“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not.” – Octavia Butler

That quote is only one of the many such words of wisdom that remind us that habits are the foundation to success. A daily routine will reduce the clutter in your mind so you can be more creative in your work. Yet still, that’s easier said than done.

I don’t know about you, but habits have been a constant struggle in my life. I read the Power of Habit and Atomic Habits and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I implemented their methods but nothing seemed to stick. None of them aligned well with how my brain actually works. 

Then one day I heard about the Clean With Me podcast. I thought it was great. It took the decision-making out of a not-so-desirable necessity. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by what to clean or where to clean, I just hit play and she guides me through the process.

Then I thought–what if this was more expansive? What if I just had to hit play in the morning and the rest of my day was decided for me? 

This thought led me to devise The Playlist Method.

How The Playlist Method Works To Guide A Productive Week

It’s a simple concept. 

Create a playlist that’s filled with music you absolutely adore. Then intersperse blocks of  “good habit” activities you want to add to your day. 

Some examples:

• Daily affirmations
• Meditation
• Exercise
• Stretching
• Deep Work
• Cues to take a break

Once you put in that initial work, all you have to do is hit play and let the playlist guide you through your day. This eliminates the guesswork, the paralyzing effects of indecisiveness, and reduces decision fatigue.

The easiest way to understand how it works is to look at an example.

My Monday Playlist

Let me walk you through my Monday playlist. 

I use Spotify but don’t let the platform you use limit the possibilities of this method. Get creative with how you use songs and sounds to cue different activities.

Morning Routine 

I have headphones set right next to my phone so as soon as I turn off my alarm, I put them on and start my Monday Playlist. 

Right from the start, I’m greeted with one of my favorite songs (“Mr. Blue Sky” by ELO). It’s so happy and upbeat that it alone works wonders to encourage a positive mood to start the day.

I use this first song to use the bathroom and brush my teeth and give my dogs a chance to wake up. As the playlist continues, I put on my shoes and leash my dogs and head out the door for our morning walk.

This walk takes about 25 minutes, so I include enough songs to cover its entire length plus buffer time.

At the end, I have a cue song (“Friday Morning” by Khruangbin). I use this in the same spot every day to let myself know that the next set of activities is coming.

This song leads me into my morning affirmation. I use a bonus episode of the podcast Better With Paul where the host says an affirmation for positive thinking.

This flows into 10 minutes of morning meditation. I found an artist called Sound Dreamer who has a wide selection of sounds at set lengths of time. You could use these for any number of activities.

Now that I’m relaxed and clear-headed, it’s time for some energy. I use a podcast called Tiny Workouts where the host guides you through short, simple workouts. Monday is arms and shoulders for me.

After this, I have another block of my favorite music during which I shower and dress, feed my dogs and myself, and then walk to the local cafe. 

Total time: 1 hr 40 m 03 s. The playlist also functions to keep me on time in the morning.

The Work Day

I use 4 x 90 minute blocks of Brown Noise as working sessions for a total of 6 dedicated hours of focused work. 

Between each block I have 3 – 5 songs that cue me to take a break. During this time, I will get up, stretch, walk around, grab a coffee refill, or eat a snack. I don’t eat again until after work so snack breaks are essential.

After Work

After the last 90-minute session, there’s an extended block of music which guides me home and into whatever my plans are for the latter part of the day.

At this point, I often stop the playlist while I socialize with friends and family, watch TV/movies, read, run, walk and listen to an audiobook, etc.

Bedtime Routine

The crucial second decision of the day is jumping back into the playlist to set my bedtime. 

When I’ve concluded my evening plans, I check the time to see how long I have until I need to start my bedtime routine.  I divide this by 4, which creates an approximate number of songs I’ll need to cover the time. For example:

60 minutes / 4 = 15 songs

4 minutes per song is the closest approximation where the math is still easy.

I count back that many songs from the end of the playlist and hit play.

I use another Khruangbin song (“White Gloves”) to cue the start of my bedtime routine, which includes skin care and teeth care and other prep.

Then I have another Tiny Workout–this one for stretching–another Better With Paul affirmation–this one for self-love–and a final 10 minute block of soothing sounds for evening meditation.

At this point the playlist concludes, which is a cue to put my phone away for the day. I set it and my headphones to charge and spend the rest of the night reading until it’s time to go to sleep.

