Do you love a good routine as much as I do? I am here to tell you how routines have saved my sanity more times than I can count – both personally and professionally.

I am a stickler for routines when it comes to my kids. Bedtime is a non-negotiable routine for me and they know it. (Whether they like it or not is TBD, though.)

For myself, I make sure I have things built into my routine that will move the needle. To me, it is so important to set myself up for success and to hit the ground running. I dread walking into my office in the morning and thinking, “wait, what is it I needed to do today?” 

So I approach my work and home life routines the same way I do my kids’ bedtime. With a list. Outside of their bedroom, there is a whiteboard with a calendar and a handwritten list on it. The tasks are simple:

• Brush your teeth
• Brush your hair
• Pick out your clothes for tomorrow
• Fill your water bottle
• Pack your lunch

That’s it. Nothing earth-shattering; nothing out of the ordinary. Just a list to keep them on track so they can set themselves (and me) up for a less hectic morning as we’re trying to get out the door.

I approach my own routine the same way. (Did you see that coming?!)

No matter what you need to include in your routine, start with a list. Think of things you need to do on a regular basis and incorporate them into your day. 

My FAVORITE piece of advice to add to your daily routine (and is definitely in mine)?

One hour before you stop working for the day, set an alarm on your phone that simply says “Move the Needle.” When this goes off, I stop what I’m doing and evaluate what I can get done in the next hour that will make tomorrow start smoothly for me. 

This may be nothing more than writing out a to-do list for the next day or sending off some emails. 

It doesn’t have to be elaborate.
It doesn’t have to be detailed.
It doesn’t have to be earth shattering.
It just has to be strategic.

Get started: make a list of things you can do in a day to make the next thing go smoothly. I started by listing things that would make me feel more relaxed the next day that I could do the night before. This helped to guide me into building a routine I could stick to.

Have you seen my Weekly Routine for Content Creators yet? This is my exact formula and worksheet I use to plan out my content. It’s completely free and just waiting for you to download!