I am such a creature of habit, so I tend to thrive with routines (like a baby…). It’s gotten exceptionally worse since I’ve lived on my own. Recently, a friend and I were having a discussion about routines. For me, part of my routine every night is that I set a time when I “shut off” for the evening: no social media or cell phones. This gives me ample time to read or journal and separate from the internet.
Every night, when I get home from work, my evening looks a lot like this:
Olivia Walk & General Housekeeping
I walk Olivia first thing when I get home. She gets to stretch her legs a bit, and I check my mail while we’re out. Once we get back in, I usually change into some activewear, and do some general housework. This may be cleaning some dishes, vacuuming, or putting laundry away. It varies, but there’s always something to do.
Cooking & Dinner
We (and I do mean Olivia and I) eat at 6:00pm. Depending on how tired I am, I might cook a full meal, or I’ll just eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Check out some delicious recipes here!
Olivia Walk & Workout
I’ll take Olivia on a walk around the neighborhood. It’s generally pretty quick, but we try and put in at least a mile. When we get back in, I break out the home gym equipment and do some different exercises, depending on what I can work out that day.
Blogging & Reading
After all of that, I still have a couple of hours before I start to wind down for the night. If I’m engrossed in a book, I’ll bust that out. Generally, however, I’m writing blogs, scheduling posts, or doing some planning for my #sidehustle.
Shower & Wind Down
Olivia and I go on our last walk of the night around 9:00pm. After returning inside, she gets a couple of apple cookies (special only for bedtime), and I hop in the shower. After my shower is when I shut off for the night. I’ll turn on some relaxing music (Spotify has some great playlists for this), get my diffuser going with either a relaxation blend or a eucalyptus/lavender/peppermint mix, and read for the rest of the night.
I love my routine. It works well for me, and it has helped me with my resolution to read a new book every month. I’ve actually gotten a lot more reading in now that I’m forcing myself to shut off at a specific time.
Exceptions
There are a few exceptions to this routine. I have a standing date with one of my good friends to watch Dancing with the Stars/The Bachelor/The Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise every Monday. If I’m feeling overly ambitious, Olivia and I will go to a local park and take a nature walk right when I get home. It’s also pretty difficult to keep up with this routine when I visit my family back home. Also, keep in mind that this is for weekdays! I don’t mind deviating from the routine on weekends.
Note: This post does contain some affiliate links, so I may receive a small commission of sales generated (at no cost to you!). Title photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash.