Other Days Of The Week

I went further and created a different playlist for each day of the week. You can see each of them here:

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Each playlist has a different feel to reflect how I think that day feels. It’s fun to get cutsie with selections like “Stuck in the Middle with You” on Wednesday or “Friday I’m in Love” on Friday.

Even though creating all these playlists is more work upfront, it has a few advantages:

• New music each day so it doesn’t get stale
• Variable workouts to hit each part of the body
• Different routine structures depending on the goal of the day

Customize It For Yourself

Obviously, each of these is custom-tailored for my day and my goals. The key to the success of this method is putting in the initial work to make the playlist work for you.

• Choose music that you absolutely adore so you’ll be excited to hit play.
• Base the length of each block around your schedule.
• Include the activities that you want to do based on your goals.
• Pick podcast episodes with hosts who you enjoy listening to. 

The reason I chose Better With Paul and Tiny Workouts is because I love the hosts. The sound of their voices, the background music, and their encouraging nature. They feel like good friends and make me excited to incorporate those activities into my life.

Set it up so that you want to use the method, rather than feeling like you have to follow it. This mental distinction is essential for the method to work.

How To Simplify The Playlist Method

This whole full-day thing may feel a bit overwhelming. You don’t need to plan out your entire day to make use of this method. 

Instead, you can just make a morning routine playlist that guides you from bed to the office. Or just an evening playlist that ensures you get to bed on time.

The concept is flexible. Fit it to your needs and your goals.

Looking To The Future

It’s important to make adjustments regularly. 

• Change the songs to keep it fresh. 
• Change what activities you do as your goals change. 
• Change the order based on what’s working or not working.

Anytime you start to feel the monotony of the routine, switch it up instead of abandoning it altogether.

This method has been transformative for me. I’m feeling mentally and physically healthier, and I’m getting more done than I ever have before. I hope that you can find similar benefits from this method.

That being said, after going HARD on late nights & all nighters for the first six months of business, I reached a point of extreme exhaustion and found myself feeling overly emotional, physically fatigued, and just all around tired. As you may know from experience, this is not a fun (or productive) place to be.

At that point in time, my nighttime schedule looked something like this:

8:00 PM: Work on the couch until eyes are literally shutting

12:00 AM: Head into the bathroom to wash face and brush teeth

12:15 AM: Slide into bed and scroll on IG/check emails until once again, eyes are literally shutting

1:00 AM: Turn out the lights and pass out, toss & turn all night

Upon some self-reflection, it wasn’t hard to realize that this “routine” wasn’t doing me any favors, and it was no wonder I felt drained from the inside out. So, I dove headfirst into research on how to fix my sleep schedule without sacrificing productivity. Upon beginning this journey, I ran into the term “Sleep Hygiene”.

sleep hy·giene noun. habits and practices that are conducive to sleeping well on a regular basis.

Sounds pretty great right? It is! So, to save you hours of research and testing here’s an abridged lesson on the basics of Sleep Hygiene. A Sleep Hygiene 101, if you will – the 10 components of a nighttime routine that have the power to transform your sleep as you know it.

Quality over quantity

While research shows 7-9 hours of sleep is best for adults, the number of hours is null if the sleep is not high-quality. The following tools will help ensure quality sleep, but keep this in mind when you’re mapping out your sleep schedule.

Power down

That’s right, I’m talking about turning off your technology. Not only do electronics emit blue light (which literally tells your brain that it’s time to be awake), they also often are the source of intense stimulation for our senses. The mind needs time to process information and “wind down” thoughts before it will allow you to fall asleep, so the earlier you cut off your time looking at your phone, computer, or tv, the better.

Warm bath/warm water

Submerging your body in warm water is scientifically proven to relax your muscles, relieve pain, and reduce anxiety. It’s no wonder this helps you fall asleep. While a bath is most effective, simply taking a warm shower to rinse off the day can be beneficial as well.

Personal hygiene

I’m sure we can all agree that personal hygiene is important, but when it comes to your nighttime routine, creating strong habits in this category can be especially effective. Not only can these habits assist in sending the message to your brain that it’s time to get in bed, but brushing your teeth and tongue scraping also removes bacteria which improves digestion and allows your body to rest calmly.

