Reading about Routines
I believe in the power of routines to help you achieve your goals. While routine may seem boring, making your everyday tasks seamless and automatic clears up space & time - mentally and physically - for all the other things you want to do. This is particularly true for creative brains as Abigaiil Levrini writes “organization rules that become routine will also contribute to reducing mental fatigue and making you feel less overwhelmed.” When I read James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, I shouted (in my head) “yes, this!” through most of my reading. First of all, to make a change think small, atomic, manageable. Thinking that you have to make a massive change prevents us from making any change at all but those small changes wind up snowballing themselves into larger, more sustainable adjustments.
Why am I reading about habit and routine as a home organizer you may ask? Again, James Clear said it best with “environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behaviour”. I was a teacher for twenty years and EVERY teacher knows that the physical set up of your classroom is integral to shaping the routines you want your students to do. Our homes are the same - if you want your kids to hang up their backpacks and leave their outdoor gear by the door, have a hook and a basket readily available for them. If you want your teen (or yourself) to park their phones in the evening, have a dedicated charging spot to put them away, just like in a classroom.
Another consideration for how you set up your home is if you can “attach” (Clear) a habit you would like to adopt into a routine you already have. For me, drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning and taking my vitamins is attached to making my coffee, something I will NEVER forget! Vitamins and mugs are at my coffee station so hydration happens while my coffee is brewing. Think about how you can set up your home to make a healthy habit easy to attach to one of your daily routines.
In Greg McKeown’s book Essentialism, he also discusses using routines and habits to help focus on what is most important or essential to you. “Routine is one of the most powerful tools for removing obstacles” (McKeown). How can the organization of your home remove obstacles to achieving your goals? A “keystone habit” (Charles Duhigg) for me is going to the gym. I know that if I can get myself to the gym, I will naturally be more productive, choose better foods and sleep better. So how do I remove obstacles to getting to the gym? My gym bag is always packed and ready to go right by the door. When I wash gym clothes, they go right back in the bag. If the class starts in 10 minutes, no problem and no obstacles, I can just dash out the door.
When I begin work with a home organizing client, the first discussion is goals for the space but these are usually goals for life in general. Your home should support your essential best life - make routines easy, attach healthy habits and remove any obstacles. “Change might not be fast and it isn't always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped” (Duhigg) - a true statement for changing your home and your life.
