Finding calm in routine

Who doesn’t like relaxing days? It is the beginning of the year and I have so much to look forward to and I would like to simply enjoy each moment without being overwhelmed. We are finding calm in routine at the cottage and it gives us the freedom to enjoy time as a family. It also gives me time to myself without feeling like I have more to do.

So where to start? I first thought about what calm would look like for me. I thought of a wishlist for how I would like to enjoy each day and week. My wishlist was inspired by noticing what works for us in the day and what around the cottage might benefit from a bit of adjusting.

The wishlist

These are the things I would like in my day and the things that sometimes stress me out.

• I want to spend time at home and to have relaxed mornings.
• We all need time for our own projects.
• The living area needs to be tidy, nothing obviously demanding my attention.
• Meals can be a time when we can enjoy coming together.
• Having a meal plan.
• The children are homeschoolers so we need some time working together each day.
• We go out four afternoons a week for classes. We need to be able to leave to house.

Now that I have written a wishlist, finding calm in the routine does not seem so daunting.

Thinking through the practical

Calm Mornings

Mornings are such a peaceful time. We are all quiet in the morning and it is a good time where we can all enjoy being around each other while getting on with our own plans. I do not want to change this.

In the past I have stayed in the kitchen and baked or prepared meals while everyone went off around the cottage. They would come back to the kitchen for snacks and sometimes breakfast became an ongoing task that I had barely tidied up before lunch started. It did not take much to make a change saying to myself and everyone breakfast has now finished. Even the tidying up became easier and I leave the kitchen. I noticed that still no one interrupted me at this time of the morning and I can better use the time on my personal projects. A good routine for me.

I easily have my peaceful morning that I knew was possible. It is a limited period of time as lunchtime will soon come around. This makes me focus and I am more productive whether it is a gardening project or writing.

A Calm Environment

If the house is a mess I cannot enjoy the time I have to myself because I cannot concentrate and focus. Not that I need everything to be perfectly tidy. For me, just having a few surfaces clear and toys confined to a mat will do it.

I think the idea of minimalism was a good place for us to start . This means something different to everyone. Clutter makes the feeling of calm difficult for me. I think it is a matter of visual distractions demanding my attention. It has been good simplifying the cottage and taking out things we have not used or finding a new place for things we only use once in a while.

Time for my Own Projects

I love to cook and I am always thinking up ideas for meals and baking. So much so that I could spend all day in the kitchen. But, I want to be able to plan other projects without being overwhelmed. The calm morning has got me out of the kitchen. When I make time after breakfast for things like gardening and writing, I am finding that I am getting them started. And as time goes by I have time to get them done. At the same time, I am enjoying thinking up ideas for snacks and meals knowing that I will have the time to bake after lunch.

A Meal Plan for Finding Calm in Routine

A meal plan, I love this idea. We need to eat and tasks like meals just have to get done. It has been easier to plan now that breakfast and lunch have more defined times. The plan needs some work and we have a few evening meals set in place. Some meals, like pizza, work better if I am at home for the day to make the dough in advance. Baking bread requires a different time frame. When I have come up with a few meal plan ideas I will put a link here.

This seems a good place to be finding calm in routine. I won’t have to think about what to cook every meal. I will just know and will have the ingredients on hand. Mostly.

Homeschooling

Each child has a time of the day when they learn the best. They also have times when they get on well together and play together. Some of their learning requires one on one and some I can do with them as a group. I can pick some time for study when it suits me and some when it suits them and see how it goes.

Scheduling and Getting Out

It can be stressful leaving the house on time. I have to admit I often try to get just a few extra chores or projects done. I usually end up being in a rush. That translates into us all being in a rush and the calm is absent.

I want to get this right because getting out can add so much to our day to get out. Sometimes we are going out just to be out in nature. Sometimes it is to go to a class. I leave enough time to be ready to walk out of the cottage and go calmly together.

I keep coming back to the interruption to calm that appointments seem create. Our regular routine of mornings at home and lunch together can easily become busy with the simple addition of an appointment for a haircut or the dentist. Knowing our schedule for classes this term, I am going to restrict any appointments to one a week at a time that also gives us a peaceful morning.

How to go about finding calm in routine

• First, think what calm means for you. This is a good place to start.
• Second, observe what happens over the course of your week and notice your routine.
• Thirdly, look to see when your routine works and when it doesn’t.
• Then fourthly, start with the wishlist and write your own. It might have to be simple to start off with and then you can adjust it over the weeks and seasons.

And whether you are at home or when you are out there are often times for calm. I find a time when I do not have any jobs to do, take a cup of tea with me and just enjoy the moment.

Let me know what ideas you have had to help you enjoy your days and what the seasons mean for you. I would love to hear about the small things that add up to moments of calm for you.