Last week we shared resources on decision fatigue and how it can hold us back from getting into the flow of daily routines. This week we are pouring on the secret sauce when it comes to routines…
The secret sauce?
Routines must be clear, uncomplicated and duplicatable.
If all three of those “ingredients” aren’t in the sauce, the routine goes over like serving a vegetable casserole to a six-year-old.
If it’s not clear, we don’t know where to begin so we won’t.
If it’s complicated, it we get overwhelmed and give up.
If it’s not duplicatable, we simply won’t be motivated to keep doing it.
In The MotherShip Method, we have a section in our app for Weekly Routines & Races. (The ‘Ship List, a free resource in our weekly newsletter, offers a simplified version of this feature.)
Weekly Routines are tasks that you address every week…
You’re going to have housework (tidying/cleaning). You’re going to feed your family (meal planning/grocery shopping). You’re going to have errands and appointments. You’re going to need to deep clean and declutter from time to time.
Races address those things that regularly get under our skin and yet we tend to ignore them (why we do this is beyond me!)
Examples include: the stuff (trash) that gets left in the car, the receipts and wrappers in the bottom of your purse, the countertop or area of your house that collects clutter, the papers that pile up on your desk, the week-old leftovers still sitting in the refrigerator.
99% of the time, these trouble spots can be dealt with in under 5 minutes. And so we schedule them in our app as “races” and tackle all of them every week!
MotherShip serves these tasks drenched in the secret sauce.
Weekly Routines and Races are presented in a clear and uncomplicated manner and put on repeat to keep you motivated to accomplish them on a regular basis.
However, we also incorporate grace by giving you the option to check things off whether you complete them or not because some days the routines simply won’t get done; and that’s okay. MotherShip is designed to put them right back on your to-do list for another time.
If you like the idea of routines that are clear, uncomplicated, duplicatable and keep you moving forward with grace, get on the waitlist for MotherShip.
Also, in THE LIST this week, explore the evidence behind the secret sauce and how routines can benefit your whole family.
Access all 15 of this week’s recommended resources for moms in THE LIST 👇🏽
THE LIST
15 Expert Resources for Moms – updated weekly! 6 skimmable articles that offer perspective on this week’s topic, 8 informative and entertaining podcast episodes to make the chores fly by, and 1 insightful video to inspire you to move forward with grace.
📖 6 Skimmable Articles…
This week’s topic: Weekly Routines
🧗🏽♀️ Secret Bonus!!
“This is another secret bonus of routines: once you’ve established one, the merest of tweaks can totally revitalize your day.”
Read The secret benefit of routines. It won’t surprise you from Headspace
🏡 Pardon our language but this hits home.
“At the end of the day, the key is to take care of yourself, whether that means sticking to your routines, goals, or intentions, practicing self-love and kindness, or something in-between.”
Read Grace vs. Discipline: It’s Complicated AF by Imani Michelle
👨👩👧👦 Routines can have a positive impact on children
“While we play a part in creating routines in our children’s lives, we may not fully realize the role they play in young children’s development.”
Read Creating Routines for Love and Learning from zerotothree.org
🗂 “How effective is your to-do list?“
“Does it help you plan your day? Does it nudge you to prioritize the right tasks? Or is it a never-ending list of things you feel guilty for not having done yet and now you’re not going to do any of them?”
Read Get More Done: Try These 10 Simple Tips for Better To-Do Lists by Jill Duffy
🎗 Plan your plan!
“I plan for planning time (how ironic) on my weekends so I can get a head start of the week. If I know how my week will look like by the time I am in the office on Monday morning, I am not only more focused on actually getting my work done but also a lot less stressed.”
Read How to Plan your Week the Right Way by Liz Huber
🥗 Did someone say sense of control?
“Implementing a structure to your day can give you a sense of control. It can also improve your focus, organization, and productivity.”
Read The Importance of Maintaining Structure and Routine During Stressful Times by Kendra Cherry
🎧 8 Entertaining Podcast Episodes…
This week’s Grace in the Race Podcast Playlist
📰 “Routines benefit & ripple into your family”
“Have you every thought about the different cycles of routines you have? The things you do every day, the things you do every week, every month, every year?”
Listen to Mamatoto Radio | Your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly routines (7 min)
👸🏻 “The simple smiley face set the stage for a revolution in online communication”
“Smiling poop. Zombie lady. High-fiving squid. Emojis cover a huge spectrum of human expression. But did you ever wonder where they came from? On September 19, 1982, a computer scientist, concerned his jokes weren’t landing in a university chatroom, used the first emoticon; colon, minus sign, parenthesis.”
Listen to Not Past It | The Birth of Emojis (27 min)
💡 “How do the groups you identify with shape your sense of self?”
“Do they influence the beer you buy? The way you vote? Psychologist says our group loyalties affect us more than we realize, and can even shape our basic senses of sight, taste and smell.
Listen to Hidden Brain | Group Think (50 min)
🤰🏻 ” Not Enough Space”
“Almost one hundred years ago, the writer Virginia Woolf famously declared that a woman needed “a room of her own” in order to do important work– and that the lack (at that time) of a long history of important work by women could be attributed to the historical lack of that space, both physical and mental.
In this episode, we discuss why women’s work and spaces are often considered the most flexible; why we sometimes don’t set boundaries for the time and space we’d really like; and how to go about reclaiming it. We will probably have to keep asking, but the work is worth it.
Listen to What Fresh Hell | A Room Of Our Own: Claiming the Space We Need (44 min)
😎 “For Diane Van Deren, mother of three, daily life is a struggle”
“Diane Van Deren is one of the best ultra-runners in the world, and it all started with a seizure. In this short, Diane tells us how her disability gave rise to an extraordinary ability.
Listen to Radiolab | In the Running (20 min)
🧗 “One of the hardest things when trying to stay productive is sticking to it”
“Pick someone you are connected to in some way, and ask them to hold you accountable on one specific task. Tell the individual what it is you want to get done and when they should check in on you.
Listen to Tiny Leaps, Big Changes | One Simple Productivity Tip (13 min)
👨👩👧👦 “Buckle up for a brawl between two of the most iconic video game characters of all time”
“It’s Pikachu vs. Mario!! Which character will win? The mighty, mustachioed plumber known for giant jumps? Or the yellow thunder mouse known for packing an electrified punch!?
Listen with your kids to Smash Boom Best | Pikachu vs. Mario (32 min)
⏭ “Is there anything better than the telephone?”
“In the 19th Century, the telegraph is the cutting edge of communication. No one can imagine anything better—except Alexander Graham Bell.”
Listen with us to American Innovations | Telephone | Call Waiting | 1 (44 min)
🎬 This week’s Insightful Video…
The routines, rituals and boundaries we need in stressful times | Esther Perel | TEDSalonxDWEN (15:26)
“How do you effectively regulate stress? Therapist Esther Perel discusses the importance of creating routines, rituals and boundaries to deal with pandemic-related loss and uncertainty — both at home and at work — and offers some practical tools and techniques to help you regain your sense of self. (This conversation, hosted by TED’s Helen Walters, was recorded February 2021.)”
That’s THE LIST for this week!
We hope THE LIST inspires you to get your ship together and get through your week with grace!
Do you have any go-to tips on this week’s topic … or a take away from The List this week? Leave a reply in the comments.
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How Daily Routines Can Diffuse Chaos for Moms