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.

I have 4 under 10. All do loads of sports and activities. I keep all of their clothes in a huge floor to ceiling built in wardrobe in the utility room which also acts a dressing room. So everything is washed, dried, stored and put on in one place. No sorting and dragging it around the house to put away. I also involve each of them in setting their stuff out for the week (school clothes and club bags) on a peg and a chair each. The wardrobe is labelled with their names in each section and then the types of clothes. I also limit the number of things they have so eg max 7 T shirts, 3 pairs of jeans, which they choose - extras go into a ‘holding pattern’ (box out of reach until the right size for next one down). Or charity shop. Their dressing gowns / PJs slippers also live in that one room and there is also a shower for post sports. Fancy party clothes live in their bedrooms.

@Trimmernowi similar but use the bags they came in. So swimming bag get emptied, contents washed and dried and put back in the bag. Then put on a hook in the utility. I had a couple of rows of solid hooks put up and it works a treat.

also football kits all in one hanger, including all socks which then go straight upstairs.

I have clean laundry baskets for everyone in the house, plus one for towels and bedding and another for school uniform/sports kits.

Laundry to be put away goes into these baskets and everyone is responsible for their own. My children who are 7 and 9, included.

School uniform and sports kits go in the wardrobe in the spare room not individual wardrobes where they get all muddled in with the normal
clothes. Makes finding what’s needed each evening before bed so much easier!

Yes to getting school uniforms laid out the night before, along with getting bags ready. I get up 45 minutes before the children, DH wakes me just as he leaves the house. This means I get to see him quickly before he leaves, I get to wake up more gently than being ‘on’ immediately, I get to have a coffee in peace and I make the lunchboxes and get the breakfast bits ready before they’re even awake.

Very regular de-cluttering

A wall calendar/planner with a column for each child. I couldn’t live without it

Storage

I have spent too much of my life rummaging through the chest freezer I have (that is usually full to the brim of stuff).

Last year I finally got a system I'm mainly happy with - lower level has rigid plastic boxes with vegetables in one, sauces in the other and bread/pastries etc in the other. Next level has a box with puds/cakes, the rest of the space has different bags for life - from different supermarkets- one each for fish, poultry, meat, pork products.

Now all I need is to get a whiteboard as recommended earlier on....

They also make good emergency dog poo bags. I keep a fistful in the shed so if the dog poos in the garden I don't have to go indoors and all the way through the house (my dog poo bags live by the front door). I can just use an old bread bag to pick it up and throw it away. Also recycle used freezer bags (obviously only those which haven't got anything stuck to the inside) for the same purpose.

I do still label each item, but with my list it means I don't have to actually open the freezer and search inside it!

Why is it now called a 'kitchen reset'? It used to just be called clearing up. Is making the bed now called a bed reset or flushing the loo a toilet reset.

I play beat the kettle every morning. I try to unstack the dishwasher before kettle is boiled. It makes it kind of fun!

I stay in bed until I can hear DH emptying the DW, so much easier to prepare food when everything is put away.

Turning off the front door untercomnm when l am not expecting visitiors.

So many good tips!
Definitely get outfits and bag organised for work the night before to stop morning anxiety. I also have about 10 pairs of the same M and S black mircrofibre pants as it’s just one less thing to think about!
I’ve got shopping baskets and wishlists on retail websites so I’m ready to pounce when there are sales or good discounts.
I match the stuff I have to get done to my energy at that point in the week. Fridays are my non-working day but I’m always physically shattered by commuting to London all week, so I start the day doing things like writing lists of stuff we need and other house and scheduling admin.

We bought can rotator thingies for the cupboard so the freshest can is at the front, and we can also see if we are running low more easily. They’re great!

My 3 year old has his teeth brushed and clothed changed standing on the toilet/on a little chair or table. Coats/shoes while sitting on kitchen counter. So he can't run away and I don't get as frustrated. Makes a heap of difference for morning running smoothly.

Wherever possible, I take a mixture of garments from each wash bin in our house, so some socks, some pants, etc. My DH prefers the "Supermarket Sweep" approach to collecting laundry, so often wonders why he has a thousand odds socks and a single pillow case but no underpants to wear.

He also refuses to "waste time" hanging wet socks on the line in pairs. Instead, when they're dry, he'd rather spend his time in a bizarre identity parade where he inspects each item ten times and tries to convince himself that a child's grey ankle sock is the perfect match for a black football sock. Which is not a waste of time at all!

I just came on to say how much I admire you lot. The sheer good admin you put into running your lives is awesome! Just that

I've made quite a few useful notes from the many v sensible tips on here.
Now I'm an oldie and no longer a-rushed-off-my-feet-working-mum.
However, it's only recently that it's actually dawned on me that my whole life could have been freer of stress if only I had realised (and acted on it) that:
a) the time to leave the house,
and
b) actually leave the house
are NOT the same thing at all.
I now work out what time I need to leave the house (to catch a bus to catch the train to get to wherever) and then I set an alarm on my phone for 15-20mins BEFORE that. This is the time I need to faff about, do last bits of tidying up, find then check contents of my handbag, put it on, put on coat, scarf, etc., finally put on shoes, finally leave house.

Actually Leave House is the time when you actually are outside double-locking the door.