Upgraded sleepwear

If you’ve ever woken up in the middle of the night because you’re too hot or sweaty, the culprit may be your sleepwear. Finding breathable sleepwear (especially made from satin, silk, cotton, linen), will keep you cool and dry all night long. Some of my affordable favorites include this satin set & this 100% cotton set.

Red light

Swapping out red light in your lamps in the evening hours is said to help stimulate the production of melatonin (the hormone that controls our sleep cycle). While the research is still a bit inconclusive, it certainly provides a relaxing environment and is much gentler than bright white light or blue light from our devices! Here is the lightbulb I recommend, which is controlled by a remote to dim and change colors.

Cool atmosphere

Similarly to the sleepwear, if your room is either too cold or too hot, you’re much more likely to wake in the night. The ideal temperature for adult humans to sleep in is between 65-67 degrees fahrenheit. Using a fan with a built in air purifier can also help, especially if you live in an urban area where the air quality is less than ideal.

Reading

Diving into a book before bed is linked with increased brain power, creativity, and relaxation. These benefits carry through the night and all the way into the next day, talk about a twofer!

Journaling/writing

The practice of writing before bed can be very therapeutic and is also an excellent way to clear your mind. If you find yourself with “racing thoughts” while you’re trying to fall asleep, keep a journal next to your bed and when your mind begins to move a million miles a minute, take out a pen and write all of the thoughts down. This way, you can rest assured that your thoughts won’t be forgotten the following morning.

Darkness

Of course, it’s well known that it’s easier to sleep with the lights off, but the reasoning runs deep within our biology. While red light may help stimulate melatonin production, pitch darkness is a surefire way to boost the production and signal to your brain that it’s time for bed. That being said, do your best to eliminate any light sources from your room by shutting blinds and potentially sleeping with an eye mask in order to achieve optimal sleep.

With this knowledge, I got straight to work. After about 6 months of testing these strategies and refining my night routine practice, I can confidently say that I have it down to a science.

If you’re looking to kickstart your journey to better sleep, here’s my exact nighttime routine for a successful 5 AM wake up. Give it a try, and shoot me an email or DM to let me know how you feel!

8:00 PM: All technology is put away and placed on Do Not Disturb (or, preferably, Airplane Mode)

8:15 PM: Draw a bath and/or brew peppermint tea

8:45 PM: Rinse the day off, brush teeth, complete skincare routine, put on pajamas

9:00 PM: Prepare for the following day (plug in devices, set coffee machine, lay out gym clothes)

9:15 PM: Set up bedroom for success. Close blinds, switch to red light, turn thermostat down to 67, turn on Dyson fan/air purifier, un-make bed

9:30 PM: Read, journal, and write out any last minute thoughts before heading to sleep

10:00 PM: Lights out, eyes closed. A restful 7 hours of sleep ahead. 

One last note for those of you who may be thinking “This all sounds great, but I need those nighttime hours to work. There’s no way I can get to sleep by 10 PM every night!”.

Look, I hear you. I am you! But, the beauty of this routine is that once you get in a groove, your waking hours are exponentially more productive than they used to be.

Think about it, your brain gets the opportunity to actually recharge and reset during the night, so rather than fighting fatigue on top of a crazy schedule, you’re able to have more energy to do the work, and on top of that, your thoughts will be sharper and quicker. Talk about a productivity hack! Sweet dreams.

However, pleasure does not start with our sex organs and when we view pleasure this way, we skip over the important basics of pleasure.

That is the pleasure of the senses.

If we desire to increase our sensitivity to sensory pleasure, we must be willing to slow down and delight in the fullness of our senses. Once we allow time for self-care rituals based on our five senses, your internal and external world becomes richer and more alive through the feelings experienced. 

A ritual asks us to be committed to our routine. It is important that we are disciplined in our rituals as many women do not rank pleasure as high on their to-do list.

We may view it as an inconvenience or waste of time. The discipline does not mean “you have to feel pleasure” rather it means being intentional, slowing down, and making pleasure a priority in your life.

Sight

A sight ritual centers on taking in our surroundings. Often, our gaze is fixated on multiple screens and we miss out on the world around us.

