Creating Space…To REV Up Your Routine
/
Creating Space …To Rev Up Your Routine
Photo courtesy of Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
So, I’ve never considered myself to be super routine-driven. In my mind I’m as carefree as the wind. That, is in fact, a LIE. Even when my routines are a bit out of practice, I find myself being called back to SOME-thing that feels like structure. It was mostly subconscious for me until sometime last spring when I was having a conversation with a good friend from work who also happens to be a fellow yogi. We were checking in with each other to see how things were going amidst all the quarantining and shift in work days driven by working from home. She shared with me how important having structure in her life was, and how it helped keep her grounded and balanced when everything around her was so unpredictable. This landed with me, hard, in a good way. I loved my morning tea, and was all about morning meditations, but I never considered them routine, nor did I carve out dedicated time to practice them. From that day forward, I was inspired. My mornings became anchored around: Move, Meditate, Journal, Tea (not always in the same order). But hey, at least I had time carved out, and a rough idea of how I wanted to spend it. It really did change my life for the better. My morning routine gave me something to look forward to [visions of my well-stocked tea cabinet dance in my head]. Fast forward 9 months or so, and my morning routine is holding strong, however my nights need some work. I’ve found myself going to bed later and later and fighting my alarm clock for being so damn intrusive every morning. I’m still doing the morning routine, but sometimes it’s a bit more rushed, or sometimes I’m just not able to get out the bed, through the routine, and online for work as early as I’d like to be. Insert my next conversation…
“Sorry I missed your call last night - my phone goes on do not disturb at 9:15 to help me wind down for my 10:00 bedtime.”
This was a text from my cousin the morning after I’d tried FaceTiming her. This woman is my routine idol. And what’s crazy about it is, SHE actually DOES have a carefree personality. Maybe because she can rest easy knowing she’s got her nights and mornings totally under control, lol. I challenged her a little on Do Not Disturb - “what if there’s an emergency?!” but she had a response for that too. Regardless of whether I see a DND in my future routine or not, what I learned was - she was very DELIBERATE about how she spends her time in order to set herself up for success the next day. I was again inspired. Not only to create my own routine, but to hear more about other people’s too. Turns out there is more than just a surface benefit to having a routine. Check out this article about the many ways routines can help support mental health. But what I learned is, most folks don’t need convincing. Even when my super scientific IG story poll had three options (don’t get me started on the flawed IG poll), noone picked the option of “not interested.” So I wasn’t too concerned when I had to reduce to just two options for a true IG opinion poll. When asked how people felt about morning and nighttime routines, The choices were “Love Mine” and “Wish I Had One”. Can you guess which one got the most votes?
“When surveyed online 60% of people responded “Wish I Had One””
So then the next logical question is - So what gets in the way?? Turns out one of the most common response was unpredictability - family commitments, work, etc. The other response, was lack of intention / planning. This is definitely where my nighttime routine challenges come in, so I get it. These are both definitely real life barriers, but I’m still compelled to ask the question - So what do we do about it?? After a little more exploration, I was able to sum it up in three words:
REV It Up
Relax: I mean this with my whole heart when I say - cut yourself some slack. And I’m talking to MYSELF too. So maybe your routine is 5 minutes, and not 20… It. Still. Counts. I asked Routine Rockstars to share with me their favorite “go-to’s”. One of my favorite responses for sure was - “morning routine: turn up my morning playlist and have a mini dance party in the bathroom.” I just love that. Not only because it is energizing and fun, but COMPLETELY customizable. Pressed for time? 4 minute dance party!! On that same note, a few people mentioned journaling as part of their routine. Given that this is one of my 4 morning activities, I’ve also given myself permission to do it a few times a week vs feeling like I blew the whole routine if I missed a day. This has changed my journaling practice to something that lasts 1 week and then quickly fizzles out, to something I have now been able to maintain for close to a year. On that note, if I get any 3 of my 4 morning activities in, I count it as a win. Other ideas for quick and doable routines:
Morning: Do a few morning stretches + Set an intention for the day - 3-5 minutes
Morning: Take a stroll up the block and back - 5-10 minutes
Morning: Build a quick fitness plan - 25 pushups, 50 squats, 50 sit-ups maybe? Just be sure to add weight or reps as you get stronger.
Evening: Write out 3 gratitude moments from the day: ~5 minutes
Evening: Make your teeth brushing and face washing routine meaningful with a little background music: ~10 minutes
Extend: I promise you I don’t live in a bubble. I know that children, spouses, work, and other life demands are competing for time. So maybe you can build your routine by extending your practice (or a portion of your practice) to include the family.
Work: Taking a little liberty here, but maybe the transition from work is just about changing into comfy clothes. Assuming work from home life hasn’t already hijacked your day to day attire. And if it has, maybe getting dressed each day is a new way to set and separate work vs home mindset.
Family: So remember my routine idol - my cousin? When I probed deeper into what she did during her 45 minutes of unwind time her response was “play with her baby boy (yes, she has an infant), read him a book, do her gratitude journal, and maybe watch a little TV”. Again, for me this just stood out as being really intentional with her time, and it even included giving the baby attention, and then just leaving things open to a little variety
Spouse: ideas could include sharing a favorite moment of the day as you both wind down. Watch a show together - yes I think TV (when used intentionally) counts as unwind time, or maybe even enjoying a cup of tea together.
Variety: Mix things up. Similar to my cousin’s answer above, I’ve come to learn by talking to other people that having a routine can also be less about doing the exact same thing and more about using the time, and creating the space more mindfully. So maybe in the beginning it’s just 10 minutes in the AM, and 10 minutes in the PM to simply disconnect and do whatever fuels your spirit. But do it mindfully, and with intention. Again, I got to have some really good conversations about routines, and one of my newest allies in health and wellness shared her routine with me. But it may surprise you. She said “I don’t have a set routine. I kind of think of it as my time to play as a child would. I find that I use the time to exercise my curiosities and watch Ted Talks or YouTube videos about things I am thinking about.” Wow. Proof that you are the master of your routine.
I’m so grateful to everyone who opened up and shared with me to help write this post. It’s helpful to both understand what gets in the way, and ways to overcome life’s obstacles. After my time probing the routines of others, I’ve truly come to believe with a little creativity, and open mindedness, you get to decide and design your routine. You are the decider of how long, what time, and what activity, as long as you do it with intention, and create the space for it. I can’t wait to fine tune mine.
This was a long one - thanks for reading this far. if you have more ideas to share I’d love to hear them. You can share below, or with me directly on IG.
Namaste…
