Four Tips to Get Yourself Back Into A Routine

The children have been back for almost two weeks and it feels so good to be easing back into some kind of routine following the summer holidays. I completely thrive on routine and although I welcome September for that very reason, I seem to be struggling to get going! So this week I am to change that (and that's partly why I'm getting back into writing again, while we are here, sorry for the lack of posts!) and do my best to get back into a routine that I love.

Give yourself time to re-settle

Let's start by saying you should not be in the perfect routine week two into the school year. Allow yourself time to settle, get your head around changes and then start to curate your own perfect routine. This is the perfect time to think about what hampers your perfect routine, for example, are you rushing to get everyone out the door? Would it help to get up 15-30mins earlier or do some prep in the evenings? So whilst you allow yourself some breathing space, make some mental notes (or actual notes) on any hinderances to your routine.

Add something new

September is a wonderful time to add something new to your routine, it could be that you would like to encourage the children to be more independent or that you yourself would like to start something like a guided meditation practice. However, do not decide to try and implement too many new things at once - this will may lead to feeling overwhelmed and negative energy which is not what we are trying to achieve. Start small and if after the first half term it's going well, you could add something new after the October half term.

Go back to basics

I'm talking sleep, diet and H2O! After the holidays I'm definitely feeling a little sluggish and so going back to the basics is really helping me to get back to normality and help me feel great. Making sure I'm not staying up too late hasn't really been an issue - probably because I have come home exhausted! Diet and water consumption is really something I'm focusing on this term, making sure I always have a bottle of water to hand (at work and at home) and making sure I'm getting a balanced diet. We recently started ordering a fruit and veg box from The Norfolk Veg Box, where they deliver our locally sourced veg straight to our door- it really has helped make sure we are getting the right nutrition and the children (and guinea pigs) are loving it too!

Keep track of family schedules

Whilst we keep a family calendar at home when both my husband and I are out and about trying to keep track of everyone's schedules when trying to make plans or book appointments becomes quite tricky. This year we decided to create a family email so that all school/nursery communication would get sent there along with a family mobile calendar assigned to the email. Both my husband and I then have access to it 24/7 and we can keep track of everything - which is great when one of you works difficult shift patterns. If you haven't set one up I would thoroughly recommend it.
I would love to hear your tips on getting back into a routine now the kiddies are back at school, share them below so we can all make this school year a great one.

K Elizabeth xoxox