Make The Change: Creating a Routine for a Better Life
Wake up, get dressed, go to work, come home, clean up, cook dinner, go to bed…repeat. Does this sound kinda familiar? Life at times can become kinda mundane, and our routine can have us feeling stuck in a rut. As a wife, mom, and business owner I know first hand how the thought of each day’s to-do-list can leave you groaning when the alarm clock goes off every morning. The cycle of these everyday tasks can leave you feeling less than excited about what each day brings. But sometimes, putting in a little extra effort into your day is just what you need to go from living a life that is ordinary to living a life that you can’t wait to wake up and participate in. Life is what you make it and there are a few simple lifestyle changes that you can make that are guaranteed to improve your quality of life and take you from dreading the day ahead to actually looking forward to it. These changes won’t just benefit you, but they’ll benefit your spouse, your children, and your career. So, for this episode I want to inspire you to Make the Change.
I’m writing this episode at 5:24am. Once upon a time in my life, being up at this hour was considered ungodly. You wouldn’t find me up before the sun, and even after the sun came up I wore an eye mask to keep the sunlight at bay. For years, sleep was my best friend and I thought getting tons of it was what contributed to me having a great day…then I had children. They came in and destroyed my relationship with sleep. I could no longer depend on it to have a good day…so did that now mean that my days were ruined? Having kids really helped me to see that I have more control over how my days goes and how I feel than I thought I did. But I had to be strategic. Being productive and feeling good while getting things done was always my goal, but it didn’t just magically happen. I had to do a lot of work because often times, I was productive, but I wasn’t necessarily a happy person. Maybe you can relate to waking up aggravated and going to work with an “I wish somebody would” mentality, lol. Or maybe you can relate to feeling burnt out as soon as you get off from work only to clock in as a mom and feeling like you have no energy and patience to be the mom you desire to be. Or what about feeling so mentally drained after a long week that you don’t even want to think about trying to hang out with your friends. I’ll be the first to raise my hand and say I’ve been there. The awesome news is that we don’t have to stay in that place of mundane living where you are just going through the motions and living for the weekend. Each day presents an opportunity for you to live your best life. You can live that life on a Wednesday…not just on Saturdays when you get to turn up.
The first thing that I recommend is that you plan ahead. Planning your week or your month ahead of time can help you to see what you need to get done and where you need to spend your time. Take a moment each night before you go to bed to view your calendar so that you know what needs to be done on the next day. They say the key to having a good day is to have a good night so prepare things the night before such as your lunch or your breakfast or set up your office in a way that you can walk right in and get to work. Prepping for the next day at night is really helpful when it comes to setting yourself up for success. Currently, every quarter my husband and I sit down and he helps me to make a calendar for the next 3 months of what needs to get done. We sit, we prioritize my goals and based off of those priorities we determine how much time and what days I’m going to spend working towards each goal. Having this visual calendar really helps me stay on task especially Since I work in an environment where no one else is responsible for me. I am the only one responsible for getting everything done. So to set myself up for success, I prep, prepare, and plan ahead and I highly recommend you do the same. Whether you use the calendar on your phone or a nice one from the store, planning ahead can ensure that you spend your days doing things that really matter.
The next thing that I recommend you doing is waking up earlier. Yes even earlier than you currently do. Now, this is a hard one, Especially if you are like me and you're not a morning person. For some reason I thought that having kids would automatically turn me into a morning person, but it didn’t. It just turned me into a person who was unhappily up early. The thought of getting up earlier than you have to may make you want to pull the covers over your head even more but hear me out I've tried it and it really does make a big difference in how you feel throughout your day. I've learned that how I start my day contributes heavily to how productive I am and how I feel about things throughout my day. Before I used to wake up the same time that my children woke up and that led to a lot of grumpy mornings of me having a bad attitude and not necessarily giving my children the love and affection that I wanted to give them when they first got up . I'm sure some of you can relate to waking up to children who are extremely happy and ready for today and you are just not ready. You’re not in a good mood and you're not necessarily happy about having to get up right now. But I learn that if I get up before they do and I have time to myself, I have time to read, I have time to meditate, I have time to pray, I have time to just sit in silence and maybe get a Cup of coffee, if I feel like it, it really contributes to me having a better day. So now by the time they wake up I've been up for an hour or 2 already and I'm excited to see them. I've been able spend time with myself before I have to give to others and that's a really important thing that most of us don't get to do. So I challenge you to give it a try. Try one week of getting up maybe an hour before you're supposed to and see if it makes a difference in your day and in your week. So instead of jumping up after hitting snooze for the 3rd time, getting dressed, scarfing down breakfast on your way to work or skipping breakfast all together, see if you can get up in enough time to actually sit to set the table in eat your breakfast, and doing some other things before you head out the door into the world. Give it a try and let me know how it helped you, because I know it’s gonna help if you do it consistently.
The next thing you can do to improve your day is to work out. Now, like many of you, I have a love/hate relationship with working out. I know and can feel the benefits of it, but man, it can be hard to make myself just do it. But hey, the numbers don’t lie and studies show that working out has benefits such as having more energy, having a better mood, getting better sleep, and of course, many physical and health perks as well. We all know that working out, even if just for 15 minutes per day can make a major difference in our lives…and yet, studies show that less than 5% of the population spends 30 minutes per day being active. Less than 5% of adults!! Yall, we have got to do better, myself included. So when you’re planning ahead, see where you can fit some physical activity into your routine. It could be playing at the park with your kids, running on the treadmill, taking a walk around the block, going to the gym, or just doing some jumping jacks. This change can change your mood and save your life.
