Week Five: Taking the Stress out of your Morning...With Night Routines

Hello Ladies!  Can you believe we have been working on this for five weeks now?!  Time flies when you're having fun. :)


How did it go this week?  Did you get a morning and evening routine established? How many Boogie Flings have you done?


This week I thought I'd share more of what FlyLady has to say about night routines and getting enough sleep, enjoy:

"We have all seen the juggler that can keep several plates spinning on several poles at one time. Do you feel like this person most of the time? Running every which way being forced to jump to keep the plates from hitting the ground. What happens if you stop? You think you would have a lot of broken plates. I have a little secret. We don’t let the plates fall off the poles. We grab them in full spin and set them on the counter! I know your frustration. Running around putting out fires is not very productive work. Guess why? You are letting the problems set your schedule for the day. Kelly and I are giving you the tools to address these spinning plates once and for all time. The stress level you have put yourself under is not good for your health or your family. Each time you are in the midst of spinning those plates, think about why you are forced to juggle them.

1. You didn’t pay a bill on time so you are running around trying to get it paid before the electric company turns off your power, or the phone company shuts down your service. You have the money in the bank, but you just forgot to pay the bill. Not having the money is another problem and, believe it or not, this system will help you with that, too.

2. It is 6:00 PM and you have no clue what’s for supper. Your children are hungry, so you pile everyone in the car and go for fast food. The guilt levels are rising and money is being spent on food that is not that good for your body. No wonder you can’t lose weight or there is no money to pay the bills.

3. Getting yourself and the family dressed is a pain because you don’t have clean clothes. They are sitting in the dryer and were not quite dry when the dryer stopped and they have soured. Or they are wadded up in the laundry basket and not fit to wear because of all the wrinkles. Or, even worse, they are in piles all over the house and have never been washed to start with. You know that sick feeling when your child needs her baseball uniform and it is at the bottom of the laundry pile because it just slipped your mind. There were just too many loads to do, so you became overwhelmed and did nothing. Guess what? Out of sight, out of mind does not work for this problem.

4. You need to leave the house for an appointment and you can’t find your car keys. Don’t you just hate that helpless feeling? And the more you search, the later you become and the more stressed you feel. That doesn’t even begin to address the fact that you were running late to begin with because you were having a hard time finding something to wear. Do you see the vicious cycle of spinning plates? One is just about to hit the floor! Do you want out of this frantic juggling circus act? Here are the steps. If you have been listening to us you are already starting by establishing small routines for your morning and evening. Oh, and put on your lace-up shoes! As part of your routines, we ask you to think about your day, think about tomorrow, and think about next week. This simple act, called “planning,” is going to help you quit spinning your plates"

This will not happen overnight. So we will teach you will establish new habits...one habit at a time.  As each new habit becomes part of your routine, you can take that plate off the pole and put it in the cupboard. Eventually you will be in total control and will rarely have one plate spinning.  You will find that peace is contagious.  The more you implement your routines, the easier it is to add new habits.

This is called behavior modification.  You will have to wean yourself slowly from the adrenaline rush you have been getting from CHAOS.

Attitude is everything...the truth is you have a home.  Instead of thinking:  "I have to do this..."  Think, "This is my home and I deserve to have a wonderful place to live.  This blesses my home and my family and, most of all me!"  Giving up the martyred attitude and taking on the persona of doing good for yourself and your family relieves you of stress! If you understand this small reality and embrace it, I have done my job!

You also have another attitude that is going to be the death of you. "I don't have any time for myself". So after everyone has gone to bed, you stay up later and later, until you are barely getting enough sleep to function the next day.  This makes for a stressed out, nasty attitude, yelling at your babies (and hubby) and running around like your head is cut off, not knowing where to turn or what to do next!  The solution is so simple, GO TO BED AT A DECENT HOUR!

Getting your rest will stop this downward spiral.  You will be able to spend some quiet time in the morning getting yourself ready before you have children up and dressed.  Just fifteen minutes before the rest of the family will do wonders.

Most of what we teach is to think ahead.  Just a few minutes thinking about your day the night before will relieve a lot of stress.

Let's go through an evening routine:

1. Lay out your clothes for the next day.  If you have children, teach them to do this or if they are small, do it for them.
2. Put everything you are going to need for tomorrow beside your launch pad (the front door).
3. Check your schedule to see where everyone in the family is going to be and check the weather report to see if you will need warm clothes or an umbrella
4. Locate your purse and keys and put them by the door too.  Nothing worse than not being able to find your keys
5. Everyone is going to be home for supper, so what are you going to fix? Take something out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator.  Don't forget the side dishes.  I'm not telling you to fix them, just think about them.
6. Make a to-do list or a grocery list if you need to pick up something when you are out. 
7. Get everyone who can to shower before bed.  Then all that needs to be done in the morning is to wet hair and style, etc.
8. Go to bed with your kitchen clean or as straight as possible with your sink shining.
9. Then get into bed and go to sleep at a decent hour. You will be so surprised at what a difference it will make tomorrow.

Now that you have gotten enough rest, when the alarm goes off you can get up and get dressed without the hassle of being stressed.  Try to set your alarm before the flow of your family starts.  This will become your sacred time.  It will take a while to get used to it.  You will have your days and nights mixed up for a while just like a baby, you may be cranky for the first few weeks but your body will change and it will become easier.

If you really want to break this cycle you will start this tonight.  I have always said the the Before Bed Routine is the most important and will give you so much peace."

Are you ready to fly through your morning stress free?