Daily Rhythms + Anchors
The smaller your children are, the harder it is to keep a regular schedule. And the smaller your children are, the more often your”regular schedule” will change. There are too many variables: teething, sleep disruptions, potty training, illness.
But even though schedules can be elusive, we can build rhythms that nourish us and our families and make it easier to do the work we want to do.
It can be helpful to think of a few anchor points in your day. These are things that reliably happen–maybe not at the same time but in the ballpark! You can use these events to anchor other events to. Meals can be an obviously place to begin. So for instance, the anchor rhythm might be,
After breakfast we start school.
That might be earlier or later on different days, but the intention is to begin school after breakfast. Not to start a load of laundry or make sure the crock pot is prepped! Even though clean clothes and full bellies are vital. Our priority after breakfast is beginning school.
After lunch we rest.
That might mean a nap or quiet play or listening to an audiobook. Different things work for different kids in different seasons. But some sort of quiet-ish downtime will help everyone meet the evening hours with more grace.