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 going to want to keep listening, because you're well on your way to getting and staying happy.
Ashley Brown 01:29
[AD] So you probably chose to tune in today because you want to use routines to enhance your life. But you haven't quite figured out how to get your routines to stick and how to remain consistent with them. Something's missing, you're ready to have routines that don't end after a week but you don't quite know how to make that happen. But no worries because I am so happy to share that I've opened the doors to the rock your routine training plus membership community. If you've been thinking of starting a routine because you crave the consistency and order it will bring to your home in life. I encourage you to join the community and get started with the rock your routine training today. I'll teach you how to create the perfect routine for your life step by step using my signature process, the T.E.A approach, as well as share what it takes what it truly takes to make it last. This simple, but very effective process was created to easily guide you through creating and most importantly maintaining your routines. This is your time to finally start a routine that works so you can consistently meet the needs of your home in life. To join head to the link in the show notes. I cannot wait to see you inside.
Ashley Brown 02:41
Hey, and welcome back to another episode of the Routine and Things Podcast. I am so happy that you are joining me today. Welcome, welcome. So in this episode, we are going to be talking about how routines create freedom and I'm going to be sharing with you my thoughts on how routines create freedom in my life and really show you that routines. Although they make it that bad rep of being really restrictive. In the structure that routines provide, there is so much freedom in that. And so that's what we're going to be talking about today. Before we get started with things, I do want to give a listener some love or appreciate you for listening. And so I want to just love up on a listener today. And so that is Trey Love's. And she says, every time I listen, I truly feel at peace with where I am, in my home making life. I'm a married mom with two who is running a company from home. I'm constantly beating up myself about balancing getting things done around the house, spending family time and growing my company. Ashley makes me feel like I'm not alone in this beautiful journey and gives realistic advice with great resources to get it all done. Thank you, Trey loves, I appreciate that. And I'm so happy that you are vibing with what I'm sharing and what I'm talking about, because you're not alone. We all are not alone. I mean, we go through so many things, really many of the times the same type of struggles and, you know, just conflict sometimes. And also the joys too, we can't forget that as well. We go through the joy, some of the same joys as well. So I'm so happy that you are a listener and that you are a part of this community. Thank you so much.
Ashley Brown 04:37
Okay, so, like I said, we're going to be talking about how routines create freedom, but I want to share with you a quick story. Just to give you some background of how I've really thought about doing this topic because one day I was just sitting outside with my husband and we were talking and I realized like we had been talking for probably about two have hours, like for a good amount of time. And this was really enlightening to me and really showed how much routines have opened up so much space in my life. Because when I was talking to him, I didn't feel the need to do anything else. I had gotten my work done and the time that I allocated for it to be done. I had done some cleaning, like cleaned our bathrooms, I folded some laundry, and my girls were napping like they do every single day. Because you know, I don't play that.
By having my girls on a routine where they nap. This also freed me up to do as I please with the time at that moment, because if my girls were not in their routine that includes a nap, I don't know, I probably wouldn't have been able to sit uninterrupted with my husband and chat it up for almost three hours. So routines give you back time in your day. Routines help you to be very intentional with your time. Because when you know when you are flowing in your routine, and in your routines, this helps to alleviate the feeling of wasting or not utilizing your time in the best way.
Ashley Brown 05:34
So I was content and I was satisfied and could spin my time the way I desire due to having routines that allow this to be the case. And I realized that in that moment, that if I did not have those routines, I don't know if I really would have been able to sit and talk for two and a half hours or I wouldn't been able to really be present. In the conversation, because I would have been thinking about what's next and what needs to happen. But due to having those routines a part of my life, that's what allowed me to be able to be in that moment and to really be able to soak it up. So it just really reminded me that is so much freedom in routines and there is a big misperception right that routines are rigid. And I've talked about this before on the previous episode, but many people think that the rigidity is going to suffocate them. And this may be true for you, you may think that the rigidity is going to be restrictive and going to suffocate your creativity or the way that you flow in life. And this is so far from the truth. The flow of actions and your routines don't suffocate you is actually the opposite they actually free you. Let me say that again the flow of actions in your routine do not suffocate you, they are actually there to free you. So I'm going to share with you how this is the case because I truly believe this in as you know, I believe that routines are a form of wellness and this is just another reason why they help you to live well is because it does create that freedom for you.
