Daily Routines

Do you thrive on routines or are you happy without?

Hi sunshine friend.

Waking up early is a great routine they say, and these days, I've become quite the early bird, though it's definitely against my will. Menopause happened and with that, out the window went my long morning sleep ins. My younger self would have thought, the idea of willingly waking up before the sun was madness. But here I am, adopting the dawn like a pro... or at least attempting to.

Routines can be like mundane rituals, that make our lives as predictable as my cats demanding breakfast as soon as I get up in the morning. Now, don't get me wrong, routines have loads of benefits. They provide structure to our otherwise chaotic lives, and can be super comforting. They give us a sense of control, like we've got our lives together. We wake up every day, brush our teeth, get the coffee or tea pot going and, if we're really ambitious, squeeze in some meditation and exercise.

My mum always told me that kids do very well with having good routines, and I can see why. Growing up, I went to bed and woke up at the same time every day. My mornings were smooth with a good breakfast, and off to school I went. We had dinner at 5 pm every day. After that, there was 30 minutes kids tv on the only 2 channels the tv offered at the time. Some play, homework, then shower, brushing my teeth, bedtime story and go to sleep. So with my own three kids as they grew up, I had a steady set of daily routines.

A little side note; my parents never punished me if I was naughty with the words “go to bed!”. The result of that is I have always loved my bed and still do. I hear other parents sometime punish their kids with the exact same word “go to bed”. I understand that we need to draw the line for our children, but please let the bed be a cosy safe place for sleep, not a punishment.

There are those who thrive on routines, their daily lives neatly organized. Then there are those who are very content without schedules. For me, it's like having a roadmap for each day. Routines offer me a clear path to navigate my daily life. I write a weekly schedule on paper, which I tick off with a colourful marker when the task has been done. At the end of the week, the schedule is all bright green or pink, with hopefully all of them completed. The schedule I make is more of “nurturing myself-routines”. Work kind of comes and is being done anyway, which is one of the plus side of working from home I guess. But my afternoons can be a mixed bag of productivity and procrastination.

For a while now, my daily routine schedule includes meditation, writing my journal as well as including 5 things I am grateful for, Prana Yama (breathing exercises), study Indonesian, intermittent fasting, reading, and workout 3 times per week. I try to do it all in the morning and, I love ticking them off, which makes it looks great at the end of the week. This works for me at the moment, but I’m always fine-tuning according to what I feel is needed.

I think navigating the ever-shifting changes of routines is like dancing with the music of life. Sometimes, I’ll be dancing gracefully through a well-grounded routine, and other times, it’s like trying to samba on a floor filled with marbles. And while routines may shift like the spotlight on a disco ball, certain constants remain - the love of family and friends, the values that guide us, and the wisdom we’ve gathered along the way. These are the beats that keep us grounded, no matter how much the music changes.

Until next week. Stay curious and grateful.

Much love,

Kim