Daily Routine: 5 Secrets of the Crunchy Super Mom

Daily Routine

It is hard to feel like a Super Mom when all you feel is overwhelmed by your day-to-day responsibilities. Of all the small changes I have made in my life to create a more natural environment for my family, the most profound have been the development of my five step daily routine. These five steps have been life-changing to the point that my husband can tell when I don't start off my day with them. I believe every Crunchy Super Mom should design a holistic life that fits so I challenge you to try these Five Secrets of a Crunchy Super Mom for the next 5 days. Once you feel comfortable doing my routine, redesign it to fit you and your family. Be sure to write it down when you find what works. Save it as a reminder to yourself so when you feel too tired to stick with it, you have a small motivational tool to stick to your design. Commit to designing the perfect daily routine for you at the end of 20 days. 

A Clean Kitchen

Super Moms never go to bed with a dirty kitchen. This is not a new idea. I've heard it, and maybe you've heard it from many "homemaking gurus" on the web. It is life-changing when you make this a habit. Do whatever it takes to make sure your kitchen is clean tonight before you go to bed. When you wake up in the morning, you will have a prepared space for carrying out the rest of your daily routine. 

Keeping On Top of Laundry

Get your laundry monster in order! This change is truly magical. Our family of 5 consists of one toddler in cloth diapers and two girls who play in the mud daily. We had an untamable mountain of laundry until I made this change. Read carefully: Fold all the clean laundry you have now and put it away. All of it. Do not start another load of laundry until this is done. Once all the clean laundry is put away- start one new load of clothes. Once this is dried, folded and put away, you can start another load in the washer. Do not cheat! Even if you are down to your last pair of underwear, you simply can’t start a new load of laundry until the first one is resting neatly in the closet and dresser. The first day you implement this, you may spend all day catching up but I promise it will be worth it!

Deal With Overwhelm

At least once a day and anytime you feel anxiety or overwhelm, use a notebook or planner and empty out the contents of your brain. This is called a brain dump. A good habit is to write down everything that is weighing you down at bedtime and review it in the morning. Because this can help you form your task list for tomorrow, I don't recommend using a scratch piece of paper. You may find that you write down some of your dreams, goals, and aspirations while doing your brain dump. You won't want to lose those! For me, this brain dump helps me sleep better at night. There are many times that I have a big project or a family vacation to pack for and can't get to sleep because I'm thinking about all the steps I need to take. Taking a few minutes to write it all down lets me rest easy knowing I have made a list and I can tackle it in the morning. My to-do list for the next day often comes from my nightly brain dump sheet. 

Take Action In the Morning

Take action first thing in the morning. Checking email or social media is not action! For me, one of the most important tasks is emptying the dishwasher. Because I never go to bed with a dirty kitchen, I always wake up with a dishwasher full of clean dishes. By emptying it first thing, I am able to place dirty dishes directly into the dishwasher at every meal instead of piling them in the sink. I’ve heard many other Super Moms do the same and some have suggested racing the coffee pot or tea kettle. I do set my kettle on and try to have my first load of laundry into the washer and my dishwasher emptied before my coffee is done brewing. Knowing a lovely mug of hot coffee awaits me after these two tasks are highly motivational. When these two tasks are done, the next Crunchy Super Mom Secret is that much sweeter.

Develop a Morning Ritual

Develop and practice a morning ritual. This should fuel you for the day and make your daily routine even easier. Do something comforting and invigorating every morning. For me, this is drinking a hot beverage and reviewing my daily plan. This is a great time to do your daily devotions, meditation, prayer, a few yoga poses or some alignment snacks from Katy Bowman. Whatever you do during your morning ritual, it needs to fill your cup for the day and make you feel pampered and ready for the day ahead.

Test Drive

These five secrets seem overwhelming at first. I know! Just spend the next 5 days testing them out and then commit to doing it every day for 21 days to form a real habit. For now, find your planner or notebook and a pen or pencil that you enjoy writing with. Try to clean your kitchen entirely before you go to bed tonight. Then, tomorrow, wake up and empty the dishwasher and practice a new morning ritual.