ROUTINE: A (week)Day in my Life

I had a request for the successes with my routine and how it is structured.

I know, right?

Yes, me.

I.

was asked to write about my routine.

You better believe it! Cause now I have one and it makes my life a lot easier. 

Guess what else? When it gets messed up, I feel it. Like a lot of you this week, I’m facing unanticipated time at home. I was supposed to be traveling. It was supposed to be my vacation week. Instead, I find myself at home struggling with all the feels.

In light of my recent canceled travel, and for those of you who may find yourself at home more than usual, I’ve decided to give you a peek at my routine.

This virus is affecting everyone. My trip has been cancelled and, like many people’s, my routine has been disrupted.  I struggle with creating a new routine from a broken one. I know I’m not alone in this. I also know there are people in the world dealing with bigger problems than we have currently. That’s ok. If this post helps even one person feel better about their unexpected time at home, I’m happy.

Very often 24 of my hours are spent at home so I have to break them up into some kind of order. I might as well be in control of that order.  The way I see things.

I can only take partial credit creating this routine. I’ve had a lot of help from an app called The Fabulous. I highly recommend you check it out if you’re in need of a routine. [Let me know if you want to know more about the app, but it’s pretty self explanatory.]  I even recommend the paid version though I’m not getting paid to say that.

You can be assured as soon as I can get paid to say something, I will say it. I’ll also tell you all about it.

Also, remember, I didn’t make this routine in a day, and I don’t follow it perfectly. It’a guideline.

My Week//Workdays: 4AM to 11PM

WAKE AT 4AM: READING OR WRITING

Some days it takes a while to wake up as you may imagine. Others, I spring out of bed ready to go. On those mornings it’s nice to have a task to go to with all that energy. Reading the things I have written or am planning to write (notes or outlines) can help propel me into the next hour. A book I’m already reading or something non-fiction can be just as motivating. If I’m not recovering from being alive, I’ll be reading or writing or planning. This first hour is free time for those three things, and I almost always spend them alone. 

WRITING AT 5AM 

I start working on my current writing project. For February it was this blog, and I did ok. For March it’s:

1. another work of fiction [officially BOOK 3] that needs to be about half written [I do NOT expect to finish it in March but may end up prepping it for April, which is Camp NaNoWriMo]  UPDATE: I’m definitely doing this one for Camp next month. My goal is FIFTY thousand words. I might be insane, but I have a lot of material already to work with. Very excited about it.
2. my thesis which desperately needs to be completed.
3. this and two other blogs [you’ll hear about them later].

That’s enough writing projects for me to pick one. I kinda like to alternate one month on just one project and the next month on multiple projects or whatever suits my fancy day to day. The NaNo Life works that way too. I hope that’s a future post…

At some point in this or the next hour I will usually talk to R on the phone.

EDITING AT 6AM

My editing project for the moment. These go on as long as they need to rather than alternating months. I just finished the second round of edits on my FIRST NOVEL so beta readers could have it. Now I’m proceeding to the next novel [BOOK 2]as of March 1st. I’ll be editing it for a while. I’ve not yet determined how long I need to finish, but I’m planning to be done with first round of edits by the end of June. That’s about the time I’ll pick up FIRST NOVEL again for final edits.

I am trying to get done with as much as possible before April, because that’s a writing month with Camp Nanowrimo, and there’s no editing allowed in writing months (April, July, and November). This is also part of the NaNo Life I plan to write about in the future.

WALKING AT 7AM

This is social time as well as exercise. I often get caught up on issues in the community, the weather report, and top news of the world all in addition to the physical and mental exercise. I am able to express myself and tell other people about my projects. It’s a place to complain and celebrate the daily little things. I love it.

ROUTINE @ 8:08

• STRETCH 1 MIN
• DRINK WATER 2 MIN
• MEDS CHECK
• MEDITATE 12 MIN
• SHOWER 12 MIN
• JOURNAL 12 MIN
• I FEEL GREAT TODAY 5 MIN [this is a declaration as well as a signal to  transition into work day stuff… so get coffee & notebooks etc. and head for the office//computer]
• BE GRATEFUL 5 MIN [I rarely have bad days when I stop to acknowledge my gratitude]
• CREATE A TIMELINE 5 MIN [plan the day]
• MORNING PAGES TIL 9AM [quick writing I do about my work day and what I’d like to accomplish. could be my feelings about the work and/or a pep talk]

WORK//EARN AT 9AM
WORK//EARN AT 10AM

Doing the work I get paid to do.  Depending on the project or the job I’m doing,  it can take a while for me to get settled, then I can focus intensely for a while before I need a break. For reference, I used to be unable to sit still for even fifteen minutes, and now I can do a 25 minute task without breaking focus. That’s a huge leap for me. If I don’t already have a project to work on, I apply for new jobs during this time.

ROUTINE @ 11:11

• STRETCH 1MIN
• CLEAN & TIDY UP 10 MIN
• POWER NAP TIL NOON [I also use this time to finish a cleaning job or work on a household project]
• BREAK//NAP AT NOON [I don’t always sleep, but I do always stop working]

WORK//EARN AT 1300
WORK//EARN AT 1400

Somewhere in here I will eat for the first time. I’m planning a post on the Intermittent Fasting method in the future too.

 ROUTINE @ 15:15

• DRINK WATER 2 MIN
• YOGA//WALK 20 MIN [I try to get some kind of movement]
• LOG MY TIME 3 MIN 
• ADJUST & RECOMMIT TIL 1600 

BREAK AT 1600

Alternately go back to work to finish early. Depends on the day and my needs. If I need the rest or skipped a noon nap, I might lie down for a while.

WORK//EARN AT 1700
WORK//EARN AT 1800

WRAP IT UP AT 1900

Finish. Plan the next day. Whatever needs to be done so I’m finished at 20:02

ROUTINE @ 20:02

• STRETCH 1 MIN
• LET GO 2 MIN 
• BE GRATEFUL 5 MIN
• GET INSPIRED 10 MIN [for tomorrow. plan tomorrow. or plan the writing project that’s coming down the list]
• MEDS CHECK
• FLOSS 2 MIN
• BRUSH TEETH 2 MIN
• WRITE TIL 2100 [this is the other dedicated writing time to my current writing project]

EDIT AT 2100

This is the other dedicated editing time for the current project.

READY FOR BED AT 2200

ROUTINE @ 22:22

• DARKER/QUIETER/COOLER 2 MIN
• JOURNAL 12 MIN
• READ 20 MIN
• MEDITATE UNTIL 2300
• LIGHTS OUT AT 2300

I’ve got a nineteen hour day going here and I think I’m handling it. Some days are better than others, and not every day goes according to plan. It’s nice to have an outline of the kind of day I want to have so I can get back on track for days things don’t go according to plan.

I’m as stable as I’ve been in years, especially for the season we’re in. I’m doing all the right things and some of the wrong ones, but whatever I’m doing seems to be working. It’s worth a shot, if you’re life is feeling a little out of order, to exert some control over it.

I’ll be getting back to this routine next week. I’m still treating this as a staycation week as much as I can. I’d love to hear your comments or answer any questions you have.

Until then, try to enjoy your time at home, be honest about your feelings, and start creating a routine you love.

remind your life who’s boss.

xxx linsey