Autumn routine re-jig

ft. my autumn playlist

I bang on about routine. Specifically my routine and all the ways it sets me up for success. You might recall my ‘Don’t f**k with my routine’ post from last month where I listed my weekday up-and-at-em to nighty-night-sleep-tight non-negotiables, and explored why I revel in ticking off an hourly to-do list.

Well I was feeling a little restless in my regime so I decided an autumnal rejig was needed. New normality here we come. I say new, it was really just starting my day an hour earlier thus having a new vacant hour’s slot in the morning to do with what I please.

I wanted to be a part of the timeless, ever popular 6am club. Why you ask? Why did I wait until the darkness of Autumn and accompanying penetrating cold to start leaving the toastiness of my bed at 6am, to stumble through the shadows hoping to not trip over a solitary Croc or displaced Kong toy? Well, I just wanted to.

Another thing I bang on about is pushing myself to find a home in discomfort. Yes, I must be a sadist. My previous routine was working well but I got a little comfortable with it. Like sitting in a chair that has a mould of your bum. It fits well but feels a bit worn. I wanted a new chair that would take a few hours of dedicated, serial sitting before my imprint appeared (this analogy is weird lol). 

I am 1 week into my 6am starts and I’m obsessed. Can someone explain to me why I have more energy when I’m depriving myself of an hour’s sleep? A colleague mentioned its to do with something REM cycle something something but I wasn’t paying attention because my focus was consumed with completing the client emails I had dedicated the hour to.  My routine makes me uber conscious of the time and energy I surrender to my tasks so rather than multi-task (which I find leads to sub-par execution of almost anything for me), I will happily context-switch instead. I obviously did neither in this scenario. 

Without further ado, here’s my Autumn routine re-jig:

• 6am: Wake up⏰

• 6:30am: Workout🏋🏽‍♀️

• 7:30am: Take bubs out🐾

• 8-9am: Write or play with Final Cut Pro💻

• 9am: Log in to work🖥️

• 10am: Breakfast🥞☕

• 2:45pm: Lunch🌯☕

• 5:30pm: Log out of work👋🏽

• 5:30pm: Play with bubs🐾

• 6pm: Write or play with Final Cut Pro💻

• 7pm: Dinner🍛

• 8pm: Family time👫🏽🐶

• 11pm: Bed💤

I’m aware that a routine that appears as rigid and time-blocked as mine isn’t for everyone. I, however, need the structure. 

It started in the early days of my sobriety when I realised I needed to build out my day to shift the focus from I’m losing alcohol to I’m gaining life. Cheesy but that’s literally what it was. At the time I thought it was just distracting myself from the thought of drinking or keeping myself busy until it was time to sleep. Now I see it was the other way around. Alcohol was distracting me from life so I had a crash-course reintroduction to what life could be. I threw many activities into my junk drawer of a day but slowly sieved out the ones I didn’t care for and kept the ones I did.

I wouldn’t be able to stick to this routine if I didn’t enjoy it to some extent. I’m not bouncing out of my bed at 6am with the synthetic enthusiasm of a dungaree-wearing starlet in the opening credits of a 90s sitcom, but equally I’m not pulsating with anger when my alarm goes off (my ONE alarm. Game changer).

This works for me. It might not work for you. We each have to find what fits us.

I created a playlist that I literally listen to everyday. I love it so thought I’d share. The order of the songs work for me.

I wonder if living ‘seasonally’ doesn’t only apply to the food we eat (lol). What do you think? Has your routine changed as we are edging closer to the midst of the darker months?

Some snaps from my day!

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