The Power of Routines
The power of routines. Let’s just dig right into the topic, shall we?
I love routines because once they are ingrained into my existence I blow through my day with little hesitation. My routines are straight up habitual like drinking my coffee, brushing my teeth, and telling my dog she is a perfect little being 1000 times by 9:00 am. They happen without a second thought and that allows me to open up my mental bandwidth for other things. I would truly rather have my brain fresh to write my next genius blog post (…did I just hear you laugh?) instead of having a decision-fatigued brain because I reinvented the wheel every morning on what I should be doing.
As I publish this, my overall morning routine is as follows:
- Wake up around 6:00 am
- Drink the nectar of the gods (coffee)
- Check my phone (a big no-no in the world of productivity but it works for me)
- Wake-up with my husband and dogs for about a half-hour
- Do my self-care morning routine which consists of meditation, hydration, reading, and goal review
- I shower with upbeat music and happy smelling shower products
- Eat a super nutritious breakfast and take supplements
- Walk my dog in nature
- Do a 20-30 minute maintenance tidy of my house
- Get to work in my office!
This routine is done so effortlessly that I can get up without an alarm and not pay attention to the clock and I will wrap up my routine almost down to the minute each day! Before I even start my workday I have my mind right thanks to meditation, my goals are fresh in my brain, I have inspired myself by reading something relevant to my field, I have moved my body, hydrated, got some sunshine in nature, reset my house for a tidy little day and I’m ready to kill it.
Now two caveats! The first is that I have been focusing on building my ideal morning routine for a few years; it’s a process. Secondly, my way is not the only way, the right way, or the way you should do it. I share my experience in case there are parts you can take from it. Also, I’m in a season of life with no children at home. You can still have a morning routine with kids (for your sanity, I hope you do!) but it’s probably going to look a lot different!!
I also have habits and routines around my evenings, a food management system, my papers, household chores, laundry, creating my weekly schedule, ordering toiletries, and even ordering pet supplies. I feel so much freedom and save a lot of time and money. It’s beautiful, for really reals.
If you do not have habits or routines that help automate your life then I challenge you to start with just one, and if you do, please let me know how it goes so I can geek out about it with you!