Helpful Habits and Routines

[hakuna matata]

After getting my Vivofit band (see my thread on this) I too am starting to relax about "inefficiency". Yes, sometimes: inefficient = better workout.

I just got a Shine which is similar to the Vivofit band (but more discreet aesthetic wise) but I am having fun with it as well. I find that by monitoring it, it forces me to get up and be active. I am not competitive with other people but I am a mutha about it within myself! So I keep trying to push that number up each day. My dog loves it as she gets an extra walk in now that she didn't use to get.

 

[Walt34]

Ditto on squeegeeing the shower.

Mail: I stand by the trash can and throw out obvious junk. Open bills, sit down, write the checks, they go out the next day, and update Quicken and spreadsheet. Yeah they get paid early, but so what? I want it done so I don't have to remember to do it. The checking account pays near-zero interest anyway.

 

[Amethyst]

I do the same, except I use electronic checking, so I can specify the date of payment. The discipline lies in immediately updating my electronic checkbook with "Scheduled" in the subject line. I project our checkbook out 2 months at a time so I can see if there's likely to be extra or a shortfall.

A.

Open bills, sit down, write the checks, they go out the next day, and update Quicken and spreadsheet. .

 

[walkinwood]

All our bill paying except for the credit cards has been automated.

I use google calendar to set up email reminders for periodic tasks like checking bank balance at the end of the month, getting a free credit reports every 4 months, changing furnace filters, putting out the garbage, watering the plants etc. I try to do these tasks on the day that I get the email.

Dinners - I cook our dinners and I like to have a plan of what I'm going to make for the week. Makes shopping easy. I don't always stick to the plan though.

We are one of the "keep the sink clean" families. We clean up after dinner & never go to bed with a dirty kitchen. However, I don't wear shoes during the day

 

[pb4uski]

....DH is the one I blame for that, though, because everything he uses (tools, electronics, drinking glasses) is set down right where he was last using it. I didn't really realize how much that contributed to the mess until he went out of town a few weeks ago! The house is MUCH cleaner without him.

Is that you, SIL? My DW does the exact same thing. Makes it hard for me to work with her because the chaos drives me crazy.

One of my habits years ago was when a bill came in the mail I would write out the check to pay it, put it in the envelope and seal it and put a date a few days before the due date where the stamp would normally go and then file it in date order, The when the selected date came I would put a stamp over the date on the envelope and put it in the mail.

I do autopay as much as possible now and electronic bill payment where I can't do auto-pay.

 

[Mulligan]

Dental floss is your friend.

Every night after dinner, plus one spot after every meal.

That is definitely in my top 4. Along with morning newspaper, coffee, exercising , and never making my bed each day.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[harley]

I didn't really realize how much that contributed to the mess until he went out of town a few weeks ago! The house is MUCH cleaner without him.

I've been out of town a lot recently, and every time I come home the house looks great. DW spends a lot of time cleaning when I'm not around. She is actually the bigger clutter depositor, but it's always easier to pick up after yourself than someone else.

On the other hand, when she goes away the house deteriorates until the day before she gets home. The results are the same (clean house for returning spouse), but the routines are very different.

 

[Live And Learn]

I love threads like this !

1. Make bed every morning (really all I do is fluff the pillows and pull up the sheets / blankets)
2. Think about days "must do's" during my 2 min Oral B toothbrush brushing
3. Say a quick prayer of thanks every morning and ask for courage and strength where needed
4. Always put my handbag in the same place, and have my keys in the same place inside it (misplacing items used to be a HUGE time waste - so now I have "a place for everything and everything in its place" mentality)
5. All recurring bills on automatic electronic debit (I dont have any company pull dollars - I always push the funds). Non recurring bills that show up in the mail get paid within 48 hrs (usually via credit card - I hate writing checks).
6. Never go to bed with dishes in the sink - try and have an empty sink and counter immediately after dinner
7. Set out tomorrow's clothes before going to bed. I have less emotional connection with tomorrow's clothes than I do when I select something for the same day - saves me time. I never allow myself to pick something different (unless for things like unknown damage in what I selected).
8. Say my prayers and give thanks for the day during my 2 min evening tooth brushing

I 'sometimes' set up emails and electronic calendar reminders - but I'm not consistent yet. I'm going to do more of that.

 

[AllDone]

Because we have wood floors, the main source of dog water is kept in the laundry room. In order to remember to refill it, I retrieve it, clean and refill it while my coffee brews. That way all the beverages are done at the same time. No reading in the morning until the pedals are moving on the exercise bike. Then the dry dishes from the night before get put away and the dishwasher is emptied if needed. After that the day is unstructured because I am retired!

+1 on the squeegee

 

[MBAustin]

My morning routine is first to take my "30 minutes before eating" meds, pull on my walking clothes, pick up my iPhone and headset, and head out the door for a 2-mile walk (listening to NPR) before I'm even awake. I started this in 2001 (just before 9/11, which is how I remember) and still find that if I don't do it when I first get up, it doesn't get done. (Of course, now it's around 8am, not 5:45am as it was back in the w*rkday times.)

