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
So you probably chose to tune in today because you want to use routines to enhance your life, but you haven't figured out how to get your routines to stick or how to remain consistent with them. 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 excited to share with you that I have opened the doors to the rock your routine training. If you've been thinking of starting a routine because you crave the consistency and order it will bring to your home and life. I encourage you to get started with the training today. I will 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 really 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 the time for you to finally start a routine that works so you can consistently meet the needs of your home and life. To get started today hits the link in the show notes. I cannot wait to see you rocking your routine.
Ashley Brown 01:49
Hey, and welcome back for another episode of the routine and things podcast, so happy that you're joining me. This is another episode of routines redefined where I am going to be answering the question, why are our routines boring? And honestly, I don't have an answer for you because whether you know it or not, routines are not boring, and they don't have to be boring. I don't know how many times I've seen this when I ask questions on Instagram specifically, if you're not following me following me there, follow me @routineandthings on Instagram. We have a good time over there. I remember one day I asked the question of like, what do you first think about when you think about routines? And somebody popped into there, and was like, boring and I'm like, oh, you hurt my feelings. Just kidding, but I was like, girl, we, you know, just keep following. Your routines do not have to be boring. So I am going to be breaking down the myth and misperception that routines are boring.
Ashley Brown 02:56
And just to give you a little bit of a backstory, I personally remember having routines that were boring when I first started, like really being intentional about cultivating routines. I didn't know what I was doing. Let's be very honest, I didn't know. I just knew that routines would help me to get more things done around my home, but I didn't have this more holistic view of routines that I have now. And so at first they were okay, the routines that I started, but then they quickly became mundane and very boring. And I didn't feel like doing my routines and honestly, the routines that were boring are no longer here. So that just says a lot, because many times if your routines are boring, or they become very mundane, and just like tasky, this is what really prevents you from making your routine last or being able to stay consistent with your routine. So First, I want to start off by just really talking about what makes a routine boring so that you know this, you have this information. So if any of your routines feel this way, or look this way, yes, you can, you can get it together and your routines can be more fun and you can be vibing more with your routines so that they don't feel boring to you, because like I said, routines don't have to feel boring or be mundane. This is totally up to you and it's your choice as to how your routines feel. There are ways that you can spice up your routines so that they don't feel boring for you.
Ashley Brown 04:40
So what makes a routine boring? The simple answer to this is doing the same thing in the same way over and over and over and over. Like, yes, that's what makes routine boring. And the purpose of routines of course is so that you have some predictability as to what you will be doing and when, but doing the same exact activities day after day or week after week in the exact same way gets boring and mundane. So that's really the simple answer, like doing the same thing over and over and over. Your routine can still have structure, but also provide room for small differences. Okay, so for example, my morning routine has the same structure, I read, I recite, I check in, but what's within the structure varies from day to day. So, most of the time when I wake up, I will read a Bible scripture and that is a different Bible scripture every single morning when I wake up, so I'm not reading the same Bible scripture over and over and over, you know, every day then I'll recite either a prayer or I will recite things that I'm grateful for. And so that changes, my prayer changes, things I'm grateful for changes. And then I do a morning check in and I have a really simplistic morning check in. That's what I do every single morning. But these things, although they provide the structure, and these activities provide a structure for me, they are not the same every single day, the structure is the same, but the activities and the things within the structure are not the same. If that makes any sense. Hopefully this is making sense for you.
Ashley Brown 06:30
You can have structure without it feeling fixed, like fixed and rigid. Your routines can be flexible. Okay. They don't have to be so like rotary and like, same thing, robotic every single day. You know, we're not robots, we're humans, right? That is what can make a routine boring if you're doing the same thing each and every day. So think about your routines being like an ice cream cone and this is so, this is so funny because me and my daughter just ate ice cream today and watched a movie, but think about your routines as being an ice cream cone. So the cone is the structure of your routines, but the flavor of the ice cream you place in the cone can vary day today, right? This is how routines don't become boring. It's the same with routines. Like I said, you can have the same structure. But what goes in that structure does not have to look the same. So maybe right now you feel like your routines are boring, or you've been avoiding starting a certain routine because you thought it would be boring. You now know your routines do not have to be boring. You can play around with the actions and activities in your routine, so that how you flow in your routines, brings some fun and joy to your days. I'm telling you, your routines can be fun, they can be enjoyable. So moving forward, stop thinking that routines are boring. If you've been the type of person like no, I'm not going to start that routine because it's boring or I don't know about this, I don't know if it's gonna last because this seems really boring to just do the same thing each and every day. Now, you know that's not true, you do not have to do the exact same thing every single day to have a routine. This is a choice that you have and you have the power to make your routines joyful and fun for you.
Ashley Brown 08:29
Alright, so we get into the end of this episode and I want to give you some routine work for today. What I want for you to do is to think about one routine you have now that may feel boring, that has become mundane. Then I want you to tweak that routine to feel more joyful. Okay, so how you can do this is swap out something, swap out an activity in your routine that has gotten mundane and add in something else that makes you smile, or makes you happy or makes you more joyful. Or if it's a routine that you can't really swap out the activities because you have to do them in a certain way, pair your routine with something that makes you happy. Pair your routine with something that brings you joy. So whether that's listening to a podcast, music, watching your favorite show, this is how you will take your routines from boring to more enjoyable and fun for you. So that's your work for today.
Ashley Brown 09:30
Be sure to follow me on Instagram, tag me @routineandthings there. And let me know how you've chosen to make your routine fun. I want to hear because you may even give me some ideas. But thanks for listening. I hope you learn something I hope at least you take away that routines do not have to be boring. When someone says routines are boring, say, hold up, girl, I'm gonna get you right. So yes, thank you for listening today. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already. And if you enjoyed today's episode, if you could do this for me, if you can leave a review, letting me know what you have been learning from this podcast and how it has helped you in your life, I would really really appreciate it because I would love to give you a shout out one day and I just love hearing how routines have really been helpful for you and how I've been helping you in your life, especially if I have because it just brings me so much joy to hear from you. Alright, so that's it for this episode. I hope that you enjoy your day. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, I hope you're enjoying it and I will be talking to you soon.
Ashley Brown 10:42
[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!