better description. My daily routines are a sequence of actions followed every day to ensure my life flows smoothly and that everything is a little bit easier. Because I follow these actions every day, my family knows what to expect. And this is where it becomes life changing for me. When my family and I know what to expect, no one expects more of me than I am able to give. As a mom working a job, running a business, raising 3 kids, and managing a home, this is VITAL. My family knows what is coming. They see how to help and pitch in. And life runs smoother.

In my home, I practice both a morning and an evening routine. These are VITAL to the overall functioning of our household. I can absolutely tell when I have not followed these routines as my home falls SO QUICKLY to pieces. Like picture things EVERYWHERE and laundry piled and dishes all over and ... well it becomes normal crazy life. But with a routine, my home becomes a place of peace and calm from the world for me and my family. Don't get me wrong, it's still crazy. There are still 3 kids under 10 and 2 adults with things to do. But there is consistency and with that comes security.

I first fell into routines when my oldest was around 4. She had reached the age when we had to decide which school we would be putting her into, and I stumbled across the information that where we live, kindergarten was optional. This was news to me and I started researching whether I could just do kindergarten at home with her as I was not ready to send her to school. So long story short, I fell into homeschooling which I knew absolutely NOTHING about. I quickly realized we needed routines or our days would just be gone and nothing would get done.

I began to research (search on pinterest, who are we kidding) ideas for morning and evening routines. If you search this topic for homeschoolers, there are a million and one ideas out there. Everything from simply making your bed to a 2 hour program that would take you from asleep to military precision. I finally stumbled across a program that spoke to me and started reading it. I have since adapted my morning and evening routines to our home and our own tendencies. We no longer homeschool, but those routines made such a difference in the freedom we felt in our days that I have continued to carry them on. These have changed through the ages and stages of children in our home, but continue to be vital to our success as a family.

My current morning routine is as follows:

I begin my day with some yoga alone in the basement. This is ME time and so important for my mental health. I have come to really cherish this time alone. I then spend anywhere from 30 mins to 2 hours in the office. I am most productive in the morning when it is quiet and I have no distractions, so this is a must for me. Devotions come next and consist of me either reading my bible, listening to a podcast or listening to worship music. I love all forms of my devotion time alone, and find that along with yoga it is vital for success in my day. At this point I will get ready - showering, makeup, clothes, etc. Then I complete my morning chores: making the bed, tidying the bathrooms (I wipe down one bathroom each day and tidy the others), empty the dishwasher and start a load of laundry.

This morning routine is suited specifically to me and is the best for getting my day set up for success. If you put a morning routine into place, you need to consider what YOU want to get done. Maybe you are not a morning person at all. Maybe you only want to make time for emptying the dishwasher and making your bed. GREAT! Whatever works for you is the right routine.

Once the day is complete, I begin my evening routine:

At any time in the afternoon or evening, I will remove my dry laundry, fold it and put it away and then transfer the wet clothes to the dryer. After dinner, my family and I will wipe the counters, sweep and spot clean the floor, load and run the dishwasher, and take out the garbage. When these things are done, I complete my daily detail clean. This I do on a rotating schedule as I find this way everything gets done eventually. If I have time, I complete the entire item for that day. If I only have 10 minutes, I spend 10 minutes working on that task. The next day I will complete it. I find with a rotating schedule, everything gets done eventually, even if it does take longer than I would like it to (which, let's be honest, is most days).

Having these routines has completely changed mine and my families lives for the better. When I am in control of these items, my home flows more smoothly and my family notices me flowing more smoothly - definitely something we all want!

Now I can hear some of you out there yelling "Jerilyn, I don't want to be tied down by a routine!" But I want to share a secret with you. A routine will give you the opportunity to be free spirited and spontaneous, to do whatever you want, when you want to do it. Because the things that had to be done are already done. You don't need to say no because you have other things to do. Go on that last minute coffee date. Spend the day at the lake. Go for a daylong hike. Because everything else can wait. What must be done is taken care of.

So how do you start??

There are 3 simple steps to make a great daily routine:

1. Make a list of your ideal morning/evening routine. If you had 6 extra hours a day, what would you love to get done? Maybe you have a friend who does something every morning that you are envious of. Write it down! Maybe on a movie one time you saw someone go out for a run along the ocean every morning - you may not be on the ocean, but write it down anyway! Just write your ideal morning and/or evening routine.

2. Pick one thing, JUST ONE, and implement it. Repeat it every day. Until it feels routine. When it does, pick one other thing and implement that. Remember if you choose to implement something that has a reactionary item in the evening and/or morning, complete that as well (for example emptying the dishwasher every morning will only work if you load and run it every evening.) Start small and see where it takes you.

3. Reassess. After you have been following your new routine for a little while, take a look at how it has made your life easier, or harder for that matter. Change it. Make it work for you. And try again. Keep trying and reassessing until you have a perfect routine that makes things easier and sets you free from the "I have to stay home and clean today" mantra. Then keep adding to it until you have a perfect routine that works for you and makes you free to be spontaneous.

Go live your life!!!

I hope this inspires some of you to start with a routine today and begin working on it. Because when you can put that in place, everything else becomes easier.

Let me know in the comments what you are working on!! It is so great to have accountability and I would love to be that for you! If you already have daily routines, tell me about them! I love to hear what is working for you. If you know a friend who could use this or maybe the message really resonated with you, share it on Facebook! If you would like to receive notice of future blog posts, as well as receive tips and tricks, freebies and printables, sign up for our e-mail list at the top of this post. We would love to have you!

My goal in life is to inspire others to lead a simpler, more satisfying life. For joining me today I am so thankful. Go forth and lead your life the way you aspire to.