Another thing that's saved me much time and stress for the last couple of years is sewing a "lobster catch" on the inside rh of my shoulder bag and having my house-keys on a chain clipped to the inside of my bag. I never mislay my keys now & I never have to scrabble for them in the depths of my bag. I've now also sewn these catches into every hand/shoulder-bag I use. Additionally, I've sewn extra ones on the lh inside, so I can hook on the loop of my mobile phone case. Now I never lose my phone inside my bag, never have to scrabble for it, it's very unlikely anyone could pickpocket my phone. Super-useful at airports when you're a bit under stress & so can easily lose concentration, queuing, producing passports, etc. I have a 'passport pocket' on a chain clipped to inside of my bag so I can pop my passport out and pop it back again. They're called lobster claws - like the things you clip the dog's lead on with - I got a pack of 12 very cheap on Amazon.

Use Alexa to create a shopping list. Then when you're cooking and you realise you're getting close to the end of something you can just ask her to add it to the list and you don't have to stop what you're doing, find a pen, write it down etc and then when you are in the shop, you can look at the lost on your phone and see what you need.

I live for threads like these - some great tips!

• I keep a running shopping list on fridge and anything used up gets added by anyone who finishes it.
• we have 2 toothbrushes each - one set for upstairs (bedtime) and one for downstairs (mornings) to prevent morning faff when we just need to get out the door.
• we have about 10 family meals on rotation for weeknights and every Sunday I batch cook double amounts of 3 of them and freeze the spares so I always have handy meals ready to take out of the freezer in the morning for each week night.
• we have a set breakfast menu Mon -Fri: Porridge/ overnight oats, bacon sandwiches, yoghurt fruit toast, scrambled eggs on toast, granola bowls. Everyone gets the same on that day. It has saved me so much time and has cut out reaching for (and buying!) UPF cereals.
• train everyone in the house to turn their clothes and socks the right way round before washing! Makes hanging out so much quicker
• put my gym clothes and trainers and water bottle out the night before in the bathroom, so when I get up I dash into the bathroom to change and don’t wake DH. I also book all my gym sessions on a Sunday night so I am committed to them - makes me so much better at going consistently
• I’ve bought a set of 4 key finders and have them on the car keys, DC’s kindle, DHs keys and TV remote. Game changer.

Whatsapp group for dh and me for food shopping. We can easily see what's needed if out. Have separate groups too for specific shops for specifics at each shop and generic food shopping group.

Also have WhatsApp groups for medications when poorly, to do lists in phone notes app

Food delivery twice a week

Google calendar to set myself reminders for tasks and life admin. Dh and I are both in it.

Mine aren’t very exciting.

I buy multiple water bottles so I avoid having to wash them up when in a rush in the morning.

I unpack and wash up my dc’s lunchboxes as soon as they return from school - again to avoid a rush.

I roll up pillow cases inside duvets - baaically a lazier version of putting it all in a pillow case.

I try to deal with admin jobs immediately.

I make a ‘to do’ list for the next day every evening.

I also have set days for bed changing and ordering school lunches.

I have supermarket deliveries and add items as soon as I realise I need them.

Few other things:

I have a hairbrush on a chain tied to the radiator next to the front door - as that was always going walk about.

I have a little makeup caddy that I keep in the lounge so that I leisurely do my evening skin care routine early whilst watching TV on the sofa rather than when I am lapsing into a coma later on and too lazy to do it.

My ‘to do’ lists are a huge long random brain dump but I divide the page into 4 sections - 1. call / text 2. pay 3. buy 4. miscellaneous

This helps me see the same tasks grouped and I can ‘batch process’ - so it’s much easier to pay all 3 things when logged on to bank, make all calls in car etc, - also I use a highlighter to choose only 3 things that day that are essential from my massive list - then I scrub out when done. Stops me getting overwhelmed.

You should always air befs before making them. It is healthier to leave a bed airing all day rather than making it straight away

No because making the bed is just one thing as is flushing the loo.
Kitchen reset covers a lot of different jobs which get it back to it's pre-mealtime state.

I love some of these suggestions :)

Some of my routines:
-clean/tidy/sort stuff as I go. Rooms/beds aired then beds made. Cat litter scooped (from the one normal cat litter tray we have) as soon as we get up (and before bedtime). Washing up sorted straight away. Laundry wash as soon as there is enough for a load - then on clothes horse/outside line, dry buddy/tumble drier asap. It makes things quicker/easier rather than doing giant chores (or having a laundry mountain). Put stuff away/get stuff sorted right away (or as soon as humanely possible!).

-batch cook - every so often, I'll do an 8-12 portion recipe, divvy it into single portions, label it and freeze it. I normally have several different meals available in freezer. Saves a fortune and much easier for me (I work FT shift work) and for the kids (one is working shift work, having finished A levels in the summer; the other is at secondary). We can pick the meal we each want and either have for lunch or supper (DC have food flasks for bringing hot meals from home, and use these for school/work or day trips). Less food waste too. I'm going to have to do a big cook up of things today - we spent December running down stuff in the freezers to make room for Xmas food, and I have a load of veg to use up/sort :)

-lists of chores are on a fridge whiteboard - everyone knows what needs doing (so no excuses!!). I have a teen and a 12yr old.

-for Xmas, I save the Amazon gift bags (and tags). I re-use these each year to "wrap" the DC presents in (and for anyone who come to our place for Xmas and opens gifts from us under our tree). Saves me a HUGE amount of faff, there is less wasted paper and it doesn't take me long to get things "wrapped". I have bought a pad of stick-on gift labels, so a new label will just go over the old one. I use the gift bags for the DC birthday presents too. I only wrap (with real wrapping paper) stocking gifts, and gifts for people outside the house (if that makes sense!).

Gadgets for making life easier: Litter Robot for the cats; auto cat feeders (2/3 cats have a prescription food, one doesn't. The feeders are microchip-read); robovac (with mop) for upstairs and for downstairs (downstairs one hoovers/mops twice a day, upstairs one is once a day). Also things like air fryer or instant pot.