daily routines

 

A while back, I read something somewhere that said the most successful people are those who stick to a regular routine. Having a set schedule eliminates the need to make decisions, creating space in your head to come up with brilliant ideas. Or something like that… Anyway, the details are less important than the point, which is that because of whatever that article was whenever I read it, I have worked hard to come up with some routines that streamline my mornings and weekend tasks so I can have a bit of time for doing more inspiring/enjoyable things.

I like reading about other people’s schedules. I find them fascinating, and sometimes I get usable ideas for my own life. With that in mind, I thought I’d share a few of my routines, too. Maybe there’s something you could use, or maybe, you have some tips for me?

Mornings: Every morning, after hitting the snooze button on my alarm a few times (I know, every know-it-all person says it’s like, the worst!) I drink a full glass of water. I started doing this years ago after reading another something somewhere about how people wake up SO dehydrated. I’d been hitting the caffeine straight away first thing in the morning for as long as I could remember, and thought I’d try this “trick.” I noticed results pretty quickly in my skin and *ahem* bowel movements, and it’s been a habit ever since. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go to the gym, every other day I walk Jones instead. Unfortunately, this part of my routine in particular has suffered the most in the last few months! I’m working on it, though. Hopefully, once the sun starts rising earlier, some mornings will include hiking, too.

After a good workout, I make a breakfast of eggs, sautéed greens and toast with green tea. If I am not dragging my ass to the gym that morning, I have hard-boiled eggs, string cheese and a green smoothie to eat at work. I usually make the green smoothies fresh on those days, and pre-boil the eggs on Sunday night or all at once on Monday morning while I’m doing something else. After eating or getting home from our walk, I feed the dog, get ready for work (my makeup/hair routine is a quick 20 minutes, tops), pack my lunch and Jones’ Kong, get dressed and then check the traffic and my phone notifications before heading out the door.

Nights: My evening routine gets switched up pretty regularly. On an average night when we don’t have plans, I come home and make dinner, go for a walk with Jones, do some light chores to stay on top of them and watch a little TV/blog/edit pictures/work on a project. One thing I always do, every day, is wash my hands when I get home from work. I don’t know where I got this routine – other than my germiphobia – but it also somehow mentally signifies that I’m done with work and presses me to drop any issues from the day so I stop stewing over anything. It’s strange how such a small thing can mean so much more… I do it without even thinking now.

Sundays: My favorite routine is on Sunday mornings. Joe usually leaves a cup of coffee on my bedside table before I wake up. It’s the sweetest thing! And it definitely beats the snooze button. I almost always wake up earlier than I intended from the sweet smell of the extra special amazing Joe java, and hit the ground running. I go to the grocery store, which also has a gas station, so I get the kitchen stocked and gas tank filled for the week in one trip. After that, I’m usually in the garden, making sure to weed and water everything, fertilizing if needed (every other week in the growing season). I clean up the yard before it gets too hot. Afterwards, I do any chores that are left over from the week. Usually, these things take up most of the morning, and I’ll be sweaty and filthy by the time I’m done. After showering, if I’m really lucky, I get a nap. Football season means watching the game with family later in the day. Otherwise, it’s a lazy Sunday afternoon to recharge for the week ahead. Sometimes I blog, lately I haven’t. Sunday’s are usually my most productive day, and if it didn’t come the day before Monday, I would love it more! I try not to make plans on Sundays, and if that fails me, I feel like a sloth on Monday mornings.

The thing is, I’ve been trying to get into some set routines for a while now – remember this old post? Some things have stuck, others are hit or miss. I’d really like to work on getting my work clothes ready and lunch packed the night before. I tried it for a little while, but it just made me think about work at night, and that sort of sucked. It would also be neat if I could have a dedicated cleaning schedule … Although, I have learned that when I do try to regiment myself, I stress out about chores and focus more on cleaning than on living our lives. Definitely not fun!

SO. What is your schedule? Do you have one? What’s your favorite part?

** photo credits: top – Patrick Hendry, coffee cup David Mao, sunset with girl Leon Bliss, and the last one by pineapple. All courtesy of Unsplash **