Why You Should Put Your House to Bed Every Night
Today I’m going to explain WHY you should put your house to bed, and how to create the best routine for you and your home.
We’ve all been there…You stayed up too late either watching t.v. or scrolling through your phone. Completely exhausted you went straight to bed. You wake up the next morning to a sink full of dirty dishes, a dishwasher that needs unloaded, laundry that’s dirty…or maybe it’s clean? It’s probably dirty…Kids that need to be at school but no one knows where their backpacks are, and oddly enough, one of them is missing a shoe. The bathroom is a mess. The living room looks like a tornado blew through…You’re frazzled, overwhelmed, and completely defeated ALL before you’ve had your first cup of coffee. If you would’ve only spent 20 minutes to put your house to bed the scenario could be much different.
Let’s say you invested twenty precious minutes of your time fill up the dishwasher, fold the laundry, and set out clothes for the next day. You wake up to a neat and tidy house. Your kids are still kids, but they know where their backpacks are, and the littlest one has both shoes. Your bathroom is orderly so you can get ready in record time, and the living room is a peaceful haven ready to serve your family. You’re calm, ready, and focused…Much better, right?
What does it take to wake up to scenario #2?
Every night before bed I make it a top priority to do the following things:
- Make sure all the dishes are loaded in the dishwasher, and run it.
- Set the coffee pot for the next morning.
- Tidy the countertops, and make sure the floors are decently clean.
- Check my meal plan, and set out frozen meat to defrost for supper or a quick prep for the crockpot the next morning. I also like to make sure I know what we’re having for breakfast the night before. It eliminates the whole “What do you want to eat?” cycle that tends to happen. Mama has a plan, and the kids eat what I fix. I also fix my husband’s lunch, and set it in the “lunch” spot of the fridge.
- Give the dining room and living room a “Two Minute Tidy” to be sure things are orderly and picked up. Remember that “tidy” doesn’t mean clean. It means that things are neat. We clean (vacuum, dust, etc.) during the day.
- Be sure the dryer is empty, and the clothes are folded. (I am the one that folds the laundry, but it’s everyone else’s responsibility to put way their own clothes. I neatly stack them, and they put them up when they can.)
- Pick out clothes for myself and the baby for the next day all the way from hairbows to shoes. I pick it ALL out the night before.
- Quickly straighten up the bathroom (Honestly, our bathroom is never a mess. My husband is SO good about putting his towels in the washer, and picking up his dirty clothes. Our oldest is in charge of keeping his bathroom neat.) If I have to do anything it’s wipe the countertop off.
How to Create Your Own Nighttime Routine
- Write down everything that you do in the mornings. Even the tiny things like socks, and hairbows. These little decisions can eat up a lot of precious time on a rushed morning.
- Mark any thing you’ve written down that could be made easier by a little planning or work the night before. Like picking out clothes, setting the coffee pot, straightening up room, packing lunches, etc.
- Get your kids involved. As I mentioned above, it’s our son’s job to make sure his bathroom is neat. Give your family a “chore” or two to do to help you put the house to bed.
- Print off my FREE Checklist to keep you accountable. 😉
If life has taught me anything, it’s that everything good takes discipline. Routines take discipline. There’s no magic in the routine itself…You’re the magic. You and your family make the routine work. I know it’s hard in the beginning, but TRUST ME, you will thank yourself every morning you wake up to a home ready to serve your family.
I’d love to hear if you put your house to bed nightly, or if this is something you plan to start. As always, thanks so much for spending some time with me here on my little slice of the internet.
