Getting Back into Rhythm after a Holiday
3 Ways to Review & Reset
When I introduced a simple and predictable daily rhythm, life had structure again. I was able to ensure that my children had plenty of time to play and be outside but I also had time to do my work and pursue my own interests – without feeling guilty about it.
Rhythms are key in my own family life and also a core foundation of the This Playful Home Philosophy, which is why I’m talking to you about them now in early January.
It feels almost too cliché to talk about resetting in January. For me personally, it makes complete and utter sense but if you prefer to hibernate during Winter and reset in Spring, then save this post for future reference.
In actual fact, I reassess our family rhythms seasonally. With children growing, commitments changing and life generally happening, it’s better to see rhythms as a fluid concept rather than a rigid structure.
What exactly is a rhythm?
Is it different from a routine? Why is it important?
A rhythm is simple flow to your days, weeks and months that you can stick to easily. It is not a strict timetable with set timings for activities.
Young children thrive when things are familiar and predictable. That’s why building a simple daily rhythm is so important if you want life at home to run smoother.
Have you ever thought about why children act out during events like Christmas or even a trip to grandma’s?
It’s because they are out of their usual routines! Young children really thrive when they have a regular flow to their days. Whilst the word ‘routine’ can make some come out in a cold sweat, establishing a general rhythm to your days helps your child to feel safe and secure.
My days used to lack structure and I struggled to juggle working from home with spending quality time with my children. Some days I’d overdo it with tonnes of activities, others I could barely force myself to get out of the house.
How A Daily Rhythm Has Helped Me:
As mentioned above, my days at home used to sway between complete overwhelm and mind-numbing boredom! As the ‘default parent’, the vast majority of the tasks related to childcare fell to me. This is not to say that my husband is hands-off, he is in fact a very involved dad, but the reality of our situation (as expat Brits doing regular postings to different countries), he has job commitments that make it difficult for him to do more.
When I wanted to start taking This Playful Home to the next level, I initially felt frustrated by my lack of opportunities to get things done. I couldn’t open my laptop without being climbed all over or asked for a snack! After years spent at home being the ‘default parent’, I really wanted to start achieving things for myself.
Over the years I have created a steady daily rhythm that really works for me and my family. It brings us all a sense of calm and allows me to feel more connected to my children without sacrificing absolutely everything in the process.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS I’VE SEEN:
Better flow to our days: we’re not crazy busy one day and bored the next.
We get outside more: did you know that experts recommend at least 2 hours outside every single day? We’re able to now achieve this in all seasons because it’s an important part of our daily rhythm. Even better is that fact that it makes us all feel better about ourselves!
I can work during the day: I used to be all about the naptime hustle and work in the evenings, but that left me feeling frustrated because I never had any time to myself. Now I can get a couple of hours work done mid-morning after our outside time.
My children are better at playing independently: because they aren’t being constantly interrupted to go and do other things, they can really get stuck into their play.
My children transition throughout the day with less resistance: they know what to expect during the rhythm of our day which means that transitions like tidy-up time, dinner time and bedtime run much smoother.
3 Ways to Reset after a Break
Decide what’s important
In order to create your family rhythm, you need to first consider your family values. This will then act as a blueprint or a roadmap to help you make clear decisions on what your days, months and seasons will look like.
Every family is unique and therefore no two rhythms will look identical. It’s important that you forge your own path with your values as guiding principles so that your rhythm is realistic for you and your family.
Declutter & Organise
I declutter every season as part of our regular family rhythm to help us avoid situations where we are overwhelmed by stuff. I personally find that clearing out the physical clutter helps me to deal better with the mental clutter.
What in your life is currently getting too complicated? Is there a way to stop doing it or simplify how you approach it?
I’ll use an example from my own life
Our family bathroom was really bugging me. It was constantly messy and I couldn’t get a handle on it despite wiping everything down whilst my kids had their nightly bath. When I assessed the problem, I realised that:
we had numerous half-opened bottles of shampoo open
there was nowhere to store towels so they regularly all got used at once
my daughter had way too many hair accessories that took up all of the cupboard space under the sink
it was hard to clean around the bath and the shelf due to the amount of products
So I set about removing items that didn’t need to be there (additional towels and products), placing them in storage bins in the utility instead. Then I assigned each child a basket to put their stuff in.
I didn’t spend any money on extra storage accessories and one week in it’s much easier to keep on top of everything.
The Clear out the 'KidClutter': A 7 Day Declutter Challenge is currently still available for all subscribers. Find out more below:
Adapt and change your weekly and daily rhythm to suit the current season
With the changes of the season, you’ll need to review your weekly and daily season rhythms.
Clubs for children often run on a seasonal or termly basis (cricket in Spring / Summer and rugby in Autumn/ Winter) , so you might need review and update your weekly rhythm.
Whilst I absolutely love printable charts, it’s also worth setting a reoccurring reminder on your phone calendar so you don’t get caught out by changes.
Journal Prompts
How do you currently feel about days at home with your young children?
How would you like to feel?
What is currently working well?
What needs to change?
How would you like to remember this season of parenthood?
What could you do to achieve this?
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