Create A Routine According To Your Personality Challenge

This is the first post in the Create A Routine According To Your Personality Challenge. It’s an eight week challenge in a private Facebook group.

Routine Is Important

I love mornings. Each new day brings new opportunities and a chance to start fresh. You get a do-over. Remember those? The way you spend the first few hours of your morning makes a huge difference in your day. That is why creating a morning routine is important. Those first few hours set the tone for the entire day. Think of how much is affected whether good or not by the time you hit the sack.

Speaking of the sack, a nightly routine is almost as important as a morning routine. When I was growing up, it was normal for the family to sit together for dinner, afterward, wash up for bed, maybe do a little homework, get everything ready for school the next day, and then hit the sack. The routine created an easier way for my brothers and me to fall asleep and be ready for the next morning. Now, quite often, people fall asleep in front of a computer screen, telephone, or TV. The stimulation from the blue lights of electronics disrupts sleeping patterns.

Read more: Why Is Blue Light before Bedtime Bad for Sleep?

Morning

Do you still have children in the house or a job you have to go to first thing in the morning? If not, then how often do you actually wake up when you set your mind (or your alarm) to do so? My body clock wakes me up at the same time most days. Sometimes, if I do not have plans for the day mapped out ahead of time, I roll over and go back to sleep. You see, my husband and I are empty nesters. We do not have to wake up if we do not have plans.

When you have a plan for your day, it is easier to wake up and get going.

Suffice it to say; there are days when you just cannot get out of bed. You roll over and go back to sleep, constantly hit the snooze button, or turn the alarm off altogether. Sometimes, it is well deserved and on occasion can even be healthy. However, more often than not, it takes away from what could be a creative and productive day.

On the mornings you get up when your body clock wakes you or as soon as the alarm goes off your day is a lot smoother and you accomplish what you planned to do (As long as you don’t pack more than you can do into your day.). Chances are, sleeping through the snooze button did not just affect your morning. How you begin your morning sets the tone for the entire day. Have you heard the saying, “She got up on the wrong side of the bed”? This series is going to help you get up on the right side of the bed.

Evening

Let’s talk about your evenings. The current group I’m coaching shared about how their evenings are often spent in front of TV, reading, or on the computer. So far, the majority states that they are tired by the end of the day and want to veg out. I find from experience that taking maybe half an hour to wash up, refresh myself, and get ready for a peaceful sleep helps me be better prepared and more refreshed for the next morning.

Before, I was not as good about an evening routine as I am with my morning routine. Now I have a cleansing ritual, and it is working for me. At 10 pm I stop what I’m doing, wash my face, brush my teeth, get in PJ’s, get my bed ready, and either go to sleep or finish what I was doing and then head to bed.

If you live with a spouse or others, including them in the planning may help hold you accountable. In turn, it may be easier to follow through and get into a healthy evening routine. If your family is not on board or interrupts your nightly ritual, keep doing it anyway. I learned this from my father. He went about his routine, and if we tried to derail him, he did not pay attention. He just kept on doing what he needed to do. Pretty soon, we learned that we did not have control over his me time.

Writing It Down Is Imperative

It is difficult for some people to write things down. I know because it is not my favorite thing to do. If I could get away without writing things down, I would not do it. But, it is imperative for your success. If you think about a time long ago, probably before most of us were born, there were sewing circles that we currently call a tribe. I talk about this a lot on my blog. I do so because it is a point of reference from then to now and busy back then versus busy now.

For example, back then, when you wanted to get things done, someone in your tribe would say, “When you are done with the laundry, get the kids and come back over.” Or, everyone just knew that on Tuesdays, the ladies congregated to mend clothing or sew something new. They did not have so much to do that they had to write things down, other than maybe a shopping list.

If people had a job or ran a business that is when they needed to write things down. For the most part, though, there was not that much to remember.

I know talking about writing things down may be redundant. Many people say it, write about it, and teach on the topic. Personally, I fought it in my younger years. I did not have time or patience to do it — until now. Next week, I will share some lists.

In the meantime, do you use a paper planner, notepad, or electronic calendar? I used all three until recently. My electronic calendar is number one. Then, I write out my days on two daily sheets. Also, I have a notes section that I am slowly morphing to be more useful. Though I still fight it, I find that on my busy days, I cannot do without.

There are many electronic calendars to choose from. Google calendar seems to be the easiest and best way to go from what I have read. I use iCal and love the reminders. After we finish this eight-week challenge, we can go over electronic calendars, or ask in the group and we can discuss it there.

Over the next eight weeks, I will guide you through the process to Create A Routine According To Your Personality. Not only will you enjoy your mornings and evenings, but you will also have better days.

Join my Facebook group and like The Busy Woman on Facebook where you may ask questions and receive help to create a routine according to your personality.

Until next time…

Cheers!