Sample Daily Routine

I wrote last week about how I was starting to build a daily routine in order to feel more supported and centered. The results of my first week of really sticking to a routine were very positive. I didn’t always want to follow it, in fact, most mornings I questioned if it was really worth it. But as I moved through my days and my week, I could feel myself relying on the structure of the routine. If I started to feel overwhelmed or down, I had the ritual of key moments in my day to fall back on. The simple act of going through the motions of these daily rituals helped to lift my mood. 

I thought it might be helpful to share my daily routine, not because it is a perfect model routine, but because it can be useful to see examples. This is what is working for me right now, but I will continue to check in on it and adjust as needed. 

A couple of notes on building a routine: 

• It helps to find a balance between being super prescriptive and leaving things open. If you get too detailed in what you want to do, it can feel overwhelming. If you leave it too wide open, sometimes it’s hard to actually get started as you first have to make a decision about what you want to do. 
• I like to start with the big building blocks, which for me are work time and sleep time. Those are the most non-negotiable/fixed things in my schedule. From there I can start to fill in other priorities. I talk more about that in this article about building a healthy daily routine. 
• When attempting to follow your routine, push yourself a smidge outside of your comfort zone. It is very normal to resist it and not want to follow your prior plans, but often if you can get over that hump of resistance it can be very rewarding. 
• This is a judgment-free zone! I find it helpful to track some of my activities, but there is no grade/scorecard here. Do your best, pay attention to what makes you feel better, and give yourself a lot of grace and love if you get off track. 

Okay, with that in mind, here is: 

My Sample Daily Routine 

8:00am – Get out of bed, make coffee, and write my morning pages 

8:30am– Workout with my husband. We put on some fun music and this is a great way to wake up and get going. Here are some of my favorite at-home exercise routines right now. 

9am-10am– Get ready for the workday, breakfast, start checking email and prepping for my day 

10am-6pm – Work hours. I have been trying to take a lunch break away from the computer every day around 1pm. Also, whenever possible I do quick outside breaks to get some sunshine. 

6:30pm– Evening walk. This is one of my favorite parts of my routine right now. It feels so good to get some movement after working all day and it’s a nice time to catch up with my husband. 

7pm- Finish up any remaining work I need to do. This is also a good time for my end of workday ritual to help close out the day. 

7:30pm – Dinner 

8pm-10:30pm – Social time/self-care/reading

10:30pm – Get in bed, read or write for a bit  

11pm – Lights out 

Not every day looks exactly like this, but having this outline is helping me to feel grounded each day. While it is fairly time specific, there is a lot of room within each of the activities for making decisions based on how I feel that day, which feels like a good balance to me right now. 

I hope this sample daily routine gives you some ideas on how to apply this in your own life. Everyone’s situation can and will look different. The key is finding what works best for you and then trying it out. 

Xo

Louisa 

This post is part of my Quarantine Journal Series. Read more about my intentions behind it here.