Word For Word
Ashley Brown 00:00
[Intro] Routines, my absolute favorite word, but you either love them or you hate them. And either way, I strongly believe that routines can be a springboard for improving your home yourself and your life. I'm Ashley Brown, and this is a routine and things podcast. In each episode we'll dive into a specific routine or point of view that will move you closer to enjoying life more and more each day. Trust me, you're gonna want to keep listening, because you're well on your way to getting and staying happy.
Ashley Brown 00:46
Hey girl, welcome back for another episode. Today we are going to be talking about how do you actually accomplish your home goals. And really, how do you consistently accomplish your home goals. That's what we're talking about today. I know that you have home goals. We all have home goals as moms, and we want to be able to accomplish our goals consistently. Not just write our goals down on paper, not just put them in a calendar, but actually meet our goals. So that's what we're gonna be talking about today. Before we get into that, have you peace planned this week? Have you scheduled out your to dos for the week? Have you prioritized your peace? Have you set your peace priorities, by asking yourself those three questions? What is coming up that you need to prepare for? What have you been putting off that must be done this week? And what would make you extremely happy to do this week? Ask yourself those questions. Make sure you dump before you actually schedule out what you are going to be doing and decide your peace priorities, and then get to doing it. But we're gonna be diving into more of that in this episode. And so if you haven't planned, you still have time. Sit down today. Take out time to plan because you are twice as likely to meet your home goals if you do plan, but more on that in a little bit.
Ashley Brown 02:18
So how do we consistently meet our home goals? I have to say that yes, I have always been great at meeting my home goals?, no, this has taken practice. This still takes being aware of what I'm doing and focusing on making sure that I'm putting my home first, that I'm focusing on home and it has taken some time for me to really get into this habitual pattern to plan. Every week I plan now, even if it's like a real quick planning session, and because it's become such a habit for me that it is a little bit easier for me to plan really quickly. So, planning is major for accomplishing your home goals. So yeah, so we're gonna be diving into that today, but before we get into that, we have to first establish, why are we not, it's always important to know where we are before we can decide and try to get to where we're going. Right? Like that's really important in life. So it's things that are stopping you now, like, if you are not planning at this time, if you are not sitting down every week to plan or at least every day to plan and if that plan is not effective, then yes, we have to figure out and you have to figure out, why is that, because it's different from person to person. But I know that we have some similarities and why sometimes we do not plan. So let's talk about it.
Ashley Brown 03:50
So I think that there's two major reasons why you are not meeting your home goals. There's two major reasons why you're not meeting your home goals. So one of those reasons could be that you're feeling too overwhelmed. We overwhelm ourselves by thinking we need to do it all. And I talked about that on a specific episode, how to decrease the overwhelm. So go back to listen to that episode because I give you really great tips on how you can actually decrease the overwhelm in your life and in your home, and their really practical ways that you can start to think about things or do things to help you decrease overwhelm. So that definitely could be the case, that you are overwhelming yourself by trying to do it all. And the truth is, you can't do it all. We can't. We have to prioritize. And we have to decide what is truly important. Because when we overwhelm ourselves, we can't think clearly. And so if you can't think clearly, how are you going to be able to really accomplish your home goals right? We overwhelm ourselves with, you know, wanting to do it all and then things start to slip, then our house starts to go back to this state that we didn't want it to be in and now we're playing huge catch up, that causes you to feel defeated. That causes you to feel like you have to do more than what you truly want to do. And so that sense and feeling of overwhelm, can really, really stop you from meeting your home goals on a consistent basis.
Ashley Brown 05:33
And also, sometimes the season of life that you're in, can cause you to be overwhelmed and to get off track. Like let's be real, here, like we know that in certain seasons of life, that's just going to be the case right? And we can try to be proactive as much as possible, but sometimes we can get to certain seasons in life, where it just throws us for a loop. We did not expect, but we expected something different, right? We might have known it was coming, a certain season of life. And so that can throw you, that can throw us. And so certain seasons of life may cause you to be overwhelmed. And like I said, being overwhelmed, will get you off track. So yeah, feelings of overwhelm can really stop you from meeting and accomplishing your home goals.