A great way to remedy this is by taking a walk in nature, visiting art museums, looking at old photographs, or creating a space that is aesthetically pleasing to you. As you look upon something, pay attention to each detail. Notice the varying colors and the contrast between light and dark. A sight ritual looks at the world as one big, beautiful canvas that is waiting to be taken in by the eyes. 

A few practical ways to implement a sense ritual if you are chained to a desk all day is to buy flowers, candles, coasters, coffee cups, pens, etc that you will enjoy looking at throughout the day. A question you can ask yourself when creating a sight ritual is:

• What surrounds me currently and how does that make me feel? How can I improve it?
• What visuals attract my eye?

Smell 

Aromatherapy is heavily praised in scientific and wellness communities for having many positive benefits for well-being. Our sense of smell can be used to deal with insomnia, anxiety, depression, and/or pleasure. 

Here are a few suggestions to tap into your sense of smell:

• Light your favorite candle
• Smell flowers
• Inhale the scent of your beauty products while focusing on each scent note
• Step outside and notice the smell in the air
• Notice the smell in the air in your current surrounding
• Use a diffuser
• Notice the smell of your partner, children, pet, etc.

As you tap into your sense of smell, ask yourself how the scent makes you feel. Does it bring up a memory? Do you enjoy the scent?

Sound

Our sense of sound also plays an important role in mood. For instance, music therapy has been shown to help with anxiety and depression while singing increases our mood and reduces stress. Many of us spend time listening to podcasts, books, or music. However, why not switch it up? Try taking a walk in nature and paying attention to each sound. The sound of your feet on the dirt. The sound of the birds in the air. The sound of the breeze. 

Here are a few more suggestions to dive into the depth of sound:

• Listen to your breath as you inhale and exhale
• Close your eyes (if it’s safe to do so) and listen to the sounds around you
• Read or sing aloud
• Create a playlist with various types of music

Pay attention to how each sound makes you feel. Did the sound make you feel excited? Grounded? Sad? 

Touch

Will you be on soft bamboo sheets, warm rugs, silky pillows, or sandy outdoors? Gather a few different textures to play with. Explore what they feel like on your fingers, your legs, your eyelids, your inner thigh.

Our skin is the largest organ in the body and is always in contact with something, whether we are aware of it or not. By getting curious and leaning into the sensations that arise as we feel things on our skin, we open our world up even further to sensual pleasure. Physical touch from others, such as massage or a hug has a huge impact on how we feel as well.

Here are a few touch explorations to try:

• Lay in bed and feel the texture of your sheets against your skin
• When showering, pay extra close attention to how your skin feels as you lather up
• Feel how your clothes rub against you
• Next time someone hugs or caresses you, feel into the warmth of the embrace
• Take your time rubbing on lotion or beauty products
• Touch a variety of textures and notice the difference (smooth vs rough)

Taste

Food can be a wondrous sensual experience with its varied textures, flavors, and temperatures. It can also connect us to a variety of cultures and bring us joy while also nourishing our beautiful bodies. There is also a sentimental aspect to food as it can remind us of fond memories, or perhaps not so fond. 

Here are a few suggestions to try when incorporating taste into your ritual:

• Slow down when eating and notice the flavors of the food you eat
• Try different recipes to expand your flavor palette
• Savor your food
• Pay attention to the temperature and texture of what you are tasting.

Morning Sense Self-Care Rituals Example

5:00 AM – A gentle alarm goes off so as not to shock the body into a stress state. You soak in the warmth of your bed, inhaling the scent of your sheets while feeling their texture. As you get out of bed, you notice the cool temperature of the room. 

5:15 AM – You brew your coffee paying particular attention to the wonderful aroma. As you sit down on the soft couch and hold the warm cup, you delight in the slightly bitter flavor as you notice how it warms your throat. It brings you back to the memory of the best cup of coffee you ever had in that coffee shop you visited a few years back.

6:30 AM – During your shower, you notice the scent of your favorite soaps and hair products. You feel the touch of your skin as you lather up. The suds feel frothy and light. You notice the heat of the water and see the steam from the shower. 

7:00 AM – Time to start the day

As shown above, we can incorporate our senses into ALL areas of our life. Life can be an intentional ritual full of sensual pleasure without being sexual in nature. When we allow ourselves to experience life in this way, we open ourselves up to a life turned on. We don’t need to wait for a vacation to bring our senses online and experience joy and pleasure. We get to experience it now, in this moment. 