Next up is reading. When is the last time you read a book from beginning to end. I hope your answer is recently, but much of the world quits reading after high school. Doing things like reading and completing trainings can help you better yourself mentally and intellectually. We are never to old to stop learning. We can never know so much that we don’t need to continue to learn. Not only can reading be relaxing, as it’s a great way to wind down at night, but also, that mental stimulation, especially when you are doing mundane things all day, can really improve your mood and make you feel better about yourself. I know I feel a sense of accomplishment after reading a book or completing a training, especially if I gained a lot of great information from it. So when you’re planning for the quarter, put some time in there to take a course, complete a training, or to simply read a book. 30 minutes of reading per day can really be a game changer.
The next tip is for all my busy bodies, and that is to plan for self-care. I know, I get it, some of yall are extra busy. You work full time jobs, go to school, take care of kids, maybe even single parents, but you MUST put in some time for self-care. If you don’t you’ll be no good for others. Now, when I say self-care most people immediately go to things like spa days, vacations, and trips…but self-care doesn’t have to be that elaborate or that expensive. If you know that Wednesdays are a long and rough day for you, plan a pamper night at home every Wednesday night that includes a nice bubble bath, some candles, your favorite dessert, and a good book or some music. This doesn’t cost much and all it takes is a little bit of time and effort. Or if baths aren’t your thing, pick a day each week where you to do whatever it is that you enjoy (whether it be walking around target, or sitting an watching hgtv under your favorite blanket), make some time for you. Self-care also includes doing things like going to therapy. Too often we are stressed, anxious, worried, and just emotionally and mentally overloaded with stuff and need someone to talk to. Therapy is the perfect place because it’s one of the only times where you can sit for an hour and talk all about you and you don’t have to worry about being cut off, listening to someone else’s problems, or made to feel like what you’re going through isn’t a big deal. In my book, therapy is the ultimate form of self-care. So, don’t just think about self-care it, plan it and execute it. At the beginning of each week or month determine what days and how you are going to implement self-care into your routine. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, you aren’t any good to anybody if you don’t take care of yourself.
The next activity that I’m about to mention may be a surprise but I KNOW it’s necessary and that is eating right. Now, I’m no nutritionist and I’m not even going to talk about dieting and calories and all of that fancy stuff…I’m talking about simply eating 3 meals per day. How often do you skip breakfast or just have a cup of coffee and call that breakfast. How often do you work through lunch or maybe just eat a quick snack and call it lunch. I’m sure I’m stepping on a few toes here, especially for my moms and high achieving women. We are notorious for skipping meals because we are so busy. Now you may not feel like you’re doing anything harmful, but believe me your body is mad at you! If you’re wondering why you’re so tired, why you lack energy, and why you’re grumpy around 3:00, check your diet. Lack of nutrition does more than effect your body, it effects your mood. Being hangry is a real thing, lol. Trust me, I know. So while you’re planning, also plan your meals if this is a area that needs work. And again, journal and see if you notice a difference in how you feel throughout the week.
Next up is to go to bed on time. We live in an open 24 hours world and by that I mean we have access to EVERYTHING everyday, all day…which for some of us, makes it difficult to shut down and go to sleep at a decent time. As I mentioned before, a successful day begins at night, and may times we are setting ourselves up to have a rough day because we go to bed so late. Pick a bed time and stick to it as much as you can. It may help if you begin to shut down all electronic devices maybe 30 minutes before bedtime to help calm your mind. This may be a great time to read a book, meditate, pray, or say a few affirmations before you go to sleep.
Lastly, I recommend that you spend time with God. Pick a time, whether it’s in the morning, during your lunch break, or before bed, and spend some time reading, praying, listening and reflecting. Listen, when you try to make some of these changes, you’re gonna need some help from God to give you strength to keep it up, lol. Growing spiritually is just as important to me as growing mentally and physically. It is my foundation, so even if I do everything else on this list, but don’t spend time with him, it’s all in vain. If you don’t know where to start with this just pick up your bible and read a chapter or pick a person in the bible to learn about. Right now I’m focusing on the new testament, since I’ve always gotten suck in the old testament. I’m learning more about Jesus so read a chapter or two a day, spend some time in prayer, listen to some praise and worship music, and then I begin my day. This is what I do, but I recommend you find what works for you. Spiritual growth can take you places that mental and physical growth can’t, so please don’t neglect it.
So as we approach the month of March, I want you to take this last week of February make the changes needed to reach your goals. Plan ahead to wake up earlier, work out, read, implement self care, eat right, go to bed on time, and spend time with God. Making these changes that are tailor-made for your life can change things in ways you never imagined. It just takes some planning, work, and consistency, but it’s nothing that’s too hard for you to accomplish.
So I hope that you feel inspired to be the change that you want to see in your life, to make the changes and to work toward them consistently with discipline, and to expect the changes that you make to have a positive impact on your life and the life of those around you.
So until next time, stay encouraged and inspire someone else along the way. xo-LaShawnda