December Challenge: Routine

Courtesy of Martin Petitt

If I’m to ever achieve anything of my life ticket and get things done one of the first areas I really need to concentrate on is my routine, or currently lack of it.

I did some experimenting, earlier in the year, with months of almost ever day early rising but not every day.  I’ve also managed a couple of evening routines, neither of which stuck.  So Dec is about getting a suitable routine.

On the face of it routine is extremely boring and seems to me to be very old school.  In fact just the thought of that routine I used to have as a kid fills me with dread to even start a new routine.  It tends to go against my ideal of being able to ‘come and go’ as I please and makes me fill tied down, especially when I don’t actually need a routine.  I mean, everyone has one to some extent but on a weekend if I want to sleep in then I’m more than happy to shut the alarm off and turn over.  However it can’t be denied that there is a lot of encorougement for routine and indeed those that get things done can’t do without one.

So what am I planning to do?

• Wake every day (inc Sat & Sun, and holidays) early.

Not sure how early at the moment.

• To write creatively every day (250 words, 2,500 words – it doesn’t matter)
• To exercise every day for at least 30mins.

Slightly harder, that one,  as I’m not quite sure what exercise although I have a few ideas.

• Write a ‘to do’ list (I like lists so this should be good), of two things to complete that same day.

Why only two?  I have job things to complete as well!  Aside from that a more Zen lifestyle would claim it’s better to properly complete two tasks than rushing through seven tasks and not remembering how you did any of them.  I’ve got a hundred lists on the go at any one time but I never actually finish any one of them.

• To just sit and be mindful, be grateful, and to enjoy what I have right here, right now.

I do that ever so often but really if I want to set my day right then it’s probably a good idea to do this first thing rather than lunchtime.

• Organise my clothes, my dishes, and generally clean away before heading somewhere else (Bed, work etc).

I don’t know about anyone else but I have an dreadful tendency to just dump my morning’s plate on the sideboard to be cleaned in the evening and I dump my clothes of a night to just pick them up and put them in the wash the next day.  Clearly both of those actions aren’t useful but they are systematic in there own right which is a habit I shall need to break.

So, you ask, if it’s the 7th of Dec now, how well are you doing?

Umm, well not good actually.  The early morning is the biggest struggle for obvious winter reasons.  I failed 1st, 2nd, 3rd but made it on the 5th onwards.  Writing good, exercise kind of okay but must try harder and organisation?  Don’t ask!

It does feel totally alien getting up two hours before it gets light.  My whole body and mind is screaming for me to go back to sleep at the moment.

This is going to be a tough month!

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