Successful, daily family life is often measured by how efficient your family routine is (i.e., how well your family can follow a daily schedule and function together as a unit). Getting everyone on the same page is a must to ensure a smooth-sailing ship, especially if young children are involved. Planning a routine can be simple or complex depending on your family. Try to do the best you can with tending to everyone’s individual needs and expectations. We get it; everyone has a crazy individual schedule, but at the end of the day, routine wins over disorder. Read below to learn why a daily schedule is so important for you and your family. Maybe even grab the family to read along with you.

Promotes Goal Setting
Setting daily goals becomes much easier when you have a schedule laid out to follow. Perhaps going for a walk with the family pet is a task you will do each day, so example goals for that activity could be to walk a new path or visit a park near your home. Goal setting is a great way to mentally challenge yourself. Share your goals with your family, so they can help support you or even join in! Isn’t it so rewarding to complete a goal you set for yourself or your family? We think so.

Provides a Stable Base
A daily schedule is something you can always fall back on when life throws you a curveball. Your family routine provides you with the initial structure for your day. Structure not only saves you precious time when making decisions but also keeps you and your family on track to accomplishing your goals. For those who have young children at home, this step becomes the most important. Children need structure to establish good habits as they grow older. To help keep everyone in sync and organized, try creating a schedule in an app your whole family can use.

Creates New Habits
A habit is created once a certain task is repeated over and over again for an extended period of time. Most research suggests 21 days is the magic number, but habits can realistically be created anywhere from 3+ days. Try to create a routine with your family that promotes healthy habits like exercising outside, planning home-cooked meals, and getting a good night’s rest.