First, I’ll say something a little contradictory. I love routines. I love teaching my Executive Function students about routines. I know all the reasons to follow a routine and all the benefits. I love the feeling of being in a routine, but I really don’t follow a routine. So, I’ll give you a loose outline of what I do on a regular basis.
Right now, my life revolves around my 3 W’s: working out, wedding planning and working. Those three things are non-negotiable and done every single day. Now, since I don’t follow a routine, I’ll tell you what I do instead.
I start by looking at my weekly list. I have my Monday to do items listed, my Tuesday to do items listed, etc. Every Sunday, I look at my phone calendar and add any additional items to my weekly list. For example, if I see I have an appointment on Wednesday, then I type it on my Wednesday list. If I have to get my taxes in by Thursday, I add it to the list. You get the gist. So, by end of day Sunday, I have a fresh weekly list.
Now comes my favorite, very type A, part. I copy and paste my Monday list, so I only have to look at my Monday to do items and then I create a schedule from 4:30am-9:30pm. Yes, I know I go to bed too late for a 4:30am wake up call. I’m working on it.
I don’t know why I love creating schedules so much. Maybe because it’s like a puzzle, maybe it’s because it brings a sense of security that I can do it all or maybe it’s because it’s typed, and I don’t have to remember it.
Ok, enough of the background, here is my loose daily routine.
4:30am – 7:00am
Wake up, eat my protein bites, fill up a water bottle, get ready for the gym, wake up my fiancé (a few times until he gets moving) and walk or run to the gym unless the weather is terrible.
When we get to the gym, we split ways. He goes to the fitness center to do his thing and I go to the CrossFit side. My workouts consist of whatever the instructor planned but it usually follows a routine (warm up on the bike, stretch, warm up moves), something with the bar – deadlifts, bench presses – then the workout of the day that includes strength and cardio. Usually, AMRAPs are involved or EMOMs. Lots of times we’re outside (yes, even in the winter) running around the building, coming back in to do wall balls, or the skier or jump rope, or more deadlifts. It always changes and that’s what I love about it.
I love the routine aspect meaning, I know what the general structure will be but I also love being surprised with what the actual workout will be. I don’t look it up ahead of time or I might be tempted to snooze. I show up and do what’s scheduled. If you know me, you know I might be a tad…ok, very competitive person. This class allows me to complete with myself and it lets me be motivated by the other people in class as well, so it’s a win-win.
By 6:30am I’m done my workout for the day, so I make my way home. It feels great to have it checked off the list so early!
When I get home, I open my FitOn app and pick a meditation to do. I cannot wait until the weather is better and I can meditate outside again! Then I feed my cat. This may seem minor but it’s huge to her. Probably her favorite time of the day. She’s on more of a routine than I am since I trained her to not beg for her wet food by setting an alarm for two times a day and she knows to wait until she hears those alarms. Don’t worry I’m not starving her. She has dry food in her bowl at all times. Anyway, back to the routine.
7:00pm – 4:00pm
Yes, this is a huge time frame, but I did warn you this was going to be loose. So, one W is down, now I work on the next two: working and wedding planning. I usually start with work because I (usually) can get to a point where I’ve done everything that is needed, and I can move on to wedding planning without feeling guilty. Of course, I check my emails and work texts throughout the day but otherwise I work on wedding planning until there is more work to do. In addition to the two W’s I’m also doing all the to do items on my list. The daily ones I mentioned before and all the additional ones that seem to pop up more and more. The joys of adulting…
4:00pm – 8:00pm
This time frame is for tutoring. My actual tutoring schedule is different every day, so this is just a wide range of time. When the late afternoon hits, I stop what I’m working on, have a snack, get ready and prep for my students. I drive to their homes to tutor them in-person and stay a few minutes afterwards to talk to the parents about what we worked on and how they are generally progressing. Then I hop in the car and head home!
8:00pm – 9:30pm
This sadly feels like the shortest time of the day. During this time, we make and eat dinner and hang out. Recently, we’ve been watching less tv, as we have wedding things to discuss, and my fiancé is taking an online course on top of his ten-hour workday and running his business. So, needless to say, we are busy. Even so, we always eat dinner together and we definitely cram as many fun things as possible into the weekends. We will learn to relax one day.
So, there you have it. A very loose routine but it works!
Wishing you well,
Sarah