Daily Routine

Routine: music to my ears, ha! All jokes aside, routine is something I absolutely, without a doubt thrive on. It keeps me sane and allows me to appreciate the moment I am in, knowing what comes next. Don't get me wrong, I am all for spontaneity and surprises, trips and traveling, fun and variety in my life, but something about keeping a consistent routine is so comforting, keeping me on track. Having some consistency throughout my day-to-day keeps me motivated, allows me to be present and relaxed in the moments that stray from what I planned for, and keeps my mental health and happiness in check no matter the days ahead of or behind me. Without this consistency, I tail-spin into chaos. So what exactly am I talking about? Simple tasks & activities I do for myself each day that keep me happy and healthy, living life to the fullest.

One thing I want to stress is that nothing I do is super complicated or impressive. This post is not to show you how interesting or put together I am. Please do not think by looking at this clean & tidy list that "oh she can do it all!" because that is absolutely not true. I can do some, because I make the time to do the things on this list each day. These simple things help me to take care of myself and keep my peace.

In fact, writing this blog post kind of makes me chuckle, as this is a message I receive all the time, "please tell me what you do each day" or "what is your daily routine?" "what is your secret?" (like ???) I never know what to say! Honestly I think it is just kind of funny, considering what I do throughout the day seems to be so interesting to people, when half of my day some days is spent laying in bed eating snacks in my pjs! People think I have got it all together when I absolutely do nothing special! I do however do all of these things, even on the pj & snack days.

1. Instagram stories & posts: This might seem like a complete waste of time to you all, but I look at every single instagram photo, read every caption, and watch & listen to every single story you put on your insta if I follow you. When you ask? In the mornings when I eat my breakfast & drink my coffee in my bed, using part of my hour in the mornings as this time (If you don't know what I am talking about, I wake up an hour early every day to do stuff just for me, see my previous blog post Self Care to Stress Less for reference!). Some people might think it is a waste of time, or crazy that I do this, because I see a lot of people mindlessly liking posts on their feed, or tapping through stories to get them off the top of their header, but I just don't. I truly care about each of the people I follow, and with that, I care about the content they are putting out. It makes me feel so good to start my day checking up on what other people are up to in their lives. Centering the beginning of my day on others is something that makes me feel so good! It also makes me motivated to tackle my own life, and therefore my day ahead.

2. Daily Devotional: I do my daily devotional & read my bible / pray. I love this devotional from Sarah Young, and start my day with it each day, as part of my morning routine (post-breakfast & coffee, still in bed). This devotional was gifted to me from my parents, and this bible generously given to me from my church. I use both each day to get centered and grounded before I hit the ground running for the day, giving me peace & trust within whatever the day brings.

3. Start Today Journal (by Rachel Hollis): This journal is the next thing I do. I absolutely love this practice, which I gushed about in my Self Care to Stress Less blog post, but it truly is that good. You can buy a copy of the actual journal, or you can make your own (what I did), both work fantastic. Basically what you do it write out, in vivid detail, what you want your life to look like in 10 years, like a few pages worth of writing. Then you write out 10 dreams that will make what is within those pages you just wrote happen, but you write them as if they are already true. For instance, if you want to be a rockstar instead of writing "I want to be a rockstar" you write "I am a rockstar." You do this for 10 dreams. Then you choose 1 goal to get you closer to one or more of those dreams and you write that down. Then you rewrite the 10 dreams and 1 goal every single day and see how your life and your mindset changes for the better.

4. Planner Review: I then take out my trusty planner (my one true love <3) and take a peek at my schedule for the day, week, month, whatever. This helps me to know what to expect for the day ahead, what I need to integrate into today to be prepared for tomorrow, and helps me stay organized and put together. I literally use my planner for everything, and if I lost it, I would lose my brain, and my life itself. I could dedicate an entire post to my planner and how important it is to me, but I will save you the time, ha!

5. Supplements & Vitamins: the next on the list. I take a vitamin every day, but along with my vitamin I like to take a few supplements. I personally take collagen, biotin, vitamin B12, and a calcium, magnesium, zinc combo pill, but you do not need to take these yourself! I just like to. I take collagen and biotin for my hair, skin, nails, and joints. I skip the collagen pill when I use powdered, which is my norm, but on days I don't drink my vital proteins collagen, I will just take it in a pill form. I take B12 and Calcium because I don't think I eat enough animal products and don't like drinking milk, so I take these nutrients in pill forms to ensure I am not deficient. You can take whatever supplements you would like to, but just make sure that you inform your doctor of what you are taking, always. Some supplements may not be awesome for you, or may have interactions with medications you currently take, or those you may be prescribed in the future.

6. Read: That wraps up my morning, I go to work, do my thing for the day, and when afternoon/evening rolls around, I like to set aside some time to dive into a good book. My current read is Own Your Everyday by Jordan Lee Dooley, and so far it is a great read. This helps me to wind down for the day, find time to rest my body and mind, and set it to the story of another person, something that can be so comforting, to find ourselves and our thoughts in the experiences of others.

7. Lists Journal: I will then do a little extra journaling once a week, lists based on prompts, like "Make a List of Things You Love About Yourself" "List Your Blessings" "List Some Things You Want To Improve On" etc. that help me to touch base with myself on how I am doing in life, how intentional I am being, and with what areas of my life I could be more intentional about to reach certain goals for myself. This is an extra I have added since the COVID quarantine started, and one I am so happy I adopted, as it is such a difference maker to my week.

8. Workout: I try to work out at least 4 days a week. On the 3 remaining days I try to go for a walk, do easy yoga, or simply just rest. This helps to keep me on track, clears my mind, and honestly makes everything else in my life / day more manageable. Moving my body is something that is often one of the hardest things on this list for me to do, especially on the days that feel off or unkind to me. However, it is often the one thing that can make me feel better and more like myself. I have gotten much more intentional about this part of my routine with a lot of work and positive self-talk, and it has made such a difference.

My daily routine is something I have cultivated through trial-and-error for a few years now, and man, do I love it. It brings me joy, accomplishment, and consistency, and although it is so individual for me, I hope that you can find a routine that is tailored to you and your needs.

It is important to note as well that I try not to stress if things on this list do not get done. When I go home for the weekend, sometimes life does not allow for my schedule to get done as it would normally. Vacations, trips, life in general, as unpredictable as it can be, can interrupt this routine, taking one or more things off this list for a day or two, but ultimately it is important to come back to this consistent pattern for me. When nothing in life is consistent or predictable, this can be, and that in itself helps us to take back our ability to take command of our lives and the way we live them.

Jordan Lee Dooley said something that really resonated with me,

"You may not be in control of your life, but you are in charge."

So take charge of your life! Where do you start? In the simple things, in the things you do each and every day. Your routine matters. You will find your's.

you are blessed. you are gifted. you are loved and appreciated, just as you are.

mindfully, molli