I was not a bedmaker in the w*rking years, not wanting to take time in the morning and not seeing the point in the evening, but started doing it a couple of years ago and really do like having a tidy bed each evening (nothing fancy, but tidy).

I was a Flylady follower for a few years when the house seemed to always be getting away from me, and although the sink isn't always clean when I go to bed, it is more often than not.

One thing I want to get better at is scheduling reminders for certain recurring tasks as mentioned by some of the other posters. I was good at that for w*rk tasks but haven't translated that over to daily life yet.

 

[citrine]

I used to read FlyLady too

In keeping up with the routines, I have developed a bit of OCD in the process! The bed is made every day after waking up, the kitchen is cleaned at night, the hardwood floors are vacuumed 2-3 times a week depending on cat hair, The bathroom is cleaned almost every day, the shower is squeegeed every day and deep cleaned once a week, fresh towels every other day, clean sheets 2-3 times a week.... I love cleaning!

 

[Meadbh]

I used to read FlyLady too

In keeping up with the routines, I have developed a bit of OCD in the process! The bed is made every day after waking up, the kitchen is cleaned at night, the hardwood floors are vacuumed 2-3 times a week depending on cat hair, The bathroom is cleaned almost every day, the shower is squeegeed every day and deep cleaned once a week, fresh towels every other day, clean sheets 2-3 times a week.... I love cleaning!

Citrine, you can come over to my place anytime!

 

[MBAustin]

Citrine, you can come over to my place anytime!

+1 !!!!

 

[Lsbcal]

I love threads like this !

1. Make bed every morning (really all I do is fluff the pillows and pull up the sheets / blankets)
2. Think about days "must do's" during my 2 min Oral B toothbrush brushing
3. Say a quick prayer of thanks every morning and ask for courage and strength where needed
4. Always put my handbag in the same place, and have my keys in the same place inside it (misplacing items used to be a HUGE time waste - so now I have "a place for everything and everything in its place" mentality)
5. All recurring bills on automatic electronic debit (I dont have any company pull dollars - I always push the funds). Non recurring bills that show up in the mail get paid within 48 hrs (usually via credit card - I hate writing checks).
6. Never go to bed with dishes in the sink - try and have an empty sink and counter immediately after dinner
7. Set out tomorrow's clothes before going to bed. I have less emotional connection with tomorrow's clothes than I do when I select something for the same day - saves me time. I never allow myself to pick something different (unless for things like unknown damage in what I selected).
8. Say my prayers and give thanks for the day during my 2 min evening tooth brushing

I 'sometimes' set up emails and electronic calendar reminders - but I'm not consistent yet. I'm going to do more of that.

Impressive list!

In our house DW does 1, and 6.
I do 2, 4 (in pockets not handbag), 5.

 

[redduck]

... The bed is made every day after waking up, the kitchen is cleaned at night, the hardwood floors are vacuumed 2-3 times a week depending on cat hair, The bathroom is cleaned almost every day, the shower is squeegeed every day and deep cleaned once a week, fresh towels every other day, clean sheets 2-3 times a week.... I love cleaning!

Citrine, you can come over to my place anytime!

Meadbh, I also really, really love cleaning AND I can pronounce your name correctly.

 

[Live And Learn]

Dinners - I cook our dinners and I like to have a plan of what I'm going to make for the week. Makes shopping easy. I don't always stick to the plan though.

Ditto ! I have a weekly menu and may move things around a little, but not alot. Its easier to think about it once a week than every day. Its the same reason I set my clothese out the night before.

For the weeks menu I start with the meat and veg that is on sale this week. That usually covers 2 days of protein and 6 days of veg. I then "go shopping" in the cube freezer to fill in the rest of the week's protein (all of which was previously purchased on sale). The kitchen side by side freezer has frozen veg (again - sale items).

 

[Meadbh]

Meadbh, I also really, really love cleaning AND I can pronounce your name correctly.

Great! You're both invited, and you can clean behind the fridge and on top of the kitchen cabinets. I'll supervise.

 

[Ronstar]

I do the shower squeegee routine, brush my teeth, etc, but rarely have any other helpful routines or habits. I will go through a month or two being somewhat disheveled. I never make the bed, clean my office, workshop, car, truck, boat, etc. Then I'll get into some organizational habits/routines for a week or so where I organize/clean everything. I keep thinking that the good habits/routines will last, but I eventually find my way back to the disheveled stage.

 

[redduck]

Great! You're both invited, and you can clean behind the fridge and on top of the kitchen cabinets. I'll supervise.

This just gets better and better.

 

[Lsbcal]

I do the shower squeegee routine, brush my teeth, etc, but rarely have any other helpful routines or habits. I will go through a month or two being somewhat disheveled. I never make the bed, clean my office, workshop, car, truck, boat, etc. Then I'll get into some organizational habits/routines for a week or so where I organize/clean everything. I keep thinking that the good habits/routines will last, but I eventually find my way back to the disheveled stage.

You may have just ruined your reputation on this thread!