If I had to pick just one part of The FlyLady method that I think is most important it would be the morning routine. A well-designed routine implemented regularly can make all the difference in avoiding household chaos.
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MORNING ROUTINE
Everyone’s morning routine will look different. For instance, a stay-at-home-mom of toddlers will have a very different routine from someone who works outside the home and doesn’t have children. You have to consider your own circumstances and what works best for you. Here are some ideas to consider for a very basic morning routine:
- Get dressed (including shoes if you are adhering strictly to The FlyLady rules), do hair and makeup. Yes, even if you aren’t leaving the house. You’ll feel better about yourself and will likely be more productive.
- Make your bed. It’s best if you let it air awhile first, though.
- “Swish and Swipe” – this is what The FlyLady calls a daily quick bathroom cleanup. Wipe spots off mirror, then give the sink, counter and faucets a quick wipe. Swish the inside of the toilet with a toilet brush.
- Have breakfast or if, like me, you aren’t much of a breakfast eater at least drink a glass of water to rehydrate. This is where a coffee or hot tea addiction fits in, too.
- Put dishes in the dishwasher, hand wash, or at the very least, rinse and stack in the sink if you leave the house early for work.
- Throw in a load of laundry. Some people like to do all their laundry on one day and if that works for you, great. But if you are always behind, The FlyLady (and I) recommend a load a day to help stay on top of things.
- Make sure you know what you are having for dinner that evening. Do you need to thaw something? Is there an ingredient you need to pick up on your way home from work? If you don’t work outside the home, is there some part of dinner you can do ahead of time to ease the dinnertime crunch?
Just doing those few things every morning will make a huge difference. Even if the whole day goes awry and you do nothing else at least you’ve taken care of the essentials.
If you are just getting started, choose 3-5 things for your morning routine. Keep it very simple and practice it consistently until it becomes a habit. You can then add more to the routine but don’t get carried away at the beginning.
Here’s a good example of a morning routine:
Do you follow The FlyLady? Do you have a good morning routine? Leave me a comment and tell me what your routine includes.
More posts about The FlyLady:
The FlyLady Method: 5 Minute Room Rescue
The FlyLady Method: Shine Your Sink
The FlyLady Method: Getting Dressed (Including Shoes!)
The Best (and worst) of The FlyLady
I’m Giving The FlyLady Another Chance
As an extra tip: if you have a schedule that sometimes changes for one reason or another – whether because of shifting work shifts, irregular sleep patterns, or something else – just having enough of a routine that you do certain things in a certain order can help get your day off to a good start, even if you aren’t doing the things at exactly the same time every day.
Good tip. I’ve found that I can’t count on doing things at the same time every day, largely because I sleep so poorly that I don’t always get up at the same time.
Ditto. That and pets don’t always need things at the same time every day.
Hi there
I’m looking for advice. I find it grat getting up early there are a few things I try do while all is still. Such as
1. Have quiet time with the Lord
2. Go over to do list
3. Send messages for birthdays and snicersaeies and general morning greetings to my child and friends
4 I like to train on my may half hour a n d then weather and health permitting go for a run with one dog and walk another dog thereafter. However then I like to do a general tidy and oprn up of house and garden. My question is simple and I’m sure it will be said whatever suits me.
When do I wash and put on running clothes to shoes and.. .as I prefer a nice relaxing shower/bath I like to bath preferably after I h have tidied and touched up for morning routine and zone cleaning so would you suggest I stay in training/running clothes until I have completed all my chores. To it it short dress in training clothes immediately I wake up and keep t h em on until I am ready for a bath.
My hubby works from home so I should always b e presentable but I also want to be clean and comfortable?
Please assist me
Many thanks
Diana Swart
Excellent question and one I struggle with, as well. I think it depends on how intense your cleaning routine is. If you are going to be down on your knees scrubbing a bathtub or doing something that might leave you a bit sweaty then it makes sense to stay in exercise clothes until the chores are done. If it’s just a little tidying up and light dusting then those things can be done in nicer clothing.
One thing I’m going to do is buy some new exercise clothing that looks nice. I’m not a runner so this might not work for you but I’m trying to find looser fitting, flare leg exercise pants and some type of top that I can work out in but still look presentable. I’m usually home alone during the day but I’d also like to look presentable if someone comes to the door before I’ve showered and dressed for the day.
I hope that helps a bit.