There’s something about January that always makes me reassess my routines. As you’ll know if you’ve followed me for some time, I have a complex relationship with routines. I love them, but I’ve had to learn not to become too reliant on them as I can quite easily get stuck in them (and therefore feel anxious when I do anything out of routine).
This is why constantly reflecting on my routines and what’s working is so helpful. It helps me not stay stuck when a routine stops working for me.
So I thought I’d share with you my current morning routine which I’ve been tweaking this month and absolutely loving. This has been really inspired by Jen Carrington’s interviews on Build a Better Day website where she talks to creatives about their routines. It’s so interesting to see how different we all are.
And with that in mind, it’s important to remember what works for me may not be right for you, but hopefully by sharing my morning routine you’ll get some food for thought.
Writing in my journal
I once heard Ashley Paquin (life coach) say it’s important to engage with yourself before engaging with the rest of the world and it was something that always stuck with me. So many of us (past-me included) start the day by looking on social media and while I don’t think morning scrolling is bad - see the next point - I do try my best to stick to a rule of engaging with myself before the outside world.
It’s my way of checking in with myself and offers a more mindful start to the day. I do this by journalling. I note a few to-dos for the day, my self-care moment and my intention for the day ahead. It takes less than five minutes but it makes the world of difference.
A quick social scroll
I would love to say I was one of those people who doesn’t look at their phone at all in the morning, but in all honesty, a quick scroll in the morning helps me wake up. I can’t just jump out of bed, I need some time for my body and mind to adjust - what can I say? I love sleep.
I’ve also worked hard to curate my feeds so they’re not an awful place to be. So a quick scroll on Instagram and Twitter in the morning is always OK with me.
Visualisation in the shower
This is a very recent tweak to my routine. Normally in the shower I have to-dos racing through my head, but I’m trying really hard to make my time in the shower more positive and intentional. And I’m doing this by visualising how I want my day to be. I imagine how I’ll hold myself, what my mood will be and how I’ll spend my time.
This just helps me get into a good mindset before starting my day and gives me an opportunity to think about how I want my day to be. Of course, things don’t always work out as well as they do in my visualisation, but I like to think it makes a difference.
Podcast listening while getting ready
This has been part of my routine for a long time and I still love it. Putting on a podcast as I’m getting ready feels like I’m fuelling my mind. I tend to go for business-related podcasts as they make me feel a little like I’m working before I even get to my desk.
Current favourites include: ‘Make a plan, make it happen’, ‘ Hashtag Authentic’, ‘Grow with soul’, ‘Letters from a hopeful creative’, ‘A place to thrive’, ‘Creatively human’, ‘Starting the conversation’ and ‘Friends with business benefits’.
Music on the commute into work
This is a slight switch up. I used to just continue listening to podcasts on my drive to the office, but now I’m more likely to switch on some music instead. I find this helps to clear my mind and really lifts my mood. It can often give me the little boost in motivation I need before tackling the day.
So there we go, nothing incredibly ground-breaking, but a few small things that I think can make a real difference. I’d love to hear whether or not you’ve been playing with your routines at all this month, let me know in the comments below or reach out on Instagram and let me know if you’d like to read about my evening routines too.
Next week my monthly musings newsletter will be going out and I’ll be discussing all things comparison. If you want to receive it, make sure you subscribe before the 26th.
There’ll also be a new short story on the blog, the first one of 2020! Until then, take care.
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