Summer has a way of relaxing our schedules. Not relaxed in the sense that nothing is going on. In fact, summer tends to be the busiest time of the year for many families. Relaxed in the fact that routines are different and schedules get changed. Vacations interrupt normal routines, children’s bedtimes get pushed back, and calendars get filled with trips, sports camps, and family get-togethers. While summer is a time to create wonderful memories, it can also leave us feeling less organized by the time school is about to start.
If summertime has loosened your schedules, August’s back-to-school season is a great time to focus on routine building, preparing for another year of school, and organizing your wellness. Routines are there to reduce stress and make healthy habits easier. Think of them as simple wellness systems, or small changes that make busy days run more smoothly.
Why Routines Matter
If you’re wondering if implementing a routine is really necessary, think of these things. First and foremost, routines reduce decision fatigue. After already making hundreds of decisions throughout your day — what should you wear to work? Should you pack a lunch or order out? Who’s getting groceries? Who’s picking the kids up from school? — simplifying any small decision you can will help you remove unnecessary decision-making from your day
When it comes to kids, they thrive on routine. Create a routine they can follow on their own and will teach them independence. If their routine is simply to get dressed, brush teeth, eat breakfast, take vitamins, and grab their lunch and backpack, that eliminates several decisions before the day even begins. For adults, consistent routines can help reduce stress, support healthier habits, and help us stay on top of responsibilities, even on our busiest days.
It’s important to remember that routines aren’t about perfection; they’re about making your healthy choices easier.
Start With Your Schedule
Before the school year starts, spend time organizing your family’s weekly and monthly calendar. A cumulative calendar that shows work, school events, athletic and activity practices, appointments, and family commitments will help you all stay organized. Get a paper calendar that can hang on the wall and be visible to the entire family. A calendar eliminates some of the questions you tend to get of who is where at what time. Planning ahead also helps create space for healthy habits. During busier weeks, you can plan for meal prepping, packing lunches early, and setting reminders for tasks when you know you’re bound to feel more rushed. When your schedule is organized, it’s much easier to stay consistent with your wellness goals.
Preparing the Night Before
How often has your child forgotten their most recent homework assignment or an after-school necessity? Or, to be honest, how many times have you forgotten your lunch or your work badge? Preparing for a new day the night before takes away many of the decisions you’ll have to make the day of and helps reduce the number of things forgotten in the morning. Pick out tomorrow’s outfit, prepare lunches, and pack backpacks and work bags so you’re not forgetting important things you’ll need for the next day. It also cuts down on the time needed to get everyone out the door in the morning.
Organizing Your Wellness
Busy mornings can often mean that healthy habits get skipped. Vitamins and medications get forgotten when you’re rushing out the door. One simple solution is to keep a weekly pill organizer prepped and ready for those busy mornings. Instead of opening multiple bottles every day, all medications and vitamins are ready within seconds. It also allows you to peek at who may or may not be missing doses. This one small habit saves time, reduces missed doses, and removes one more task from a busy morning.
Protect Your Hearing
As school and activities return, so do noisy environments. From athletic competitions to band concerts, many activities expose us to higher noise levels. Protecting your hearing with a pair of comfortable ear plugs makes it easy to reduce excess noise. They’re also useful for those who are naturally more sensitive to any noise or for an extra-quiet study session. And we all know someone who could benefit from them for improving sleep, thanks to a noisy sleeping partner. Whether you’re using them to quiet noisy environments or simply to protect your peace, ear plugs can be a small wellness habit that can have long-term benefits.
Prepare a Family Wellness Basket
Gather common wellness items in a wellness basket that’s placed in a pantry or other commonly-used space where everyone knows where to find it. Include things like vitamins, bandages, lip balm, hand sanitizer, and other basic wellness tools that are commonly used around your house. Keeping these items handy — and checking or restocking your basket regularly — will cut down on time spent looking for some of the most commonly used items in your family. Having one designated place for everyday wellness items saves time and makes healthy habits easier to stick with.
Small Changes Can Have Big Effects
The transition back to a steady routine doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Instead of implementing everything at once, try introducing one or two habits at a time until they feel like second nature, then add in another. In no time, this steady routine building will add up to habits you won’t have to think about twice.
As schedules become busier with the start of school, simple habits can help with organizing your wellness routine, reducing stress, and spending less time worrying about the little things. Remember that the best wellness routines are the ones that fit naturally into your everyday life.
