By now you probably know, I’m all about making life simpler. I’ve found one of the keys to making my life and my family’s lives simpler is to have good routines in place.
Before we get started on the routines I love, there are some key things to keep in mind.
- Everything needs a [often labeled] place. This is going to be key for setting yourself up for success. We need to know where things go in order to keep them organized.
- Everyone in your house needs to be on board in getting and keeping the house organized. Kids are never too young to help! (check out my post on this for tips)
Morning routine 
Does anyone actually feel like they have enough time in the morning? A simple drawer we set up for clients is a daily drawer. This includes the products they use every day. Simple as that. No need to go looking for what you need, it’s all in that drawer or cabinet for them.
Another unique daily drawer that we recently set up for a client was a special drawer in their mudroom that included anything their kids may need in the mornings that they would forget about upstairs. This included toothbrushes and toothpaste, hairbrushes and ties, band-aids, etc. so they didn’t have to run up and down the stairs each time they forgot something.
If you’re ready to organize your daily drawer, check out our favorite drawer organizers (linked here).
Toy rotation
If you (and your kids) are overwhelmed by the number of toys you have, let me tell you about toy rotations! At first, this can also seem overwhelming but the results are worth it. It all starts with getting all of your toys organized. We often tell clients – it gets worse before it gets better. To truly organize all of your toys, you need to take all the toys and take them out of any current bins/baskets and organize them by type. Go through everything and make piles for donation and trash. Once you have everything paired down, now is the time to organize! Anything you want out of the rotation should be placed in clear, labeled storage bins and placed completely out of sight (think closet, basement, storage area).
Tips for setting yourself up for success with a toy rotation:
- Find a timeline that will work for you. I recommend seasonally when we generally do a deep clean and change over of everything else in our homes (winter, spring, summer, fall) but find the timing that works for you! Many people think about doing a toy rotation monthly but that can be too hard to keep up with. Find what works for you!
- Use clear bins. It makes it easier to see what you have! We love the clear bins (linked here) from target for a simple solution.
- Labels are key for keeping things organized so you can find things easily when you are looking for them in storage. While they need to be specific, don’t make them so specific that it makes it hard to keep things organized. We also love using chalkboard labels in kids’ spaces so you can easily change the label as their toys evolve.
Kid’s routine
I don’t know about you, but my kids THRIVE on routine. I’ve instilled this in them from a young age, it’s probably the previous teacher in me! Repetition is key here. This won’t happen overnight. I like to create lists for my kids that they eventually learn and then it just becomes routine.
For example, here is a morning routine for my kids:
- make your bed (we love beddys to keep this simple)
- brush your teeth
- put on your school clothes/uniform and put your pajamas in the hamper
- eat breakfast
- pick out your snack for lunch
- get your shoes and socks on
- etc.
Writing their routine down into easy-to-follow steps will help them stay on track and eventually make the routine a habit!
Here is an example cleaning room routine: watch the video here!
Paper routine
Did you realize when you became a parent that it meant endless amounts of papers coming into your home each day? Your kids’ art projects, homework assignments, field trips, school papers, etc. Not to mention the mail we receive every day! Some things we need to keep, some things we need to fill out or take action on, and some things need to be shredded or thrown out. It helps to have a specific place for these papers. Here is what I do in my own home: each person has a labeled bin in the mudroom with papers they need to keep or take action on. We love the bins pictured above (linked here) and also magnetic for the fridge! Separately, we have a bin for papers that need to be discarded. For keepsake items like special projects and artwork, we have keepsake bins for each of my kids or we use the artkive app.
Kitchen routines
There are a few things I do to set up our kitchen and pantry area to create time-saving routines.
- Meal planning: I keep a binder of recipes I know we love right next to our fridge in laminated inserts. When I’m planning meals for the week, I take out the recipes I’m going to use and go through the fridge to see what ingredients I already have. Then I use a fridge bin to gather all of the ingredients so they are in one place so I don’t need to go searching for them.
- Snack drawer: In both my pantry and my fridge I have designated, labeled snack drawers filled with snacks that my kids can choose and are approved for school. This allows them to easily choose the snacks on their own. Just make sure the drawers are easily accessible to them!
- I keep cups and water bottles low. This makes it easier for kids of all ages to get their own cups/water bottles as needed. One less thing for you to do! Check out 3 unique water bottle storage solutions!
- Create stations or zones based on what you do each day. For example:
- Does your family love making smoothies and shakes in the morning? Create a smoothie station.
- Do you actually take your vitamins and supplements in the kitchen rather than in your bathroom? Create a vitamin and supplement station in your kitchen where you use them!
What routines do you have in place that simplify your life? Let me know in the comments!
