The Creativity Project: Daily Routines
Bookmarking my day with routines.
One of the things I’ve been working on lately is getting right with my morning and evening routines. I fell off of keeping up with them over the last couple of years. I’ll go a couple of days where I am consistent, and then miss one thing and fall off again.
It’s a viscous cycle. And one I need to break.
A big part of my issues with my morning routine is that it is an all or nothing endeavor in my daily habits. Either I finished everything on the list or I don’t get to check it off for the day. And the checking it off makes it easier for me to move on with my day.
One of the things I’ve found is until I close that loop, it doesn’t feel like I can move on with my day. I feel a bit stuck in the waiting mode. And it’s not always the same item on the list that stops me.
I need to just finish whatever is left on the list and move on with my day.
The morning routine is fairly quick and easy, even though there are a lot of moving parts to it. I start by making myself a cup of coffee. While it is brewing, I do my inclined push-ups, plie squats, and leg lifts. By the time I get those done, the coffee is done. I sit at my desk to read part of a nonfiction book (usually a self help or writing craft book), do my Duolingo, mediate, and journal in my bullet journal. I then do my plank and take my vitamins. The thing that takes the longest is really the reading of the book.
Everything in my routine is there for a reason, either for my physical or mental health.
My evening routine is much more simple. I floss and brush my teeth and wash my face. That’s it. Unless I need to take allergy meds.
These two routines bookend my day and make it so I can be more productive. When they are working, I can get so much more done during the day. I just need to make sure completing them is a priority.