Sense ritual 

If you find yourself having difficulty slowing down to enjoy the senses, scheduling in a sense ritual is an excellent way to start getting in touch with yourself. 

This sense ritual can be done alone or with a partner.

Step 1: Set the scene

You will need to gather a few items to delight each of your senses:

Touch: Grab a variety of textures to play around with. Feathers, silk, rough, soft.

Taste: This is entirely up to you. A charcuterie board offers a variety of flavors. So does different types of chocolate and fruit. Put together something that pairs well and offers a variety of tastes and textures. 

Sight: In your ritual space, make it cozy and aesthetically pleasing if you can. Also, bring a blindfold. Using a blindfold while experiencing the other senses can help you feel into them more deeply.

Smell: Light a candle or use a diffuser. 

Sound: Put together a playlist specifically for your practice that incorporates a variety of sounds or songs

Step 2: Set a length of time

Once you have everything in place, commit to a set length of time to really delight in your senses. Make sure you are in an area that will not be disturbed. Then, get started! As you feed your senses, make sure you focus on how you FEEL. The feeling paired with the senses is what ignites you from within. 

By feeding our senses, we are experiencing embodiment on a deep level by opening up to the sensory enjoyment of that moment AND dropping into our felt sense of pleasure. With time and practice, you will be able to feel pleasure naturally regardless of external situations.

Muse upon 10 actions you do on a daily and how you can incorporate your five senses more into your self-care rituals.

That’s because you are likely fighting against your  

Ayurveda reminds us of our connection to Mother Nature and helps us get back in tune with the cycles that exist within each day, each year, and over the course of our lives.

These energies are known as the Doshas – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha make up our mental and physical essence.

The more we connect to the natural rhythms of life, the more we can effortlessly flow and be most efficient with our time and productive with our energy. 

A lot of this can seem foreign and difficult to grasp especially if this is your first time learning about the Doshas and cycles of life.

So let’s backtrack and break things down a bit.

First and foremost, Ayurveda is the Science of Life… it’s also known and the Sister Science of Yoga or the lifestyle that supports the practice of Yoga.

Ayurveda reminds us that we are creatures of nature, we are not separate from it and it sees our mind and body as ONE. It also teaches us that there are 5 building blocks that make up nature – fire, water, earth, air, and space.

When two specific elements mix they create energy also known as a Dosha. 

Earth + Water = Kapha 

Fire + Water = Pitta 

Air + Space = VATA 

These energies each possess specific qualities and knowing them allows us to stay balanced by abiding by the principle of like increases like and opposite brings balance.

Kapha time of the day: 6–10 am and 6–10 pm

When you first wake up in the morning, the world’s energy is slow, heavy, and cool. Birds are starting to chirp, things are quiet and there’s a sense of comfort and steadiness. In terms of being productive, this is the big inhale part of the day before the pace picks up and your energy starts to build.

This is a great time to ease into your workflow by completing simple tasks, scheduling calls that don’t require you to be center stage, and checking things off of your to-do list while you’re calm, steady, and gracefully focused.

BONUS: If you want to hack your energy a bit, it would be a great time to squeeze in some movement before you start your day just in case you’re feeling a little sluggish. The opposition of movement and stimulation from exercise will help you feel most energized throughout the day. (Opposite brings balance) 

Alternative hack: Coffee lovers, although caffeine can increase the Vata dosha and is not recommended from an Ayurvedic perspective, this would be the most ideal time to have your beloved cappuccino or latte. This could help combat the slow, heavy energy of Kapha – a little stimulation during these hours could be the nice jolt you need to get moving.  

Note: It’s most ideal to shut down your workday around 6 pm at the latest so you can then fall back into the steady, cool, calmness of the evening. This is the time to wind down and get to bed before 10 pm. 

Pitta time of the day: 10 am–2 pm and 10 pm–2 am

This is the time when your brain is fired up, turned on, ready to focus and get your Type A tasks done. This is the time to dive in on big projects, close deals, hop on sales calls, give presentations, etc.

Capitalizing on this energy will allow you to prioritize the things that require more focus so that you make headway without feeling like you don’t have the energy to back up the tasks at hand. This is also the time when you’d want to schedule your biggest meal of the day: LUNCH.

