since having a baby 3 months ago, i’ve fallen out of my typical habits and routines. i’m not working an 8-4 job any longer, making each day a little bit different. but i’ve found that setting some type of routine makes me feel much more productive in those days where i’m covered in poop and spit up. so, let’s dive right in.
getting up before my baby wakes up.
for these first few months with a newborn, you feel very exhausted and sleep deprived that waking up early and setting an alarm does not sound possible in the slightest. but, now that my son is sleeping through the night (this started around 6 weeks so i’m major blessed), there is no reason why i cannot have an early morning. a few days now i have woken up at 5am and gone to the gym while my husband has stayed home with the baby monitor. i’ve been able to workout, get ready, and have some quiet time all before my son wakes up. i cannot even begin to tell you how much better this makes me feel! having a few moments to breathe while the house is quiet and dark.
prioritizing daily time with the Father
this kind of ties into the first one, but i’ve found that i do not spend time with Jesus if it is not first thing in the morning. since having my son, i have fallen out of doing this, and it truly makes such a difference in my day. getting filled up in HIM before trying to pour out and be everything i can be for my son and husband is crucial. the best time to do this is before everyone wakes up and the house is still.
weekly decluttering
i thrive off of organized spaces. i truly feel more peace of mind when my space is clean and tidy (ask my husband haha). every sunday evening, my husband and i go over what chores and to-do’s need to be done that week, and what i’ve found is on top of the normal weekly cleaning and daily tidying, i pick 1 area in which i would like to reorganize or declutter. one week it was my closet. the next was my son’s closet (which partially acts as storage for other things). the next was the fridge. and this week was under the kitchen sink. in picking just 1 thing every week, it keeps things consistently organized without the burden of trying to do it all in one week. now i can really focus on that one space without the weight of 9 other tasks on my mind. also, it helps me stay in the mindset of living a simpler and more minimal lifestyle.
spending more time dreaming
it’s easy to fall into the mundane of everyday life that you forget to actually dream or think about your dreams. one of my dreams is to write a book. i’ve been slowly working on it for about 5 years- it’s changed directions, topics, purposes, etc., but i have solidified what i feel God is calling me to write about. but it’s so easy for me to fall into forgetting i even have this dream!! something i asked my husband this morning on our coffee date is, “what would you like to implement in your life to foster a dream you have?” and i think this is a really good thing to keep in mind. for me, regularly blogging is a way for me to keep on writing and working on the art of creating. also, spending time with Jesus, since my book is biblically based. i can’t expect to produce biblical work if i’m not first filling my heart and mind with His word.
weekly meal planning
now this last one, i have started doing a few months ago, but it takes a lot of intention and i’m not always perfect at it, and that is, meal planning. i find that we eat healthier and save money when we take the 20 minutes to plan out our lunch & dinner meals for at least 5 of the 7 days of the week. my husband and i sit down and talk about meals we’d like and go on pinterest for some additional inspiration when needed. then, once the meals are planned, i go through and make a list of all grocery items needed for those meals and any additional items we want on top of those. then, we write down the meals on our family calendar so we can physically see what the meals are and we are more apt to stick with them this way.
i hope this was inspiring to you and maybe will get you thinking about what habits you would like to start implementing. don’t overwhelm yourself with 400 things you want to change. start with 1 or 2 and go from there.
tia marie
tia marie 