Little routines that quietly make life run smoother

[dongbibi]

I was chatting to a friend this morning and we realised how much the small habits matter more than the big plans. Nothing dramatic, just tiny routines that make the day easier without much effort.
For me it’s things like laying out school stuff the night before, doing a quick kitchen reset before bed, and keeping breakfasts very boring and predictable. It’s not exciting, but it means mornings are calmer and I start the day feeling a bit more in control.
It’s made me appreciate that I don’t need to overhaul everything to feel on top of things. A few small systems seem to carry a lot of the weight.

Spare birthday cards and wrapping paper along with a book of stamps in the cupboard, online grocery shop delivery each week, having a set day to change the bedsheets,

i allocate podcasts to tasks.

Robot hoover/mop that is set to clean every morning before we get up. It means we make sure everything is put away the night before and we wake up to clean floors every day.

@Kind0fABigDeal a Sharpie is your friend here - any foil/ clingfilm random items just write on them!

I painted one of the kitchen walls with blackboard paint. It’s now got a monthly calendar on it, the meal plan for the week and my to do list.

looks a bit odd but frankly so useful.

Sliced and frozen or steamable veg are your friends.

I have frozen onions, garlic, ginger, peppers, casserole mix, med veg mix, "farm" veg mix.

The other veg? Steamer bowl veg. A large microwave steamer bowl means there are fresh veg with every meal within 4m.

I make soffritto and base sauces, have tonnes ready to go so I can put something on fresh for my son in a few minutes.

Freezer inventory - just a notebook which contains a list of freezer contents in various categories. Always consult this before meal planning and shopping.

Two shopping deliveries each week - Saturday and Tuesday - always a shop 'on the go' for things we have run out of and fresh stuff comes twice a week. Meal plan includes lunch and breakfast as that cuts out decisions.

Batch cook things that freeze well - chill, fish pie base, sausage and chorizo casserole. Avoid anything with loads of mushrooms or peppers are they don't freeze well IMO.

Me or DH check the washing baskets every evening and get a load ready for the next day if there is one. Once washed and dried it gets sorted into baskets (one per household member), when full they go on the stairs to be taken upstairs. I have enough baskets for two per person so if the person doesn't empty theirs we can start another one before the baskets come downstairs.

5 work outfits prepped on Sunday night (right down to underwear and accessories which I hang on the hanger in PE type bags.Gym kit out the night before, along with water bottle prepped and put by the front door.

'Sunday summit' with DH every Sunday night. We go through our work and personal calendars and make sure we each know what the other is doing as we both travel for work. Also tend to check the local cinema in case we fancy a movie. Book in evenings together around work and socialising. Make sure one of us is in for the cleaner!

Salad veg prepped on Sundays and Wednesdays and put into silicone snap seal bags in the fridge so lunches are really easy to pull together - just grab a protein source and some salad and stick a slice of sourdough in the toaster.

Check the dishwasher after every meal, if there isn't enough room for the next meal it goes on. Always empty it before bed if it's been on.

Clean the kitchen as you go in my house. Gets us through to our regular weekly clean.

WhatsApp group for me and DH called insurances - contains screenshot or pdfs of car and house insurance policies plus breakdown cover. Has come in handy a number of times when we can't remember when insurances run out.

Also, we have a 'use this' box in the fridge for anything that needs using up. Has definitely helped us reduce food waste.

My shopping list is one of my pages on the Notes app on my iPhone. As soon as I see something running low, I add it to the list while I’m walking round the house.

Every time I put the kids’ clothes away, I have a little declutter and get rid of clothes that are too small and take them to the charity shop as and when. I never need to do big wardrobe clear outs. I also hang summer stuff at the end of the rail so it’s not a distraction when choosing outfits every morning. I do the same with autumn/winter stuff like jumpers and thicker cardigans when spring arrives.

Put all of one bedding set in one pillowcase.

Agree with the one colour fits all approach to wrapping paper. I tend to have a roll of gold and/or silver for any occasion.

Use Outlook on my phone to get calendar reminders the day before or week before etc - depending on how much notice I need.

Have a “to do when outside the house” dish (one of those big decorative ones) by the front door. It’s got letters that need posting, the kids’ book bag that I’ll otherwise forget - things like that. I check it every time I leave the house so we don’t forget stuff, clutter doesn’t build up and I can get shit done asap.

Ah yes! We have a shelf dedicated to open stuff/nearly out of date items that should be prioritised. I try to plan a meal around at least one of the items before opening something new.

I do try to always reset a room before I leave, so when going up to bed I give a quite tidy to the living room, remove all cups, plates, straighten the sofa and so on. Also I make sure the kitchen is tidy with no dirty dishes waiting to be done in the morning. Same principle with all the rooms.