When the sun is highest in the sky and your digestion is at its peak, it’s designed to digest the most amount of food. It’s crucial to make space for nourishment during this time for a healthy, hearty meal.

Fueling your vessel will allow you to feel supported and balanced throughout the day. Skipping this can lead to unhealthy decisions, unbalanced blood sugar and feeling depleted unable to perform well no matter how and which ways you structure your day.

The later part of the day between 10 pm – 2 am is when Pitta strikes again.

Have you ever noticed if you fight the natural sleepiness that sets in around 10 pm, you get a second wind? Do you feel like you could stay up and work for hours? Or maybe you just find it hard to fall asleep. Where my night owls at? That’s because the fire, focused, active energy is turned back on at this time.

However, it’s also when your liver goes into deep detox. So in order to feel the most energized and refreshed the following day, it’s best to be sleeping during these hours to let your body fully reboot and do its thing.

Capitalize on the Kapha energy between 6 pm – 10 pm to slow down, unwind and go to bed.

Vata time of the day: 2–6 pm and 2–6 am

This is the time when you are likely to feel the most creative and inspired.

Distraction and more scattered thinking may set in. You might find it more difficult to complete tasks that require more structure and organization. It’s great to do creative projects during these hours or maybe take a break to journal, go for a walk in nature, read a book and let your creative juices flow.

Release any pressure to get things done and instead open yourself up to universal downloads and to receive the inspiration that will help you move forward in ways other than getting tasks complete. Try not to feed into the urge for the second cup of coffee or double espresso during these hours thinking that you still need to be focused and productive. This will throw off the rest of your day, keeping you up later and creating a domino effect that can lead to all sorts of imbalance and depletion.

Instead, honor your energy and create space to just be.

You’d most likely want to be sleeping during 2 am – 6 am unless you are deep on the spiritual path. These are the hours that some gurus choose to practice meditation. Since the world is lighter and you are more connected to the ethers, it’s considered the ideal time to get the most out of your spiritual practice.

Keep in mind, there will be an adjustment period as your body realigns to these cycles of nature, especially if you’ve been going against the grain for a while.

Remember, Ayurveda is a holistic approach to life. It’s always a combination of diet, lifestyle, understanding yourself, and connection to nature on a deeper level that will allow you to unlock your greatest human potential.

If you feel your diet and lifestyle habits are not supporting your unique state of balance you may be experiencing heavy energy that prevents you from tapping into the natural flow of life.

If that’s the case, a great place to start is clearing out the toxins that have built up in your intestines over the months/years also known as “ama”.

Ayurveda believes that all disease and symptoms of imbalance start in the gut. Strengthening digestion will allow your body and mind to reset so that you can then feel naturally motivated and effortlessly inclined to flow with the natural rhythms of life.

If you’d like personal guidance on your diet and lifestyle reach out via my IG @ayurveda.amanda or email and inquire about the Mind-Body Reset Group Cleanse coming up on March 15th. No starving juicing or fasting involved just a delicious ancient healing dish called kitchari that supports the body as it enters detox mode.

Regardless, remember to honor your energy. If you feel like you are on an uphill climb every day, it’s just a matter of making small shifts at a time. Baby steps are the key to a long-term sustainable, healthy lifestyle that allows you to be the fullest expression of who you are designed to be.

Read next: How To Be Productive Based On Your Ayurvedic Dosha

But what happens when you’ve worked hard to create a routine that worked for you, only to experience a lifestyle change that throws your routine off its tracks? 

Feelings of frustration, anger, and disappointment often follow disrupted routines in my life. It sucks to work hard at something, to feel as if you’re on track to achieve your goals and dreams, only to get thrown off course and interrupted. 

Here’s the deal though, life comes with unexpected changes all the time. You can still achieve all of your goals and dreams! Unforeseen lifestyle changes don’t have to consume you or hold you back. 

It’s possible to keep moving forward as long as you know how to adapt and build a new routine. Try these tips for building a new routine in the face of an unexpected change without losing momentum on the progress of your goals. 

Decide what matters

When deciding how to build your new routine, take some time to consider what matters most to you. Understand the reasons why your routine needs to change and what factors will impact the changes you need to make. Define your intentions and the outcomes you hope to achieve first. 

