getting back into a routine

September has always been a time of new beginnings for me. There is something about the end of summer and the start of the school year that makes me want to get back into routines and start the year off in a good way. Now I know that this year is very different than those that came before, but I still feel like there are some things that I can do to feel like I am more in a routine.

Now I am back at work, but I am definitely not in the routine that I would like to be in yet. Most days I stay in bed as late as I can before getting dressed and sitting down in my office (with my breakfast of course) and I need to get better and being prepared in the morning. It has been an adjustment being back at work and most of my energy has been placed into that.

I have been craving routine and the beginning of September is the perfect time to get back into one. I know that there are people that strive on routine and others that are better when they go with the flow. If you are like me and need some tips to get your life back on track a little bit read on to see how I am putting routine back in my life.

Pre-picking outfits – I used to be really into picking out my outfits for the week when I was headed into work every day and was out the door by 6:15, but with lockdown that completely left the building. With my Project 333 starting up on September 1 making sure that I am inspired in my outfits and not only wearing the same few things is very important, so I am working to pick out my outfits on Sunday evenings.

Working out – I am very hit and miss with my working out, either I am very good at doing it every day or weeks can go by without touching my yoga mat. I always feel better and more calm when I am consistent with my working out however, so this month I have decided to do the monthly calendar from Yoga with Adrienne, supplementing it with other workouts as I feel inspired.

Getting up with my alarm – The snooze function is very tempting to me and if I feel like it I can stay in bed until 20-30 minutes before I need to leave the house and while I can do that, I find that I just feel stressed all day. I am going to strive to actually get up with my alarm and read on the couch for a few minutes before working out, having an actually breakfast, and getting ready at a more relaxed pace

Meal Planning – meal planning is another thing that really slipped off the rails as we were both home all the time, but it meant that we sometimes got stressed out at 5pm as we didn’t know what we were going to have for dinner. Planning out my meals helps me to use what is in the fridge as well as makes the day less stressed as we know what dinner is going to be.

To-Do Lists – Now I am always a to-do list person, but I am always less stressed when I have a list going for the whole week at once. This means that I am can spread out the things I want to do throughout the entire week and don’t feel overwhelmed on one day as well as I really love checking off lists.

None of these things are too crazy or big on their own, but when I put them together they help me to create routines in my life and help me feel less overwhelmed.

Now let me know in the comments, do you like routines? If so, what are some of your simple routines?