Ashley Brown 07:30
So how do routines actually do this? There are three ways that I really think routines help to create freedom. And the first way is that routines free up your time. They free up your time. The reason I was able to sit outside for almost three hours without feeling as if I had something else I needed to do without feeling guilty for chilling without the stress of feeling as if I was wasting time. But I could be doing something else. This was because I had already flown in my routines. The first half of the day the routines were already done. I also knew there were routines that would come later in my day and that I didn't need to worry about them in that moment. Because I knew the routines were going to be there when I got back is no need for me to be stressing about them. And by having my girls on a routine where they nap, this also freed me up to do as I pleased with the time at that moment, because if my girls were not in their routine that includes a nap. I don't know, I'm probably wouldn't have been able to sit uninterrupted with my husband and chait it up for almost three hours. So routines give you back time in your days. Routines help you to be very intentional with your time because when you know when you are flowing in your routine and in your routines. This helps To alleviate the feeling of wasting or not utilizing your time in the best way. Because we all know how that feels when you feel as if in the time that you wanted to do something it wasn't. It just didn't turn out the way you expected or you didn't really get done the things that you really want to get done. Because there was no intent or intentionality there sometimes you feel more in charge of your time because you're intentional with it. And this is what routines can do for you. Now, you may want to be more productive as well. Because at the end of your day, you look back and regret that you didn't achieve the goals that you set out to and this is something that I feel like definitely has happened to me in the past where I'm like, I wish today would have went better. I really wish that I would have been able to get this done, or I really wish I would have never done this I did. You know, you go you go back and forth sometimes, like I remember that, like so much so in the past, like just being like, okay, Ashley, well, what did you even do? So this might be the case for you.
Ashley Brown 10:15
But honestly, when I feel like when I hear many women say this and just people in general that they want to be more productive, what I feel like they are really saying what you're really saying is that you want to be more intentional and focus with your time. And this is where routines come in. Routines can help you get there. Routines, help you be intentional with your time, routines carves out the time in your days. And so that's why I think that routines are so great in creative freedom because first off routines free up your time and time is the most valuable and precious resource we have in life, right? Because we can't get it back. So, we have to make the most of the time that we have. So this is how routines can really help to free you.
Ashley Brown 11:09
Now, secondly, routines free up your efforts. Let me say that, again, routines free up your efforts. I love routines because I always say that they help you to work smart and not hard, which is one of my favorite mantras, like, work smart and at heart. This is something that has been a hallmark of my life. And I am willing to take every opportunity to think about how I can be smarter with my efforts so that I'm going to feel the burn out. Because who wants to feel that I know you don't. Routines really helped to assist with that working smart, not hard approach because, honestly, who wants to work hard? Sometimes we have to, but it's not something we're seeking after right. So when you Know how you will flow throughout your day using routines to help you with it. When you have a predictable way that you are doing something, This minimizes the effort it takes you to do it. Your brain isn't working as hard, especially when you have flowed in your routine so often that is second nature. You begin to move with ease you find that you aren't using as much energy or effort as you have in the past and this is the beauty of routines. For example, I used to I used to get so behind and doing laundry, which was super frustrating for me I hate getting behind and doing laundry and I will be washing clothes all week long. And I will have to do so many loads at a time. Just in that day and I even beyond the day which did not work for me at all. It was super frustrating, super annoying. And this didn't make me feel good at all because I used to bust my butt doing laundry to where I started to dislike it and then didn't help me at all because at a certain point, it was just like, you know what, push it off some more. And so, so this was not working. I mean, it really wasn't working for me getting behind the laundry. But now I have a laundry routine that is like a three day laundry routine. I've shared that before as well on the podcast episode. And I am able to flow in this routine and I don't feel like I'm overworking myself or constantly doing laundry because this is a routine that I have specifically specifically created myself from my home that I know works for me and how I flow in it. And I share this because you're doing can be easier. You're doing can be easier. You're doing can flow better, can serve you better. The actions that you do to keep your home in order to keep yourself in order. It doesn't have to feel hard, it can feel good and it can flow easier for you. This is how routines free up your efforts. Use routines to allow the doing in your life to feel effortless like Why not? Why not. So that is another way of however teens crave freedom is a free up your efforts. work smart, not hard girl.