Ask yourself: 

• Why do I need to create a new routine? 
• What am I hoping to get out of this new routine? 
• How do I want my routine to make me feel? 
• What worked well for me previously? 
• What changes should I consider to make my new routine more effective than my previous one?
• What tasks or activities am I trying to support by implementing a new routine?

For example, when my morning routine changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I redefined what I wanted my mornings to look like and how to best use my time within my new environment. Without having to wake up and get ready for and commute to work each morning, I wanted to make sure I crafted a routine that allowed me to sustain the energized, positive attitude I started my mornings with previously. I wanted to implement activities that supported good energy to help me stay focused and productive throughout the day. 

Choose small, measurable actions to incorporate into your routine

Progress can be hard to track if it can’t be measured in some way. One way to increase the success of your new routine is to identify and incorporate small, measurable actions. 

A few of my favorite morning routine activities are: 

• Making the bed 
• Opening the blinds and windows to let the sunlight in 
• Reading 20 pages of a book while drinking a cup of coffee 
• Completing one Yoga with Adriene video on YouTube

Not only do these activities create a tidy environment and clear headspace for me to prepare for the day ahead, but they are also easy to measure. Measurability helps me understand if I’m on track or not.

Find an accountability partner

Finding an accountability partner can help set you up for success, particularly if you are extrinsically motivated. 

Let’s say you’re looking to implement a brand new fitness routine into your day-to-day plans. You want to work out every evening at the same time, but you often talk yourself out of your pre-planned work out for various reasons. 

Find a friend, spouse, partner, or coworker that might be interested in committing to your new fitness routine to do it with you. Work through the details and hold each other accountable. If you set a meeting time, hold each other accountable for showing up on time. If you set a specific goal (e.g. 20 pushups every day), check-in with each other, and ask for progress updates.

Keep in mind that you can hold a partner accountable virtually or electronically too! Being an accountability partner can occur in a variety of ways, so don’t feel limited to in-person strategies.

Write down your new routine, or follow a Google Calendar

It’s useful to think through your new routine in your head, but writing it down, or mapping it out can help you stay on schedule and feel more committed. 

While I’m a fan of my paper planner and writing tasks down, I also favor using my Google Calendar for plans and lean on it for time blocking purposes. Once you’ve determined what your new routine is going to be, get those thoughts out of your head and onto paper or in your electronic calendar. 

Get in the habit of planning your weeks ahead of time 

Adjusting to a new routine will require a transition period. You can make the transition easier on yourself by getting in the habit of planning your weeks ahead of time. Planning your weeks out ahead of time prevents feelings of overwhelm and trains your brain to know what to expect. Consistency is key! 

For example, perhaps you have the same GYST day every week. (If you don’t have a GYST day, you need one!) You know what to expect each week on your GYST day and know exactly how and where it fits into your routine. 

Check-in with yourself and review your routine

As you start to build and try out your new routine, check-in with yourself regularly to determine if it’s working for you. If there are parts of your new routine that don’t feel right, think of ways that you can change your new routine to increase its value. Don’t be afraid to change something that isn’t working rather than feel forced to make it work. 

That said, I’m challenging you to try it.

Last month, I decided that I would experiment with Monday–Thursday without TV in the evenings for a couple weeks. The results? I felt more rested, read more than ever, and was actually able to get to bed earlier and wake up at 5:15 in the morning with ease (which never happened before).

While I spend a lot of my evenings working on Life Goals, and not totally screen-free, I think it’s important to end our days without technology when possible. If you’re not spending all your free hours on your own business, create an evening routine or maybe dedicate one evening to screen-free bliss. Pick something on this list, and see if you feel more productive and put together the next day.

If you leave yourself an hour or two free in the evenings to unwind, here are some ideas on how you can fill the time and recharge without technology.

1. Spend time outside

You can stargaze or spend time on your balcony or porch, if you have one and the weather permits. Pour a glass of wine, or grab a Kombucha or beverage of choice, and just relax with your partner, roommate, friend or solo. You can read or talk, or just enjoy the organic sounds of the outdoors.

2. Journal 

Creating a consistent journaling habit is so beneficial for your mental health, and yet, it’s one that we usually think about when things aren’t going smoothly in our lives. It’s a great tool for working through problems, but it’s also great for just figuring out what you’re feeling and jotting it down instead of holding it in. If you want somewhere to start, check out this list of 50 journal prompts for self-reflection.

