As we head into 2021, I want to talk with you about moving from a reactive life to a proactive one by resetting your daily routines. In 2020, many of us picked up some bad habits and time-wasting activities that snuck into our schedules. I am working on recapturing my time for purposeful activity, and I want to share my thoughts and strategies with you. In order to be more proactive and time in my day, I need to reset my morning, afternoon, and evening routines.
My evening routine is the shortest of all of my routines, and it is my least consistent routine. I like to use this time to focus on my hygiene and care of my body. I take a hot bath, do some skincare, and take my vitamins. Before the pandemic, I used to do something productive before doing these getting-ready-for-bed activities. I honestly cannot remember what I used to do with that time. I think I read books, did some cleaning, and occasionally worked on projects. When we started staying safe at home, I started working more and then watched a LOT more TV. During the pandemic, I spent that time on my phone – on social media, reading about news events, reading hundreds of emails, and going down different internet rabbit holes that were not particularly productive.
For the next 120 days, I am focusing on incorporating habits of planning my outfits for the week on Sundays. I want to plan my food for the next day in advance. I also want to get back to reading physical books. Projects from my updated slash pockets are also things I may include at this time. I am focusing on writing out my notecard with the next day’s schedule and plan each evening.
I am going to give myself a lot of grace with updating this routine. If I do not make a lot of progress in making changes, I will not beat myself up about it. My real focus is on my morning and afternoon routines, and I have written out a possibilities list for my evening routine. I know that focusing on these routines will make the most difference early in the week, so that is where I will put my biggest effort into sticking to the new habits.
There is this perfectionist pressure that when we are establishing routines and changing habits we must be 100% compliant. I am focusing on excellence, not perfection. I have decided to aim for about 30% success with these new habits. I am choosing to celebrate the progress that comes with following my routines even two to three days a week.
Think about what would make the biggest impact for you in the next 120 days. Think about what external expectations you are facing during this season. You cannot do it all. But, when you pick what you want to do, you can focus on doing those things with excellence. Do not take on too much – pick small easy things. Find ways to remind yourself about these changes, and see how it goes.
