You Don’t Have to Struggle to Make Decisions Anymore
Have you noticed when you have habits and routines in your day, everything goes smoother?That's not by chance. Take advantage of that great feeling and put it to work for you to reduce the amount of decisions you have to make. Decision fatigue is a real problem, and you don't have to fight it anymore.
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It's 4pm. I have no idea what to cook for dinner, or if tonight should be bath night.
The little one is stinky, but he's always stinky. And sticky.
My feet ache from carting children around, and I just want to sit down and zone out on my phone.
I'm tired of all the decisions I've made today, and I don't want to make any more.
Disconnecting from my life and my responsibilities appear to be the easiest path.
My brain is exhausted from all this decision-ing.
Did you know that's common? Because I didn't.
We have a limited amount of willpower every day to make decisions, and at the end of the day, our brains are like puddles on the floor because of all the work they've done today.
No wonder deciding what movie to watch on Netflix is so difficult.
There IS a way around this.
Habits and Routines
Just think: If you don't have to decide whether to make coffee before or after dropping off your children at school, that's another decision you can use later.
This knowledge can help you prioritize.
If you want to cut out a lot of the decision making in your day, implement habits and routines so you can save your decisions for the important stuff (like watching Game of Thrones or that new show you saw a commercial for on Amazon Prime. You can free up your brain space for important things.
Routines are a great tool that encourages simplification of our lives and cuts out so much daily stress.
We all already have a morning routine. Get up, get coffee, read the paper or check our email and stumbling into the shower before hastily getting dressed and running out the door. Hopefully, we don't forget anything important!
Related: How To Create the Perfect Morning Routine For Your Life.
Let's make your day better by planning it out.
Implement routines whenever you can.
Routines help reduce those decisions. The same way you brush your teeth in the morning, or kiss your children goodnight. Here are a few routines I have in place to help me with the stress of parenthood.
Morning Routine
Getting your morning plan down to a science will make everything go smoother for the rest of your day.
I talk extensively about the ins and outs of morning routines here, I encourage you to check it out!
Here are the basics:
- If you can get up earlier than your children, do it
- End your evening by doing chores to make your future self's life easier.
- start your day by cleaning off your favorite sanity spot
- make sure everyone has everything they need in their backpacks, easy to take with the
- check your daily planner for any things you need to remember
I have a certain counter I use all morning to make lunches, sign permission slips, and write lunchbox notes on. When it's cleaned off before I start it takes so much of the stress off my day.
Waking up before my children is a game changer. It's so peaceful to make coffee and breakfast in the morning without someone asking me for an apple on repeat for 30 minutes straight.
Meal Planning
Meal planning is such an amazing tool for reducing everyday stress.
Imagine knowing before 4pm every day what you're going to make for dinner.
It helps you know what to buy at the grocery store — saving you money and helps you know exactly what to pull out of the fridge and cook every evening.
Here is a meal planning pad I love, from Mom Agenda, check the price here: Weekly Meal Planner Pad
Create a Wardrobe
If you create a “uniform” for yourself, you don't have to think about what to wear.
This has helped me immensely, have you heard of a capsule wardrobe? I first heard of it from Corina Holden, and my life has been better since.
Draw diagrams of the outfits you'd like to wear and put them up in your closet or fold those clothes together so you know your favorite outfits are always together.
Here is Corina's book, check the price on Amazon, it was a game changer in my life!
Cleaning Schedules for Your Sanity
A cleaning schedule ensures you stay on track with your household chores without wasting time deciding what to clean today.
Here is a great printable cleaning routine on Etsy, check out the price here: Printable Cleaning Schedule
Even Laundry Benefits From Having a Schedule
I even go as far as to have a laundry schedule.
Each day is a different type of laundry, and diapers always have priority over all.
This schedule has made my life so much easier, even in ways I never thought it would. When my husband wants to help with laundry, he can see the schedule on the wall and starts whatever load is on that day, and it's reduced the overwhelm we feel when trying to figure out what load to do next.
We don't run out of underwear, jeans, or someone's very favorite PJ Mask pajamas.
Here is the post with everything you need, including an AWESOME laundry printable I know you'll love.
If you just want the printable, here is where you can get it:
Bed Time Routines For Adults
Wrapping your day up with a great bedtime routine will help you make the best decisions when you're tired and fall asleep easier.
Those articles you read about getting your toddler to sleep?
They work for you too.
Deciding to brush teeth, moisturize your skin and rub some Magnesium on your legs and feet before bed will help you sleep soundly. I've linked what I personally use above, but you can also click here to see it on Amazon.
Read about all the awesome benefits of Magnesium (hint, it's fantastic for everything!) in my post here.
Action Steps
Get a paper right now, and write down the times you can benefit from a routine. If you need help, I put all of the things we discussed in a handy list, with the links to posts that will help you more in depth.
- Morning Routine
- Meal Planning (With This Awesome Meal Planning Pad from MomAgenda)
- Create a Capsule Wardrobe With Corina's Book.
- Cleaning Schedules For Your Sanity With These Printable Cleaning Checklists from Etsy
- Laundry Routine
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