I wrote about the importance of routine in my first book, Steady Days. These days I prefer the word rhythm to routine, but at the time I'd never heard of it. I believed, and still do, that well-chosen routines bring a significent measure of peace to home life.
But only if the routine has life behind it. If you create your schedule from a place of trying to "do it all" or from fear of not "doing it all," that same schedule will bring you nothing but misery.
At the time I wrote Steady Days, I desperately needed routines to manage life well with a 4, 3, and 2-year-old. Otherwise chaos would rule the day, and extra mama tears would flow. These days, when my youngest child is almost 7 (HOW did that happen?!), I rely much more on rhythm instead.
Routines are great, but only if they bring joy to your home. Without life behind them, they might lead you to an incredible level of productivity, but who cares?
So make your plans, but leave plenty of room for flexibility. Follow the life, not the laws you've made for yourself.
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