I set my washing machine to have finished a wash when I get up the next morning.

We always meal plan at least a week or two in advance so we know what we need to buy and to avoid food waste. We cook a lot from scratch so always make at least double of easily frozen meals so that we have a healthy ready to go options on days we are very busy or unwell.

Also I utilise calendars in the kitchen and on my desk so that I never forget important dates and appointments.

I also live by the rule of a place for everything and everything in its place. It makes life so much easier when everything has a home and is always put back there so that you are never hunting for something.

Online shopping delivery booked for the same evening every week.

DC eat the same breakfast every weekday morning (happy with that).

Packed lunches are a variation on pretty much the same things every day (no school dinners available at school).

Batch cooking for the win! I work term time, so only really do this in the school hols. However, if I am making certain dinners I will quite often make extra for leftovers the next day or to freeze.

Same very easy to cook/reheat meals on rotation every week.

Main bathroom is cleaned once a week while DC in the bath.

Shower door and taps etc given a very quick wipe down after every use.

Kitchen tidied up, wiped down and swept every evening without fail.

We also do at least 1 or 2 loads of laundry daily to prevent a backlog.

Great thread. I read it all later. Bin app check what bins out what days put in garden. Saves wheeling out in dark. Lay out work clothes night before. Meal plans I could do better

What’s app group for insurances is 👌🏻✅✅

I put a white board next to my freezer and have a list of contents, then write on, or rub off as I go

I buy enough school uniform so I’m not washing mid week - wash at weekend and iron (the bits that need it) Sunday so it’s all ready for the week ahead.

I keep the kids’ swimming bag downstairs in the utility so it’s ready to chuck in the car every week: empty it straight into the washing machine and then washed and dried swimwear and towels go straight back into the bag once they’re ready. Bag also contains goggles (and spares!), shower wash, crocs and £1 for the locker!

I try to do any housework before 11, or preferably 10. I don’t go to bed with the kitchen dirty and I put laundry on daily.

Getting milk eggs bread delivered. Started it after lockdown and it’s been a lifesaver. No unnecessary trips to the shop lugging milk etc.

I do the "One Touch" and have systems which we stick to.
So nothing is ever put down in the wrong place so that you have to pick it up again
-makes double the work
Coats, bags , shoes put away immediately in the correct place, cups, plates etc straight to the dishwasher, it goes on after dinner, emptied before bed ( DH)
Bins emptied and wiped daily( me)
Robo mop and vac daily
Beds made
I know MN loves its daily washing but I hate it.
Laundry product companies encourage this to sell more products, it is not needed and hideous having piles of washing everywhere.
I wash on one day, dry overnight and finish in the TD the next morning, batch cook/ clean at the same time.

This is genius. I am going out this weekend to buy this and I have a wall in my utility room it will be perfect in. Brilliant tip thank you!

@IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos good question. I don’t have any - I wear mostly t-shirts and hoodies/fleeces - all works well for me. Guessing if you have cashmere/woollens it would make sense to continue washing those yourself and send everything else to laundry? I would check with your local launderette.

YY to individual bags for activities, and Google Keep - we use it for a shared shopping list and it means DH and I can both stay on top of the shopping depending on who is passing a supermarket.

I relocated our breakfast stuff so toddler DD can sort herself out (except milk - she can’t open the fridge yet) and it’s great because she can do her own breakfast whilst I bring the baby downstairs, then just add milk and go. She’s also getting really good at putting her shoes away which makes mornings easier.

Reusable shopping bags live in the car (and definitely not in a cupboard I never open, DH). Got that from Orjenise on instagram who will be doing another January declutter I think. I’m hoping to actually keep up this time.

Dishwasher routine

Empty during breakfast
Put new tablet in straight after
Set a delayed start for midnight that night (when our cheaper electricity starts)
Child lock on
Fill during the day and close properly every time
Dishwasher cycle runs every night no matter what

This way we never have dirty stuff on the side, and we never forget to turn it on in the evenings. It sounds so simple but when we have so many things to do each day, it just helps. The dishwasher is usually full by the end of the day but on the rare occasion it isn’t, I’m ok with it.

@Fuckoffeasypeelers "I know MN loves its daily washing but I hate it.
Laundry product companies encourage this to sell more products, it is not needed and hideous having piles of washing everywhere."

I think this entirely depends on how many people are in the home, what they do for work or leisure i.e. lots of sport for example and even how big your machine capacity is. I can get away with a wash on every other night but some families have no choice but to put on washings much more frequently.

This is not advised by the fire brigade.
Dishwashers and other appliances should not run overnight due to the risk of fire.
Put on straight after dinner and empty just before bed-acheives the same result and is safer.