Ashley Brown 06:24
The second thing that prevents you from your home goals is lack of planning. Like I was saying before, like, lack of planning. A lot of times I see the quote on IG and it says, "You don't plan to fail, you fail to plan", and that's real. That's truth is not the to plan to fail is that you fail to plan that's why you're, that's why you might not be meeting your home goals is because you fail to plan because sometimes we negotiate planning. I think a lot of times, especially if you're not planning you might be the one that's negotiating planning. Oh, should I plan today? I don't know. You might even be the type that planning doesn't even come to your head. And if that's the case, girl, keep listening to this podcast because I'm telling you, planning will change your life. Trust me, I've been there I've done that. I've always been a huge planner, but in seasons where I was not planning, oh, somebody should've came and checked on me. So yes, planning can change your life. But sometimes we negotiate planning, we think, oh, do I have time to plan today? Oh, I don't. I don't really have a cute planner, so I don't really feel like- I'm tired. I just want to go to bed. It's too early in the morning to plan. We negotiate planning. Planning should be a non negotiable, a non negotiable, but we negotiate it. Lack of planning can also be that you're planning ineffectively and that can lead you to not planning at all.
Ashley Brown 07:56
So when we plan, right like, if you've ever started planning, and then If you've ever bought a planner. We bought a planner, and then you start to plan, you're good for like maybe two weeks, maybe three, you might get to a month and then after that, no more planning, it just kind of just ceases to exist. Right? Then that could be because you're planning ineffectively. If we're planning in an ineffective way, then more than likely we are not meeting our goals that we want to. And in your head, If you keep doing something and the goal that you're trying to reach is not being accomplished, you're going to probably end up stopping. You're going to feel like, this isn't even useful. I'm spending my time doing this, but every time I come back to this list, I've only gotten two things checked off a list of 10 things. So in your brain, you're kind of like why am I continuing to do this and it's not really on a conscious level it's really subconsciously, your subconscious is like why are you continueing to do this? You're not even meeting the goals that you want to meet because you're planning and ineffectively, and that can lead you to not planning at all. And so that can definitely stop you and prevent you from accomplishing your home goals consistently, if you just stopped planning, because you've been planning ineffectively. But yeah, those are the major two reasons why I think people don't plan. Because like I said, one overwhelm, the sense of overwhelm, and like, oh, I have one more thing to do. Like, I'm already overwhelmed, but now you're telling me to do one more thing on top of being overwhelmed. Which you have to realize you have one more thing to do, but that one more thing is going to be the thing that can pull you out of being overwhelmed. But then the other cause sometimes of not meeting your home goals is that you fail to plan and even if you plan you're planning ineffectively, and that could be causing you to not meet your home goals as well. So those are two reasons I want to bring up. And that might be the case for you. So kind of evaluate today, if you haven't been planning, what is that for you. Dig into why you don't plan.
Ashley Brown 10:12
So now let's move on to what can help you because that's why you're here. That's why you're listening today. What can help you consistently accomplish your home goals? First, lessening the amount of things you do each week. Let me say that again, lessening the amount of things you do each week. Anytime I emphasize something that's important to like, remember for yourself in any podcast episode, if I repeat something, ding, ding, ding, listen up. Lessening the amount of things you do each week. Minimizing your to do lists. I have an episode all about minimizing your to do list and I give you the first step that you need to do in order to minimize your to do list. So go back and check out that episode. Figuring out what you actually want can help you lessen the amount of things you do each week. What do you want? Not brain dumping onto your to do lists, but using brain dumping effectively can help minimize your to do list. You don't want to brain dump things on to your to do lists. That's a huge No, no. Because some of those things that your brain dump you might not even want to do in the week or you might not even need to do. You can put that into the next week because something else might be more priority. So lessen the amount of things that you do, not wanting or trying to do all of the things.
