Do I have to have a routine?

Routine. Such a decisive word. According to research referenced in the book, "How to Improve your Marriage Without Talking About It," by Patricia Love and Steven Stonsy, men tend to thrive with routine while women don't really care about routine one way or another.

So, routine. What do I think of routines?

Honestly, I hate them. My husband and children live by them. If it wasn't for my children (and husband), I would probably spend most of my time reading.  Or writing. Or dreaming.  That's not to say that I don't do these things.

So...they are a necessary evil for a work-from-home, self-motivated person. That's right - if you want to work from home, you have to have a routine. If you do not have a routine, you will not succeed.

What does my morning routine look like when I am at my peak?

0445 - Wake up and check the time. Groan that the night is almost over.  Reset alarm from 5:00 am to 5:05 am. Check if assigned ESL courses.

0500 - Wake up and turn of alarm. Resetting the alarm was a waste of valuable sleep time.  Put baby back in the crib. Wonder how the baby ended up spending the night in bed again. Oh yeah. That 2 am feeding.

0505 - Go to restroom and wash face. 

0506 - Put on the kettle to make coffee and power up the computer. Sign into website to teach ESL.

0507 -  Do a morning stretch routine. I like this one.

0525 - Put on uniform shirt. Finish making coffee. Enter courseroom for ESL instruction. Practice speaking and smiling. Review lessons.

0530 - Teach ESL courses.

0645 - While teaching ESL, hear toddlers start to stir.

0725 - Finish teaching ESL. Rescue toddlers from room. Make breakfast.

0745 - Clean up from breakfast.

0800 - Check emails. Check agenda for day. Determine goals. Rescue Infant from Crib

This is, again, at my peak.  Sometimes, this routine goes out of the window.  Sometimes I don't sign up to teach and I sleep until my kids are knocking on their doors.  But, when it works, it works well.

Tip #1: Be Reasonable and Consistent.

Determine what important things you have to do every single day. Decide when you should do them. Be generous with yourself at first.  If you think it will take 25 minutes to wake up, give yourself an extra five minutes to make sure it happens.  But, aim to be up at the same time every day.

By deciding the tasks which must be done daily and determine what time you need to have them done, you set yourself up for success.  Little successes will lead to big successes. That doesn't mean it has to be a strict routine that cannot change.

Tip #2: An Inflexible Routine is the enemy.

If your routine is so inflexible that you cannot be sick or sleep-in on rare occasions. That you cannot have a bad day. That you cannot move things around. If you have an inflexible routine, you will always feel behind.

Tip #3: Identify the Non-negotiable and the "Well, I would like to..." goals.

Look at my routine, partly written in jest, above.  The only things with inflexible times are the ESL courses.  Everything else is molded around those.  So, if I wake up late, I might not stretch.  Or, I might forget to put the coffee on.  Neither is a huge problem.