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I actually started on my monthly goal for April last week because I’m such a go-getter.
Really, it was just because it was the week after spring break and the end of the month and I needed to do all the things and yet I needed some kind of anchor to start my day on track.
I have to start by saying I know the vast majority of people cannot do what I am doing here. You have a day job or kids at home or enough work that you don’t have time for a routine of non-work things that lasts this long.
But you can do something.
And having a routine for how your day starts is so important for getting things done and getting into the mindset for working, which is really, super important when you work from home and have no one telling you what to do when.
My Clear Routine
So, here’s what I’m doing.
- Morning pages. Whenever possible, I get my three pages done before the girl wakes up. If not, it’s number two on the list.
- Meditation. After taking the girl to school and any errands I have to run (which I do first thing if at all possible), I meditate. I mentioned this last week, and I was up to 15 minutes today. It still feels like forever, but because it’s part of the morning routine it’s not negotiable. It’s the first thing I do when I get home.
- Cleaning. The goal is 10 minutes a day in three different places. So today, for instance, was the living room, the kitchen and dining room (because we had people over for dinner last night and never cleared the table), and the girl’s room. The kitchen is every day; the living room is just about every day. The other one rotates.
- Work out. Right now I’m biking 30 to 40 minutes on the stationary bike Monday, Wednesday and Friday and doing yoga Tuesday and Thursday.
- Get set to work. I like to start a load of laundry before I go upstairs to my office, and get a glass of water. I usually allow myself a couple of minutes to check e-mail and Facebook, because ideally I won’t have done it yet, but I usually do a little at some point.
- Task list. If I haven’t done it the day before, I write down the things that really need to be done that day. Any deadlines, or just the daily things. Because I know having a list and a timer are my other secret productivity weapons.
When I’m Too Busy
I know what you’re thinking: doesn’t all that take forever?
Yes. It kind of does. I’m not making it upstairs until around 11 a.m. Later if I have a lot of errands or am starting bread for supper or have other things I need to do.
So what happens when there’s more work than will fit into the five or so hours that leaves me?
Well, if I’m honest, five hours is plenty if I really use them for working.
But if I need to speed up I try to shorten rather than eliminate things entirely.
So, Friday I had a million things to finish up, so I did a shorter workout and trimmed some cleaning time. I still made a little progress and got a little movement in, just not as much as normal.
And I think the key for me is really doing a little every day, even when I’m busy, instead of blowing it off entirely.
That’s how the house got into the state where I need to clean three places for 10 minutes a day. That’s how I can go a whole week without exercise really easily.
Making it a non-negotiable (or at least really rarely negotiable) part of the day is essential for it actually getting done.
And it feels really awesome to know that every day I am at least getting those things done. I’m taking care of my body, my mind and my home. And that’s a lot. And it’s important enough to do every day and to take some time that, if we’re being honest, I was probably just spending on Facebook anyway.
How about you? Do you have a daily routine, whether at work or at home? I’d love to hear about it.
This Month’s Linky
If you’re a blogger, I’d love to see what your goals are for the month and how you plan to meet them. Link up below and be sure to visit the other posters to get inspired.
6 Comments
My goals for April include taking it day by day and trying to stay ahead of my to-do list.
I am so impressed with your meditation! I think meditating is a very healthy habit – one I am still working on carving quiet time out for.
It’s hard, but I know that it’s good for me, so I’m trying! Thanks for visiting.
That was pretty much my goal for last month. It didn’t go so well. 🙂
I live by routines. If they get thrown off, I really struggle.
My goal for this month is to try to stick to a no grain diet and to try to stop focusing on my painful past. I have been using my facebook page as an outlet for things and have found that when i get it out of my system i never forget but i sort of recover a bit and then i change the focus to something differnt. Often though something will pop up and trigger some tears and i greive a bit then i make my self look at something funny or something uplifting.