Ashley Brown 11:38
We're not in that culture no more as moms, like we're not going to be sitting here doing all of the things why because the more simplistic you can make your days, the more simplistic you can make your weeks, is the more simplistic you can make your life. So simplicity is important to get all of those things. When we have so many things going on in any given day, in any given week, that can be really stress provoking like that can provoke and incite a lot of stress. So we're not going to continue to be on that train. I want you to raise your right hand and repeat after me. Stop whatever you're doing, because I think this is very important. I have my hand raised too. I want you to raise your right hand and repeat after me. I will no longer do all the things. Say it again. I will no longer do all the things. So on this day, mark in your calendar that you said, you will no longer do all the things because that's going to help you consistently accomplish your home goals, by minimizing your to do list, by lessening the things that you do each week.
Ashley Brown 12:52
So the next thing is to prioritize what's important, that can really help you to in accomplishing your goals for your home. Prioritizing what is truly important. What helps you, one with prioritizing what's important, knowing what you want, right? That was the first step and minimizing your to do list, knowing what you want. But also, in any given week, it's important to consider what is important for that week, not the next week. Sometimes we can be thinking about things like a month down the line, which I'm not saying you shouldn't think about, definitely think about those things and be proactive. That's why I have brain dump lists. And it's a running to do list of things that I just brain dump, if I am thinking like a month ahead, because I want to be able to focus on this particular week that I'm in. And so if you haven't planned this week, really be specific about focusing on what is important for this week. Even if you have planned go back and evaluate, did you put things in this week that could go into next week because it's not happening for another like three to four weeks?Or are you just like being really, really proactive to where you are putting things on your list but you're not meeting, you're not reaching the goal right.
Ashley Brown 14:06
So like sometimes we can just put these on the list is going to be like a month out, but we're not going to do it because our brain just registers that that's not coming up until a month later. That's why it's important to focus on the week that's in front of you and prioritize what's really important for this week. And when you prioritize you are more likely to meet that goal and to do whatever you need it to do in your week. Because you know, that it's a priority and it's honestly like a non negotiable because it needs to be done by this week or what you want to do it this week, and you know it will feed your soul. Especially for the things we want to do, if it's going to help fill us up, help us be better people, better moms, then yes, we're more than likely going to do it. So prioritization is huge.
Ashley Brown 14:56
And the next thing is to evaluate your plans daily. That's the next way that you can accomplish your home goals consistently is by evaluating your daily plans. So when you plan for the week, when I plan for the week, every morning, I will come to my list and look at what am I doing today? What am I doing today? I don't just sit down and plan and then think I'm going to remember, like sometimes I do remember but I still look at my list because I am trying to see if what I'm doing today is still relevant. That's what I'm trying to see, is what I'm doing today still relevant. Is it still priority today or should something be tweaked and move to another day? Should I swap out certain to dos, like, that's when I'm looking to see is it still relevant for today? Because if I wake up and let's say that I'm not feeling my best, I have a stomach ache or just starting to feel not so well, then maybe me sweeping and mopping the floor is not going to happen today. Maybe I need to swap that out with like reading my book that I said I was going to read the next day. So that's the importance of evaluating your daily plans is because you might actually want to tweak things depending on how you feel. Depending on your mood or your energy for the day, it helps you to be more realistic with what you can accomplish and when you're realistic with what you can accomplish, you're more likely to accomplish that goal.
Ashley Brown 16:30
And if things need to be shifted, don't be afraid to move things around. I love writing with erasable pens, because I know that I shift things around. So that's a tip for you. If you've been writing with the pen, maybe you can start writing with a pen that's erasable or just writing with the pencil. I've done that as well as write with pencils. And so it doesn't cause you to be like, oh, I don't want to mark out and like rewrite. Because trust me like I think about that too. Like I don't want to just be marking out stuff. I want it to look like clean and clear and not all these marks on my paper, so if that's you too just get you some erasable pens, or some pencils to write in your planner. Yeah, so don't be afraid to move things around.
