Clutterbug - Real-Life Hacks and Tips to Declutter, Organize and Clean your Home Fast - Do you prefer a routine, schedule or to-do list for your time management? | Clutterbug Podcast # 89

Episode Date: May 7, 2020

Really knowing yourself is key to creating a time management plan that works for you and your home. Do you crave a flexible routine, structured schedule or a daily to-do list? The answer can help you take back control of your home and your life.      You can find more Clutterbug content here: Website: http://www.clutterbug.me YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clutterbug TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clutterbug_me Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clutterbug_me/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clutterbug.Me/   #clutterbug #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're going to talk about the difference between routines, schedules, and to-do lists, and how you can really identify which one resonates with you the most, which one you think kind of fits your style, and how to then incorporate those into your everyday life. Maybe the birds will sing about your heart. Maybe the trees will whisper the word. Hey, clutterbugs and welcome to the clutterbug podcast. Today we're talking about, oh my gosh, routines and schedules and to-do lists. I think now is the time we are home.

We are stuck at home. Some of us are still working, but we're stuck at home for the most part and lacking a lot of structure to our day. And even those of you like me who really resist the idea of a schedule and a really strict, like you're going to do this at this time and this at this time, we cannot deny the positive. impact that some structure has for our kids, for ourselves, for our entire family, and most certainly for the look and feel of our home. Things are out of control right now. The world is freaking insane. Let's be honest. But we can have some sense of control inside our homes. And it starts with really getting to know yourself and how you work best and then choosing whether you want to

gravitate towards a routine, a schedule, or a to-do list in order to accomplish all those things that you want to accomplish in a day. So first I'm going to break down the difference between a routine, a schedule, and a to-do list. And basically, let's look at, okay, a routine would be when I wake up in the morning, I brush my teeth and I get ready. A schedule would be, I'm going to wake up in nine, I'm going to brush. my teeth at 915, I'm going to, you know, have my morning coffee at 920 or 930 or something like that. A to-do would be get up, brush your teeth, make the coffee, write your daily to-do list. So there's different levels of just, I guess, intensity.

There's different levels of structure with a routine and a schedule and a to-do list. and some people thrive with different things. And it doesn't mean that they don't overlap. They most definitely overlap. There's times where I have to schedule my meetings and schedule time to do certain things. I love to-do lists, but I use to-do list for those bigger tasks that I wouldn't normally do. I kind of resist a lot of scheduled structure, so routines really work for me. And my routine looks like I get up in the morning, I get ready, and as soon as I'm

come out of the bathroom I make the bed. If I was to tell myself I had to make the bed every day at nine, I probably would never do it because sometimes I get up at eight and sometimes I don't drag my lazy butt out of bed to 11. And the great thing about a routine is it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter the time. It follows another pattern. And so it really gives me flexibility. Another routine that I have is I load the dishwasher as soon as I'm done eating. So it doesn't matter if we eat at five or seven or 9 o'clock at night, my routine is I just naturally load it when we're done eating. Now, some people need that structure of a schedule. So every day at 9 o'clock, they're going to clean the kitchen and load the dishwasher.

Some people need a to-do list. So on their fridge, they're like, you're going to do this and this and this and load the dishwasher so they can check that off. And so identifying which one of those really resonates with you the most, are you a person? that craves scheduled time, you're going to do this at this time and this at this time, are you a person that needs more flexibility? So that's where a flexible routine comes in. Or are you a person that just is a taskmaster and you love checking things off of your list?

And if that's the case, a daily to-do list, a checklist on your fridge is really going to help you. I mean, I love lists, don't get me wrong. But I also feel sort of trapped by them if they're really mundane. I can't have a list that's like make your bed and I used to. I used to really try this. But I needed more flexibility. And so having a routine that isn't defined by time has been so amazing for me. So I still accomplish these things in a day, but I've created more of habits than I have of a structured time.

or a structured list. And so really look at your own life and think which one of these are going to resonate with me? And I'm going to be honest, the routines, in the beginning to make them a habit, we do need to make a list. We do need to set reminders for ourselves. But then eventually all that could go away because it's without thinking. So every night before I go to bed, I'm like, oh, I'm getting tired. I'm going to get ready for bed. My routine is before I go put my pajamas on, and wash my face and climb into bed and let's face it, I crush a bunch of Netflix that I probably shouldn't watch and I should probably fall asleep, but I don't because I'm a terrible human being. But before I do that, I quickly wipe down the kitchen counters, I do a quick spot mop, and I clean the bathrooms.

