How to Keep Up With a Routine When Life Gets Crazy

Life can get super crazy. Do you ever wonder if others experience the same sort of chaos as your family? There are times when your routine seems as if it were washed away with the waves. You come on strong and stick to it, then life happens. Thankfully we can find ways on how to keep up with a routine when life gets crazy.

Crazy days are inevitable.

We have all had those times, right? There are times when we feel as if we can’t handle one more thing. If that one more thing happens, we get tipped right over the edge.

I remember years ago in my early homeschooling days. I couldn’t find my keys to go to a doctor’s appointment then to the co-op. My husband and I were having a tiff. The kids were cranky. The house was a wreck; we were struggling to make ends meet and yes… I couldn’t find my keys.

I just couldn’t, so I plopped down on the porch and sobbed. My kids just stared at me, and I didn’t care. I am sure they were thinking “what in the world is wrong with mom?” If I am guessing correctly, I think some of us have had a plop-down-and-cry moment. You are not alone.

Sticking to a routine, even when life gets crazy, will help you with your sanity. I hope that makes sense. See, sometimes, life is a little more than we can bear. Whether it’s with a lot of little things or huge things, sometimes we need to sit back and realize, “this too shall pass.”

So what do we do when we want to keep with our routine, but life gets crazy?

Here are a few things that have helped me to keep a routine even if my life gets crazy. (And boy does it get crazy, at times.)

Begin your day with God’s Word and pray.

I have tried to do my days without the Lord. Not purposefully, but because I was too tired, too sleepy, to cranky, etc. It just doesn’t work. If you are a Christian, I know you have heard this often – read your Bible and pray every day. With God, your days are a little less chaotic. Stress levels are a bit tamer, your reactions are a bit less explosive.

Make room for a free day.

My homeschool week is a four-day week. Why did I do this? I did this because my life is too much at times. Whether I need to catch up on work, subjects took longer than expected, doctor’s appointments require scheduling – you  know what I mean. The expectations I had set for my routine were not so stringent with an extra day to get things done. I use this day for my kids to catch-up with assignments, spend time with grandparents, or sometimes a just a free day.

Create a routine, not a schedule.

It is easy to make a strict schedule and then see how much you failed every day. Use a schedule as a guide to fit in your routine. However, not ticking off a box can make folks anxious. Stop that. A routine is more like this: Wake up, read and pray, do your morning routine, homeschool hours, chores, prep for dinner. That way, you and your kids know how the day should look. A routine is more like a job description, and the schedule is more like tasks to be completed at set times on a workday. 

Set alarms.

If your schedule will make you panic if you don’t get something done, set alerts. Alarms tell your brain something is over. You need to move on. You did the best you could for that time… You can check the box. 

Consider block scheduling.

I used to be an early learning teacher for public school and learned how to use block scheduling during that time. It works well for my kids. Crazy days are even more insane when you think about doing all 5 or 6 subjects in one day. It was super healthy for my brain, my day, and my kids for them to have fewer subjects a day. We do three subjects Monday and Wednesday, then the other subjects Tuesday and Thursday. This simplifies our homeschool life.

Give chores, make a chore chart. Trust me.

Getting chores organized is more of a preventative measure for your crazy days. However, it helps so much when you get your kids into a routine of assisting you around the home. Please don’t think I am crazy, but I also have an emergency chore chart. It is a chart that has little things that keep them busy while still helping our home like weeding and straightening the linen closet.

Some of you have perfect kiddos, but my kids quarrel. On my crazy days, I just can’t take another argument between them. I whip out my “special” chore chart, and they get busy working – separately.

Be flexible.

You really can stress yourself out by being rigid in terms of your routine. It’s worth it to be able to change things up if you see fit. You are the queen of the castle, the homeschooling director. Change things up! It is totally okay. Find out what works for your family, even if the changes are only temporary.

You literally can change your days to fit your wants and needs for a crazy day. You can be flexible and not let it get to you.

Use these resources to help you keep up with a routine when life gets crazy:

Could you use a convenient, easy-to-use planner to help you organize your home and your homeschool year? This fun coffee-and-tea-themed planner is an easy-to-use, downloadable tool to help you do exactly that. It’s 89 pages of organizational helps ready for you to personalize and make work for you.

FREE Ultimate Home Management Binder | My Scarlett Days

Morning Routine FREE Flash Cards | Living Locurto

FREE Visual Schedule Toolkit | Kori at Home

5 Routines for a Smoother Homeschool Week

Evening Routine Chart FREE Printable | Mama Papa Bubba

3 Daily Routine Charts for Kids (FREE Printables) | The Kreative Life

Establish a Composting Routine for Your Kitchen | Kitchen Stewardship

Laundry Routine for Large Families | Raising Arrows

FREE Printable Template for a Seamless Homeschool Routine | Homeschool Mastery Academy

Nightly Routines for Kids That Will Last – FREE Daily Routine Charts | In All You Do

Routine Visual Schedule Printables | Natural Beach Living

FREE Bedtime Routine Checklist | Little Steps Big Happy

Baby & Toddler Daily Schedule (Plus FREE Worksheets and Printables) | Her Happy Home

Get into a Homeschool Routine – Make a Schedule FREE Printable | Living Life and Learning

16 Printables and Freebies for the New Homeschool Mom 

How To De-Stress As A Homeschool Mom: 10 Fun Ways

Be prepared for the crazy.

No matter the day, week, or month you are having, it is important to understand that God is a God of order. He is a steady foundation when life throws everything into a frenzy. Psalm 18:2 says, “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.” We really don’t have to accept chaos in our lives as usual. However, we can stay flexible and be prepared for changes.

We all have seasons when our lives seem out of control. The fact that you have established a routine makes you a step ahead. Although I wish that I would have dropped to my knees and prayed instead of plopping to the ground to cry, those days forced me to cope with future chaotic days.

We can get off course, yet God meets us exactly where we are. We don’t have to try to get it together without Him. We can come as we are to him, amid our crazy days and understand He holds the world all in the palm of His hand.