Ashley Brown 17:12
And the last and final way that you can accomplish your home goals consistently, is by using routines. Yes, I brought up routines. Anytime I can bring up routines, I'm going to bring them up because they are game changers. Routines help you to consistently accomplish your home goals because when you get into the habit of doing things, this just cancels out a lot of things that you need to do within your week. So this kind of ties into helping you lessen the amount of things that you do and help you lessen your to do list for the week is by using routines. Because when you get into a flow and a rhythm and you're vibing with your routines and you're not thinking about them as much because they have become so habitual for you, that is where you have mastered your routines. And when you do that you're not now writing down, do dishes this morning, you're not writing down, sweep the floor at the end of the night. So that is going to help lessen that amount of things that you do in your week by having routines.
Ashley Brown 18:22
So when you can use routines to minimize your to do list, girl, because you're going to see it, you don't have much in your planner, you're going to start to see it that you don't have much honestly to do in the week, if you use routines. When I'm planning because I have routines I'm in my rhythm throughout my home, I'm like, yeah, I already know like it's not a shocker to me anymore, like the amount of things that I do within a week which are not many is not a shocker because I have been doing this over and over again. And I really, really see the benefits of having routines, because now I can focus on those things outside of my day today. Squared away, my day to day is already going to be done in terms of my routine, so I don't have to write out my day to day tasks. I write out the things that fit outside of my day to day tasks by making sure that I clean out the trash cans, making sure that I actually clean my washing machine, making sure that I sweep the steps or wash down baseboards. Those things that are outside of my day to day routine are going to be the things I put on my planning list for the week, those are going to be the things that I prioritize. So routines are super duper effective when it comes to consistently achieving your home goals. And so get on your routines. If you feel like your routines are not effective, if they have not been working for you. You can go and grab the revamping routine workbook, where I walk you through in the workbook how to create and build a routine that works, for you and your family but also feels good for you. I'll link it in the show notes.
Ashley Brown 19:57
So yes, girl so we talked about a lot today. Let's just recap what we talked about. So in order to accomplish your home goals consistently, we said first to lessen the amount of things you do each week, figure out what it is that you actually want and don't brain dump onto your to do lists, but use brain dumping effectively. Also prioritize what's important in your life, and for your home. And what's important in any given week, but ask yourself those three questions. And then evaluate your plans daily. Look at your plans on a day to day basis to see if things need to be moved around or shifted. If they do, do that. And then last but not least use routines. Pick up that tool girl that you have in your back pocket, use your routines, continue to pull out that tool, that you don't have to be fixing everything. That tool is already there. It's being used, it's become a part of your family, routines is so so important and can be so helpful for you. All of these things combined, magic. All these things combined will help you to consistently achieve your home goals, all of them combined. So get to it. Get to it. I hope that you learned a lot today, I hope that you took away some nuggets of information, some really good tips that you can start to implement in your life and put in place in your home and in your planning. I want you to know you can do this. You can consistently achieve the goals that you set out for your home and for your life. It is doable for you. You just have to first believe it and then start to take action towards doing it. So that's it for this episode.
Ashley Brown 21:43
Next week, we are going to be diving into a topic that I really think that is important to discuss and that's putting your home first and how putting your home first can help you to discover the peace that you desire and you deserve. So join me next week for that episode. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Smooches, giving you some love today. Thank you so much for listening to the podcast. Thank you for joining me each and every week. If this is your first time listening, thank you, I appreciate you. Also be sure to subscribe if you haven't already to the podcast, rate and review. Rate and review. It's super duper simple. You can do it from your phone. Rate and review this podcast, also share it and spread the love about this podcast. I hope that you enjoy the rest of your day, your week. Until next time, talk to you later girl.
Ashley Brown 22:44
[Outro] Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed today's episode, could you do me a huge favor and take a screenshot and share it on social, and for more routine goodness be sure to visit routinendthings.com. Here's to staying happy!