Ashley Brown 14:27
Now, lastly, routines also help to free up your mind. Now let's talk about this. Because y'all knows my favorite thing if you haven't caught on yet to talk about mindset and our minds because a mind is a beautiful thing and it's a powerful thing. And our minds lead us to making certain decisions and doing certain actions and so having a mind that is strong is important to help free up some space in it. That's really important so routines can help with this. This is super important to talk about because clarity is a game changer in life. We feel the most uneasy when there is no clarity. And this is partly due to the conditioning that has basically taken place and has occurred through our lives for sure it's due to that. But there is still something to be said about how being clear and makes us feel alive and free. Like when you know something, how does that make you feel? Does that make you feel like I'm powerful and free? Like? I'm not guessing like being in the unknown. And being in like a confused or chaotic space, or frame of mind is unhealthy. And it doesn't make you feel free. It doesn't make us feel free at all right?
Ashley Brown 15:59
If right now. Now you have days that are highly unpredictable. There's no structure to how you flow through your days or how your family flows through the days and how you flow through your home to maintain it and take care of it. This is highly stressful for you. And you either know that this is highly stressful, or it has become so second nature in your life that you may not even contribute it to being the stressor in your life. But I'm telling you it is. If you lay down at night and have regrets about what you did in your day and wish your day could have gone better if you would have did X, Y or Z. This wears is on your mental, it wears on your mind for sure. Your mind feels uneasy and your spirit doesn't feel fulfilled. When you are sitting in bed thinking or just going throughout your day like I wish I would have made the best use of my time or I wish that You know, I will be able to be clear so I could do something you know. So this is really important for you to consider and to really dive into and to think about. Routines bring in order and structure so that it's clear where you are headed in your day. Routines allow you to really give yourself or give to yourself in ways that satisfy and please you. My morning and bedtime routines are everything for me. They allow me to really enter in activities that bring me peace, and awareness and joy. And when I didn't have these routines, I went through life feeling easy and unaware of what truly I was doing in life. In this warming mentally and emotionally because we know these two things are tied together mental and emotional tied up. So I knew in order for me to be emotionally strong, I had to first be mentally strong. And routines really helped me to get there. That's a story I'll share with you on another day. Because I'm telling you routines have been so amazing for me and they can be amazing for you too. Routines can bring in peace to your life. Okay? That peace of mind that you desire, so that when you lay down to rest at night, you have no regrets and you have a clear mind to sleep well and rejuvenate for the next day. Because that's important. Routines are so beautiful in this way. So that's another way that routines help to create freedom is routines free up your mind? Girl, they free up your mind.
Ashley Brown 18:47
Alright, well, that's really it. You know, I'm short and sweet, to the point. That is it for today's episode. So this is how routines create freedom for you for your life. We only have one life to live. And it's important to ensure we are living it to the fullest capacity that we can. That you are living your life in a way that when it's all said and done you like, I rock that I did my thing, right? Your routine work for today because I want to give you some work in something to think about for today. Because this is great to give you things as like the concepts and the conceptual but i think is something important about taking what is being learned and applying it to your life. And so your routine work for today is to sit down and think about how you could feel freer right now. What part of your life feels tight. Journal about this, sit with this and decide what you are going to do about it. Think about which routine you could start that could help you to feel freer right now. And I also offer you to join the rock your routine training plus membership community because this is why I created it. I want to help you feel free in this time. And beyond this time, right? This is a heavy time right now in is just more so have is very unpredictable is changing constantly. And I want you to still feel feel free in this time. I know it's possible because my life is proof of this. I offer you today to join the community and to gain access to the training. It will change your life. I promise you that it will. To join head to the link in the show notes. I can't wait to see you inside of rocking your routine and feeling freer than ever. So that's it for this episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast. Write a review to express your love for this episode and the podcast overall, I would truly appreciate it. And please join me next week for the next episode. But until then, I hope you are enjoying wherever you are and whatever you're doing, I will talk to you soon.
Ashley Brown 21:15
[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 routineandthings.com. Here's to staying happy!