How routines changed my life

I am a firm believer of routines. During the COVID lockdown I became aware about how they were always there and how well they work for me. They bring me peace and quiet and a daily dose of purpose. Usually, a routine or habit organically develops in my life and it can change a little from time to time, but they can also be fed by an external source of inspiration. This can be a (lifestyle) podcast, conversation with a friend or family member or a shift in my day-to-day life.

A little recap

I spent my twenties living quite extreme and overdoing it. I combined my studies with several jobs with fluctuating hours. I went out a lot, drank too much, traveled and basically drained my body from a lot of energy. I had moments where my body just kind of stopped working and forced me to rest. I would lose a lot of weight and my eyes became dark and hollow, but as soon as the battery was charged even a little, I threw myself back into that lifestyle again. Even though it sounds very unhealthy, I think a lot of people can relate and also know this doesn’t mean I was unhappy or anything, the opposite even. But I did recognize that the moments of rest I did take in between the working and partying, had the basis of a healthy lifestyle. I would wake up early, eat healthy and exercise. And the contradictive thing of this is, that I always knew I loved the morning, it was my time to shine and the moment where I felt the happiest, but the partying just didn’t agree with the mornings. My hangovers were so bad I couldn’t function for an entire day, let alone wake up anytime before noon. I knew this, I was fully aware, but my mind kept tricking me into thinking I was a night owl and partying was in my DNA so I just had to suck it up.

When COVID hit, so did my thirties, and the opportunity to work and party hard were taken away, at least for me. I started investing more in the healthy habits I already built. And this slowly developed into the lifestyle I have today. A lifestyle that feels healthy, mindful and balanced.

Back to the present

The routines in my life are most extensive in the morning, which is still my time to shine. It gives the start of my day that extra kick of sense and energy. My morning routine takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes, which means I always get up pretty early to be able to check everything on the list. The fun fact is though, that because it’s routine, it doesn’t feel like checking a list at all, it feels like a natural flow and there is nothing forced about it.

I listed all the steps of my current morning routine on a regular weekday. I developed this routine while I was still at my wage labor job, so most my days evolved around getting to work at 8 AM, but I stick to the routine on my freelance days too:

1. Wake up around 6 AM (alarm is set for 05:45)

2. Measure my temperature to track my cycle and upload the data to my phone

3. Look on my phone for a few minutes (bad, Domi, I know)

4. Light an incents stick and get yoga mat

5. Put water in the kettle and feed the cats (living with my brother gave me the pleasure of living with his two cats too 😊)

6. Go to bathroom and go to toilet à on dark mornings, I like to light a candle in the bathroom instead of turning on the lights, gives it a cozy glow (and saves some money on electricity hihi)

7. Floss, brush teeth and scrape tongue

8. Prepare a glass of warm water (usually I add ginger or mint)

9. Heat sesame oil mixed with essential oils by putting the bottle of oil in a cup and pouring hot water in the cup

10. Do a short yoga practice (freestyle or with a guided app)

11. Make bed

12. Turn on music on Bluetooth box

13. Give myself a little oil massage (Abhyanga massage) and put on old robe

14. Do dishes from day before

15. Prepare breakfast (currently: banana oat pancakes)

16. Take in vitamins with previously prepared glass of warm water (turmeric, vitamin C and vitamin D3)

17. Take a shower

18. Get dressed

19. Cook breakfast, prepare herbal tea in my take away cup and put prepared lunch in my backpack

20. Eat breakfast

21. Put on shoes and jacket, take bag and tea and walk to work or take a morning walk on my freelance days

During the day, my energy level gradually fades and to avoid a sudden drop, I drink a lot of tea to stay hydrated and try to eat between fixed time. Since I prep meals on Sundays, I can always eat a nutritious warm lunch. My energy level reaches its lowest point between 2 and 4 PM. This is also the time where I am least productive at work. On a freelance day I just stop working when that moment presents itself and I relax for a bit and I try to do this outside.

I don’t drink caffeinated drinks anymore and learned that listening to my body and recognising its energy flow, helps with organizing my day. On a regular labor wage workday though, I am dependent on my work schedule and I can only punch out at 4 PM. In these situations I try to be creative and alternate between desk work and going for rounds in the building. Luckily, that is part of the job as a facility manager. With a fulltime desk job this would be the time to go outside and take a walk, alone or accompanied by a colleague, to get reenergised and get back to work with a clear mind. I accept that the end of the afternoon is my slowest part of the day and as soon as I punch out of work, I take another walk, run errands and squeeze all the leftover energy out of my body before returning home.

Back home I usually stay active and avoid sitting down before I did everything on my to do list for that day, if there is one. I know that after sitting down, it can go both ways.

My evenings are usually quite slow, unless I planned something. On the days I have no evening activity planned, I gradually slowdown from the moment I sit down to eat dinner around 6 PM. It depends on my energy level, but sometimes I’ll get a boost after dinner and work a few hours on my laptop. Other evenings I read a book or watch a show on Netflix before getting ready to go to bed around 9 PM.

During the weekends my routines are slightly different, but the general idea is the same, wake up early and start the day mindful. On Saturdays I try to clean the house right after breakfast and take a power yoga class at 10. I usually run errands after that. My energy level will also get quite low after 3 PM on the weekends and if I don’t have anything else planned for the day, I will just chill and hang around in the house or walk around in town.

I used to feel a bit weird and maybe even lazy not having anything planned for every minute of my spare time and spending entire weekends. I learnt overtime to enjoy those moments to the fullest and they are necessary to slow down to recharge. Those moments of rest help me reflect on how things are going in my day-to-day life and give me great insights in my wants and needs. It only got better when I stopped drinking alcohol and my routines and moments of rest didn’t have regular ‘hangover breaks’ where I slept in, was lazy and lethargic and ate the wrong food for my body. I came to realisation that resting while having a hangover was not resting at all. It was recovering and that meant skipping a lot of weekends catching up on my energy, which resulted in unenergetic days and sometimes even weeks at work. Those days are over now and I am blessed with all the positive side effects.

The question I ask myself now is: is it possible to maintain the routines I built while traveling too. It really doesn’t sound impossible to me and I am sure things will take their course naturally, but you can never really know before you do it, right? I am not going to worry about it, though, time will tell. I will let you know as soon as I put it into practice and can reflect on it with some real life experience and examples!

Xoxo Domi