Are Routines the Means to a More Mindful, Meaningful Life?

I’ve been struggling with my routines lately, and consequently am not getting done all I want to each day. It’s a bit annoying, because back in December I had worked out a whole schedule for myself. One in which I got everything done that I wanted to in a day. Both things for my 9-5 desk job, and also things for my blog. I had plenty of time, more than enough time in fact. And not just for work related tasks, but for exercising, and personal care (face washing, showering). I had it all worked out, and for the month of December it did work out just as planned. 

But then the holidays happened at the end of December and when January started, I had a few new things I wanted to focus on. Things that required I change my routine, or maybe just tweak it. I started making time for an early morning walk. I’m out there no later than 7 am and walk for about an hour. And it is early enough in the morning that I didn’t really think it would affect the rest of my day too much. At the beginning of the month, I wanted to try and also do some type of exercise routine, like maybe just half an hour or so. But it turns out, you shouldn’t try to overdo the exercise at the get go. It’s better to ease into it bit by bit. So, I scrapped the afternoon exercise pretty early on.

I have also started intermittent fasting. I’ll write more about my experience with it in another bog post. It was going pretty well until I adjusted my eating window so that I started eating a bit later in the morning. Nothing completely crazy, just like 10 am. But it was enough that now I get back from my walk, and then instead of having breakfast and THEN getting to work, I flipped it. I come back from my walk, and then start working. I work for a couple of hours and then I break for breakfast. Take an hour to eat (gotta make it and clean up too) then I figured I’d go back and work on my desk job stuff for another hour to two. Then take a quick break for a snack, which I tend to bring back to my desk and eat there, and then spend the afternoon on the blog. 

On paper it seems so simple, and easy, and DOABLE. I’m not exactly sure what’s going wrong. But the breakfast break in the morning is kind of screwing me up for the rest of the day. I think I got so used to eating breakfast first thing, that I’m not sure how to function when I don’t, like even if I’m not hungry. I’ve got this sort of mental block about MUST EAT FIRST THING! And I’m not sure how exactly to unlearn that behavior. It’s funny though, because I’ve learned that it’s totally ok to go for a walk before I eat. And that’s way more taxing than sitting at a desk answering some emails. I think this also ties into focusing better and not procrastinating that thing which I do not want to do (ie desk job work). That also tends to hang me up, because I’ll do every other silly little thing except that thing that I do not want to do. And then I feel guilty and unproductive, and a little like I must surely be a menace to society somehow. See how quickly I can spiral down that rabbit hole? So, I’m thinking that maybe I just need to practice this new routine, but like really do it, and not just sit there bemoaning how I don’t want to be sitting at a desk when I’d much rather be eating even if I’m not exactly hungry yet. So, to try and keep myself accountable, my loose schedule is:

• 6:00-7:00 – get up, bathroom, get dressed
• 7:00-8:00 – go for walk
• 8:00-8:30 – change (I get really sweaty when I walk) (this also leaves a bit of buffer room)
• 8:30-10:00 – day job office work
• 10:00-11:00/11:30 – breakfast
• 11:30-1:30 – office job desk stuff –does give me a full half day at desk job work stuff (4 hours)
• 1:30-2:00 – quick snack, switch “hats”
• 2:00-4:30/5:00 – blog stuff (this could be writing, reading/watching/listening, admin stuff
• 5:00-6:00 dinner (according to my IF plan I stop eating at 6:00)
• 6:00-7:30 – TV time, relax
• 7:30-8:30 – shower (I need to build this in cause I’m not always getting to this – gross I know)
• 8:30-9:30 – unwind in bed: meditate, TV??, also make up last few hundred steps to 10,000 if need to 
• 10:00 – (roughly) bedtime

Now the snags I run into are when I come in from my walk and try to start working. When I don’t get right into it, the rest of the day sort of goes downhill and very little gets done.

The next snag is taking away from my TV time for a shower/face wash, etc. Part of this, right now anyway, is that it’s winter, and it’s cold in the house, and it’s just too cold to get in the shower. Even with menopausal body temp fluctuations. I also sort of got out of the daily shower habit over COVID, like a lot of people. But maybe I’m just going to have to bite the bullet on this one. 

Also, I’m thinking that I did start some new routines during last month, just not the ones I thought I’d be focusing on. I did start going out for a morning walk, way more routinely than I have in the past. And I started intermittent fasting, which was definitely a new routine, especially as I adjusted my timing. So, for this month, I’m going to add in the work first, eat next bit in the mornings, and also an evening shower (even if just my body and I don’t wash my hair every time). 

So, in light of working to see the positives in things, I’m not going to beat myself up for what I haven’t done. I’ll celebrate what I have accomplished this past month. And I’ll encourage my continuous journey with the new things I’m going to work towards this coming month. And in this way, bit by bit, I’ll create my own Potted Oasis!