I was listening to a podcast recently where it was mentioned that chatgpt had a better explanation of a word than what was in the dictionary. This caught my attention and I had to try it out.
I typed ‘Routines’ into chatgpt and got this response “Certainly! Routines are a structured and repetitive series of tasks or activities that people follow regularly. They can be daily, weekly, or even monthly, and they help create a sense of order and predictability in one’s life. Routines can be tailored to various aspects of life, such as morning routines, work routines, exercise routines, or bedtime routines. Establishing and sticking to routines can improve productivity, reduce stress, and promote overall well-being. If you have a specific question or need advice on creating a routine, feel free to ask!”
I have been in a weird state for months and found myself whining a lot about everything. I whine about my job, how I’m over it and need to get out but don’t do anything about that. I whine about my health and how I’ve gained weight that I need to lose but do the bare minimum about that. I whine about spending hours doom scrolling on social media and how this is not good for me but don’t do anything about that. So yes, I whine about everything and it almost feels like I’m enjoying the whining versus taking action. I had a recent conversation with a mentor who told me I need to take a pause, reflect on my life as it is and find joy in the things that are going great no matter how mundane they are. This mentor also advised that I reframe my thoughts when I find myself sinking into the whiny state and focus on the next thing I’m going to do that will bring me joy. The third advise I got was to incorporate small routines of things I need into my daily activities and expand them when I’m ready.
There’s nothing phenomenal about the advise, they are things I know and tell myself and other people too but I stopped using them as life tools. I needed to get reminded and I appreciate getting the reminder as it got me moving and doing things that work again. I listened and I started incorporating small routines which are gradually becoming bigger routines that give me immense joy.
My mornings are now joyful as I start up my Child’s snack box and at the same time do a ten minute daily core workout. I challenged myself to reduce the time I spend getting ready in the morning, you don’t want to know how long that took me in the past. I was able to reduce it by using a song I like as my timer with a simple logic of one play equals full shower, another play equals dry down and cream and the third play equals makeup and body care. Reducing my getting ready time enabled me to switch up kindergarten drop off to a walk instead of spending time waiting for the bus and with this I get some steps in. I also walk a bit before getting on the bus to the office to increase my physical activity. Switching up my morning routine this way means I have less to no time to spend on social media, get my morning activities done and incorporate physical movement for me into it.
I’ve locked down a great morning routine but still struggle with the evening routine. I’m mostly tired and have no interest in doing anything else apart from finish dinner and veg out. I want my evening routine to be great as well so I will continue to work on this mentally and physically until it’s solid and a positive to me like the morning routine.