Hey guys! Happy Wednesday and happy February! There’s always something refreshing about a new month. I felt like this past month really dragged, the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over, I stayed inside while still going out for walks a few days a week, and established some new routines, but I am ready for a new month.
One of the things I touched on in my last past was getting into some new rhymes and rhythms, and I wanted to share some of them with you today.
When I thought about what I wanted this year to look like, I wanted less time being distracted by things that didn’t bring me joy or leave me fulfilled. My phrase for this year is to be more intentional and so far I am loving the results I am seeing. For example, I would waste time scrolling on social media and complain I didn’t have enough time to read. Hello, ditch the phone and get a book!
One way that I made sure I had a better routine in place was setting up downtime on my phone. I did a post about the new screen time feature a year or so ago. You can read it here.
I realized when my phone was shut off (minus calls and texts) I got so much done without the distraction of notifications and social media.
My favorite new routine is with my morning. Let me break it down for you. Every weekday (Monday-Friday), I get up at 6:30 a.m. and then head to the gym for an hour. My “downtime” on my phone goes from 8:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. In that hour, I will shower (if I didn’t the night before), wash or put away any dishes that need done, throw a load of laundry in, get changed for the day, do my reading and journaling. I’m currently reading this every day and LOVING. One thing I wanted to do this year was read every day. I don’t have a set amount of books I want to read in the year, but I want to carve time every day to read. Whether it was 15 minutes or an hour. During this of downtime from my phone hour is where I get my reading done and it’s such a game changer. By 9:00 a.m. I feel so accomplished and ready to tackle the rest of my day whether I am working or have the day off. Setting boundaries with my phone helped me so much. I also have time set for each day for social media and once my time is done for the day, I am done.
Another thing that has always helped me with my routines is to write things down. Even though, I already know what I want to accomplish, I love to be able to see it in front of me and mark it off when I am done. Here’s a look at one of my weekly planner pages.
At the beginning of the week I always write down everything I want to do across the board and what days I want to get them done.
Lastly, another part of my routine is always leaving the house clean, when I leave for work, I always make sure everything is picked up and put away, things are laid out for the next day and I have my to-do list ready for tomorrow. I go into work with a clear mind and ready to tackle the day.
That’s just a breakdown of what things have worked well for me as we start on a new month. What are some new routines that really work for you? Let me know below! Have a great week friends!