Routines and schedules have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. At times, they have been the most oppressive part of my life, but when I carefully consider their use, they have proven to support me through the most stressful and chaotic spaces. Let’s explore what a routine is, why it’s important to have one, how to design a dynamic routine that fits your lifestyle, and some tips for how to create a flexible routine that will work for your home.

The Importance of a Routine

Schedule vs Routine – What’s the Difference?

When speaking on the subject of routines and schedules, it is necessary to define the difference between the two. A schedule tends to be time that we are required to work around. Some activities within a schedule are nonnegotiable obligations, such as work and school, but some are self-inflicted complications—think of extracurricular activities and optional events you agreed to. These additional activities are ones we voluntarily busy our schedules with. Not all additional activities are negative, but too many can quickly cause overwhelm and undue stress.

Routines, on the other hand, are how we decide to spend our mornings, lunch hours, evenings, or any time we have the ability to create and practice habits related to our personal lives. If we’re not careful, the routines we put in place for ourselves can become equally stressful, distracting, and overwhelming as a busy schedule. But when done well, a flexible, or dynamic, routine can support and even aid our ambitions and ideal lifestyle.

What’s the Big Deal?

Some people prefer to ditch the routine altogether and live life by impulse. Although it may sound appealing, in reality it leads to a life full of chaotic and disjointed decisions that never progress you towards an end goal. Although you may make many wonderful memories along the way, you will feel stuck and in the same place you were ten years ago.

A well-laid routine, on the other hand, not only helps give you direction but also helps you navigate chaotic times of life with a sense of control and familiarity. It is a part of our human nature to love the predictability of a routine. So even when your world feels like it’s falling apart, you still have something familiar and steady to ground yourself in. The key is in creating a dynamic routine that allows you to set aside time but not dictate what you do in that time.

Think of these as dynamic “activity blocks” that start whenever you want and can flow through with ease. See the difference visualized in the sample routines below.

Now ask yourself: Which of these routine types is closest to my current routine? Am I happy with my current routine, or am I frustrated? Consider your thoughts on these questions using the FREE Schedule Organizer and work through it as you read on to build your perfect dynamic routine!

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How I Overcame the Rigid Routine Trap

The concepts surrounding routines and schedules have left a bad taste in many people’s mouths over the last 5-10 years. There have been increasing pressures to have morning and evening routines that are often designed to be very rigid, leaving little room for the natural flows of daily life. I have found these types of routines to be off putting and actually induce more stress and frustration than relieve it. Why have I found that to be the case? There are a few reasons I have been put off by a rigid schedule:

• Whenever I fell behind, which only took an unexpected 5- or 10-minute diversion, I felt stressed and disappointed in myself for not keeping to a lifestyle that is supposed to help me.
• I placed value on a physical schedule imposed onto my life, thinking it would be the thing to motivate a habit change, instead of looking inward and evaluating my mindset and motivation.
• I was trying to impose a “perfect” and “ideal” lifestyle onto my very messy and imperfect life, forcing myself to conform to a routine designed for someone else rather than form a routine around me and my current habits.
• Keeping to them became a chore because they weren’t working with my daily flows.

This list could go on, but I think you get the idea, and perhaps you share some of my frustrations in your efforts to find a routine that works for you. I have not altogether abandoned a morning and evening routine; rather, my outlook on the matter has changed. I no longer view it as a detailed, time-based to-do list but as a flexible block structure (see visual in next section) that supports the natural flows of each day.

The negative associations I previously had have turned into peaceful fulfillment that helps me set up and close out my day in a way that supports my values and lifestyle. Essentially, I am no longer working for my routine because my routine is working for me. So what are the techniques that have guided me through the routine storm? Intentional and slow living.

How to Design a Dynamic Routine that Fits Your Lifestyle

Every person has circumstances unique to their individual life. I don’t believe there is any single person who can create a dynamic routine that works for you other than yourself. While I am not able to tell you exactly what your routine should look like, I can certainly help guide you through some considerations when designing your dynamic routines. There are two popular concepts that I have found helpful over the last few months in finding a dynamic routine that works for me: intentional living and slow living. Although these lifestyles carry characteristics unique to their following, I believe the mindset and concepts behind them are important for people from all walks of life.

INTENTIONAL LIVING

Intentional living can be summarized as building your life around your core beliefs and values and being clear, committed, and consistent in the goals you set around those values. This simply means your life reflects your core values in everything you do. It is a mindset that affects how you move through your life and daily happenings, every decision being conscious progress towards the values you uphold. This, in essence, means you never make a frivolous decision or randomly float through life wherever the wind takes you.