I mean, I spot clean the bathrooms, the toothpaste off the mirror because I have a seven-year-old who for some reason won't stop playing with the mirror and spitting on the mirror. And that's just something I do honestly without even thinking. and it doesn't matter if I'm tired and I want to get ready for bed at 9 or if I'm crazy and I want to stay up till midnight. As soon as I make that decision to go to bed, my brain triggers me, okay, you got to do your routine first. And that's so special about routines, but that doesn't work for everyone. There's so many other people that crave schedules and structure. And if that's you, whether it's a block schedule, so between 9 and 10, you do this, between 11,

and 12, you do this. I mean, that's definitely giving you more flexibility. Or you have a really structured schedule where it's like 9 o'clock you do this, 10 o'clock you do this, 11 o'clock you do this. Knowing yourself and knowing what's going to work for you is so important. And then maybe you're a taskmaster. I always say don't put on your to-do list, make your bed. That's something you should just do anyways. But then I've had a lot of you contact me and say, but Cass, I'm motivated if I have that checklist, then do your to-do list. Put that on your fridge and put all the things you want to accomplish, no matter how big or small.

For me, I like using my to-do list for those bigger things that I don't do every day. Maybe it's going to the post office, maybe it's cleaning out of the fridge, maybe it's like baseboards. Let's be honest, I'm never doing baseboards. But you know what I mean? Like, not those everyday tasks. Those are the things I put on my to-do list. but if a to-do list of the basic daily things is what motivates you, then you should do to-do lists.

My point is, not only does everybody organize differently, but everybody cleans differently, and everyone schedules their time differently. Everyone time manages differently. That's what this really comes down to. Having a routine, having schedules, or having a to-do list, it's all about time management. and you cannot put one person in a box. You can't put all of us in one box. You really need to identify which one resonates with you,

which one makes the most sense for you, or to try them all and see which one really is setting you up for success. But the point is having something, having some sort of structure to our day is really the difference between living in chaos and living with order. And it doesn't have to be, you know, everything's spotless all the time. Oh my God, my house is so dirty right now. But we do need to feel some sense of control of our environment because when our home

feels in control and organized and functional, we feel better. We feel more emotionally stable. We're happier. We're less stressed. And now more than ever, that is so important. And so I really want you to look at your life. and your routines and if you're a scheduled person, if you're a to-do person, and come up with a plan, a plan on how to implement a little bit more structure into your day. My kids are craving this too,

but they are not the type of person who can have a schedule on the wall and stick to it. We've tried that. My husband is a scheduled person, so he was like, I'll help the kids. Nine o'clock you're going to do this, 10 o'clock, well, that just is not going to happen. So instead, we're taking the the routine approach. So when they wake up, they have to do homework before they can have tablet. It doesn't matter what time they wake up. They just can't have their tablet until they've done their homework. So it's really flexible. It isn't a to-do list. It's just a routine. And after dinner, again, screens go off and we have to tidy up. And we can't have anything back until we've had family time and we've tidied. And sometimes we tidy first. Sometimes we have family first. But it's just a

routine now that we know we can't have our relaxation time until we've done the daily tasks and the daily management that needs to be done for our home. And it isn't structured. And if we decide to go for a walk or we decide to do something else, it doesn't matter what time we come home. It's not like you get you get to relax at eight. Instead, we have to do the things we do before we can do the next thing we want to do. And so that's how a flexible routine really works for our family. but I know so many other families that having a schedule is what works for them or having a to-do list on their fridge that has to be all checked off at the end of each day. That's what works for them. So it comes down to knowing yourself, trying new things, and really discovering what your secret

sauce is to having home management and time management success. So I'm curious if you guys want to reach out to me on social media or you can tag me at the at symbol and then clutterbug underscore me and let me know what kind of planner you are if you are a routine lover or which is like super more flexible or if you love having a structured schedule or if you're a taskmaster and you love a to-do list I would love to know and I'm also curious what type of house cleaner you are so for me I like choosing one day and doing like a speed clean or a little bit of a daily speed clean every day and then like a big clean one a week. But there are some people who love, like, they vacuum on Monday and they dust on Tuesday and

they do, you know, bathrooms on Wednesday. And there's other people who, like, they structure their days completely different and they do tasks like the living room on Monday and the bedrooms on Tuesday. And they do all of those things. So, and then there's weekend warriors who do every, they do nothing all throughout the week and they do everything on a Saturday or a Sunday. So, knowing yourself and setting up a routine that's really based on you, your home, your family is what's so important to have success. So this is a weird podcast today, but it's short too. My gosh. But I thought I would just share this with you. I'm feeling really out of control right now. I've been working a lot of hours more than I normally work. And I'm so grateful for my routine

at this particular moment because my schedule changes from day to day and people are sending me like meeting notices and sometimes I'm not done to 11 o'clock at night sometimes I'm done at 6 and so I sometimes I don't eat dinner until midnight I know it's crazy pants but I'm so grateful for like those few routine habits that I have created because I'm not waking up to dirty dishes in the morning at least and you know I'm doing the bare basics that I do because out of habit out of sheer absolute habit. I'm not even realizing that I'm doing it. And my kids have routines and my husband has routines too. And that's really our saving grace right now. So I wanted to share this with you.

Maybe you can find it helpful. Anyways, thank you guys so much for listening and I'll see you next time.