The Routine Advantage | Simple Habits, Routines and Systems to Get Your Life Organized, Build Consistency and Reduce Overwhelm

A common complaint in this modern world can be summarized to this: there isn’t enough time to do everything. And that is true. There isn’t enough time to do everything, so it’s our job to decide what is most important. How we spend our time is the direct result of the decisions we have made and what we have prioritized. If we want to change how our day flows, then we need to start making different decisions. 

If you need a...

Impulse shopping can be one of the stickiest habits most of us struggle with. Especially in the world we live in now where everything is convenient and the opportunity to spend money is literally at our fingertips throughout the day. 

For today’s episode, I pulled together five tips we can use to help reduce the impulse purchases and be more intentional about where we spend our money. These will be great additions to your ...

Last week I had the opportunity to be interviewed LIVE on radio! This was my first time on radio and it was such a great experience so I thought it would be fun to share in case you wanted to take a listen. This show is called Real Presence Live presented by the Real Presence Radio Network. The hosts were our local parish priest, Fr. Richard Kunst and Cindy Jennings. (Fun fact: Fr. Rich also happens to own the largest papal artifac...

I used to think dinnertime was one of the most stressful parts of my day. By the end of my workday, I would be physically tired, mentally exhausted, and then I would get crabby knowing that I still needed to decide what we were going to have for dinner. Unfortunately, I was getting very familiar with the feeling of decision fatigue.

Since I put my meal planning routine in place, I no longer have to stress about dinnertime and it fee...

If you struggle with getting a regular workout in, you are not alone! It can be tough to stay consistent with our movement routine. Sometimes we might create this amazing workout plan and we’ve got the best of intentions, but then life happens and we skip a day. Then the next day we get busy again and think “Well, I skipped yesterday so I’ve already failed. I’ll just start over Monday.” This is where most of us go wrong. We think i...

When you get to the end of the month, there are a few things I suggest doing before the next month begins. I’ve talked in previous episodes about getting prepped for your next month’s budget and pulling your tasks for the month from your annual task list, but there is one more thing that is incredibly important for us to do on a regular basis. 

Let’s talk about it!
Renae

.
.
.

NEXT STEPS:

> Leave a ...

We had a listener ask a question that I have been meaning to answer and I think it’s about time. There is a lot of information in this one, so I wanted to make sure it wasn’t too confusing when I offered a solution. She was asking about how to focus her time blocks to get everything done when she is always feeling behind. 

So grab a paper and pen and let’s dive in!
Renae

.
.
.

NEXT STEPS:

> Leave a ...

Have you ever wondered what to talk about when it’s time to do a check in with your spouse regarding the budget? Every Friday, Tony and I do something we call a “budget chat” to help us stay focused on our goals and know where we stand when it comes to our finances. I thought I’d share with you what we talk about each week so maybe it will help you as you create this routine in your own life.

Let's get to it!
Rena...

Do you ever feel like no matter how many times you tell yourself you are going to get something done, you just can’t seem to muster the energy to actually do it? That’s what we are talking about today. No matter where you are in life, if you are struggling with motivation, I have five tips for you to help maintain those energy levels so that you can be more productive.

Let's get to it!
Renae

.
.
.

Are you struggling to sit down and plan out a full week at a time? I think there are many benefits to doing this, but if you haven’t done it before, it can feel overwhelming. If that is where you’re at, let’s talk about a way you can plan ahead just one day at a time so you can begin to get organized and escape the overwhelm of everything going on. This will help provide some structure so you can begin to feel some relief!

Do you have a love/hate relationship with your laundry? You might be someone that enjoys laundry (or wants to enjoy it) or you might be drowning in mountains of laundry feeling like you will never catch up. Either way, there are steps you can take to create a laundry routine that is simple, effective, and makes laundry easier to stay on top of. When you can have a consistent routine to get your laundry done, it becomes something yo...

A lot of us struggle to focus on our work, whether we work from home, in an office, or are simply trying to work on hobby projects or tasks around the house. If you struggle staying focused on your work, try these six things I do to increase my focus and maybe they will help you, too!

Let's get to it!
Renae

.
.
.

NEXT STEPS:

> Leave a RATING & REVIEW to spread the love (Renae reads them all...

Do you ever feel like you should have more time in your day? *I think we can all raise our hand at this one!*

Today we are talking about six time-wasters that you probably want to cut from your day starting immediately. You will have so much more free time, you won’t even know what to do with yourself. ;)

Let's get to it!
Renae

.
.
.

NEXT STEPS:

> Leave a RATING & REVIEW to spread...

I don’t know about you, but when I’m consistent about getting regular exercise in, I feel amazing! So it begs the question….WHY have I struggled sticking to a consistent exercise routine for literal YEARS??

If you are in the same boat as me and have had a hard time sticking to a consistent workout routine, I want to share what I’ve learned. I have a few tips that have helped me to finally build a movement routine that actu...

Do you go to bed at night feeling stressed and worrying about everything you need to do the next day before that day even begins? When we have thoughts swirling in our head, it can keep us up at night which never helps our stress levels or productivity the next day. One way to avoid this is to plan ahead and begin putting specific routines in place that help you feel organized and prepared. This will help reduce the stress so you c...

Are you a list person? I personally love lists. I love writing all my tasks down, organizing the data, creating spreadsheets…I enjoy working with all types of lists. And the satisfaction of checking those boxes when something is completed? *chef’s kiss*

I created a “normal” running to-do list for years and sometimes it was very effective because I was feeling motivated and cruised right through, checking things off all day...

Do you struggle with consistency? You might get really excited about a new habit or goal you are bringing into your life and you do REALLY well for awhile. Then one day doesn’t go as planned and all of a sudden everything starts falling to pieces. Your big hopes of reaching a goal dwindles to “I’ll start next Monday” and then continuously gets pushed off because something else comes up. Pretty soon, you are two or three years down ...

Is dinner time stressing you out? Are you so stinkin’ tired of making decisions that by the end of the day when someone asks you “what’s for dinner?”, you immediately get a little cranky? If this is happening to you, it’s a very good sign that you are in need of a meal planning routine. ;)

So let’s make it easy and break it down to the five MUST-DOs in a meal planning routine that not only simplifies dinner time, but is al...

If you find yourself overwhelmed by the clutter, but aren’t sure where to start, let me help! There are SO many reasons we want to get out from under the clutter. First, it is distracting. Second, clutter makes it harder to maintain a tidy home. Third, clutter can actually increase our stress hormone, cortisol, which can lead to negative feelings, inability to focus, and decrease productivity. If that isn’t a reason to get rid of t...