Intentional living involves deeply considering every decision you encounter and determining whether the resulting action aligns with the values you build your life around.

With this mindset, you are always progressing towards your end goal and/or big picture. In creating a dynamic routine, considering the concepts behind intentional living can help you ensure that what you spend your time doing will be time you value, cherish, make progress in, find joy in, and feel fulfillment in.

READ MORE ABOUT MINDSET AND VALUES IN THIS ARTICLE: How to Create a Homesteading Mindset Using 4 Core Values

SLOW LIVING

What is Slow Living?

Being intentional in all you do does not necessarily mean you are going full speed ahead all the time. This is where the values of slow living come in to support intentional living.

According to sloww.co¹, slow living is purposeful, fulfilling, holistic, steady and consistent, conscious, intentional, and mindful. It is taking life at face value, intentionally slowing down, and being present for every moment. It brings out the joy of the small things and satisfaction in everyday movements. Auto-pilot is not present for even the most basic of repetitive tasks.

Slow living is living life to the fullest by taking in every moment you have in it, which ultimately gives yourself space to breathe.

Beyond the Basics – How to Apply Slow Living to Make a Dynamic Routine

There is a concept in the Waldorf philosophy of education that I learned from Paper Town Home² described as in-breaths and out-breaths.

In-breaths are activities and actions that promote a space for mindfulness, reconnection, self-evaluation, and rest, such as sitting down to eat a meal, taking a nap, having quiet family time, going to bed at night, reading a book, or even the season of winter.

Out-breaths are those that expel energy, such as waking up in the morning, going outside to play or exercise, doing chores, or the season of summer. As humans, we crave a balance of in-breaths and out-breaths in our daily, weekly, and even monthly activities. When we achieve a balance of both, it prevents burnout and promotes optimal growth.

It is the combination of intentional living and slow living that creates the ideal routine for our individual lifestyles that promotes daily action towards our goals, backed by our core values and completed at a sustainable pace.

Intentional living creates the right frame of mind, while slow living creates the right frame of life.

It is these concepts that the FREE Schedule Organizer is based on to help you design your perfect, dynamic routine. Download now to get started today!

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Tips for Creating a Dynamic Routine in Your Home

Making a new routine for yourself, even a dynamic one, is not a simple or easy process. It will take time, evaluation, and adjustment to get it right, even when using intentional and slow living as a starting place. As you move through the process of creating your routine, keep these points in mind to help keep your head high and your motivation strong!

1. Give Yourself Space for Mistakes

Not every day will be the same, nor will every day be a perfect day. Creating a routine from intentional and slow living allows you to adapt to the ebbs and flows of daily life and take things as they come. Know not everything will go as planned and remember to evaluate and adjust when you’re feeling frustrated. Don’t give up!

2. Learn From the Mistakes you Make to Refine Your Routine

As you begin to work with your new routine, adjust it in ways that allow you to move through your flow of life. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to try out something else until you find the perfect combination for you!

3. Finding a Routine that is Right for You and Your Family Will Take Time

Be patient and diligent in working through a new routine. Allow yourself space and time for the unique dynamics of your life to reveal the needs of you and your family. If the routine isn’t working, change the routine, not your mind!

4. Leave the Comparisons at the Door

Every person and every family operate in a different way with their own unique lifestyle. Although you may draw inspiration from the routines of others, your routine will be unique in that it belongs to you and will look like nobody else’s. Filter through the inspiration, bring in what works for you, and leave everything else at the door!

Routines can be a tremendous aid to our daily lives, helping us pursue our goals by taking actions based on our values, all while promoting balance. They help us wade through the storms of life and ground us in something familiar and consistent. Dynamic routines allow us flexibility in how we move through our days and are built upon intentional, slow living.

While finding a routine that is right for you may take time, evaluation, and adjustment, it will ultimately support the lifestyle that you lead. Take a few moments to work through the FREE Schedule Organizer Worksheet to create the best routine for you!

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References and Footnotes

1. sloww.co/slow-living-101/
   An article written as a composite of information on the lifestyle known as “slow living.” The author, Kyle Kowalski, compiled a three-part series on what slow living is and how to start slow living in your own life. The information comes from a large array of articles, videos, books, blogs, forums, and podcasts on the subject. ↩︎
2. Paper Town Home YouTube Video; Timestamp 5:05-6:30
   A video outlining how to simplify the holidays in a single hour of self-reflection. I didn’t watch this video for the holiday-specific content, but rather to glean the information from her strategy that I might use in other situations. Paper Town Home mentions in-breaths and out-breaths very briefly in the 15-minute video, but it was easily the most informational and applicable piece of advice she spoke on. ↩︎