3. Meditate

When you think of meditation, you might feel like you need an app to guide you through, and if that’s your practice and you can’t get yourself to meditate without it, go for it – and put your phone away as soon as the meditation ends.

But if you want to stick to a totally tech-free evening, try a silent meditation and add a mantra. It’s a different kind of meditation if you’ve always done guided and you might find that while it’s easier to get distracted by your mind, you’re also a lot more likely to get to the magical place of ~no thoughts~. Follow your breath and use a simple mantra like “om” to get your mind back to your breath.

4. Color

Relax with coloring, or even watercoloring after dinner. Get creative! We don’t play enough as adults. You can color with an adult coloring book and feel free to color outside the lines. We don’t judge here. It’s all about relaxing and enjoying.

5. Play board games

Make up your own games! My boyfriend and I created a fun drinking game while at a brewery together, and you can do the same at home or out somewhere. It’s even more fun after you’ve crafted the game to invite friends over to play with you.

6. Cook from a recipe in an actual cookbook

There are so many recipes online that it can feel really indulgent to purchase a cookbook, or even taking the time to select the dishes you want to make. Embrace the indulgence, sit on the couch, relax and flip through a cookbook and leave sticky notes on a few that you want to make. 

7. Read a book or magazine

Flipping through a print magazine is the epitome of relaxation to me, and some of the only times I’ll purchase one is if it’s one that feels like a good coffee table selection, or if I’m on a long flight. But I love the idea of going to Barnes and Noble (another leisurely activity that’s a favorite of mine) and selecting a magazine at random to flip through before bed. Books are the more obvious choice, but reading is so essential in all forms. Try to read a physical book before bed to protect your eyes – or if you’re a total minimalist and reading on an e-reader is your thing, be sure to invest in some blue light protection glasses.

8. Study a new topic

I suddenly became deeply interested in subjects only after graduating college, and now I can’t even believe how much I want to learn. A few things on my list of researching are hormone health, yoga, enneagram and religion. I’m curious about a lot of topics, but when the internet is around and work can be done or a TV show can be watched, I’m less likely to do that research. Pull out a notebook and get your inner nerd on. Start taking notes and researching.

9. Sew/knit

I’ve been wanting to macrame for awhile now, and my mom even bought me a beautiful macrame DIY kit two Christmases ago. Have I touched it? Nope. Do I still want to do it? Yes, ma’am. This is the kind of thing I totally picture myself doing while relaxing on a sofa with some wine. It sounds so idyllic, right? 

10. Create a yoga or stretching sequence

Intuitive stretching is a great approach to a yoga sequence, because you can build the series based on what your body actually needs. Instead of following along to a yoga video, see if you can create a sequence on your own.

11. Outline a book 

Dream of writing a book? Get started with outlining. You might need a computer once you get to the next point in the process, and when you do, turn the WiFi off. But to start, use a notebook and start figuring out what you want to write.

12. Plan your day for the next day

What do you want to accomplish in the morning? Sometimes a productive day needs an intention before it begins. The hardest part for me when I first crafted my morning routine was figuring out how to start my morning. If I didn’t have a set agenda, it was easy to forget about my goal and opt to sleep in. Go to bed with a mission for the next day. Craft a morning that feels both productive and rewarding, so that you can wake up with excitement instead of dread.

13. Bullet journal or create a self-care journal

The all-in-one journaling system, called bullet journaling, has long been the creative’s favorite way to plan. There are spreads everywhere on the internet to inspire pages upon pages of planning. You can get ideas from our bullet journaling ideas post, or create a self-care version for all things you need to hear, and see when you need some extra love.

14. Take a bath with fun bath bombs

Baths are probably the most common option for a self-care evening without technology, so I get it if you’re rolling your eyes. But it has to be said. You can create a real bath time ritual that you love, with crystals, a good book, CBD and some amazing bath products. There’s so much you can do to make bathing a ritual. Here’s how we create a cozy bath ritual.

15. Create a solid skincare routine 

Do you have a skincare practice that doesn’t feel like a chore, but feels relaxing? Do you have a night during the week where you take longer showers, do a face mask, and really shower yourself with self-care? If not, it’s time to elevate your skincare routine. Here’s a list of clean skincare brands we love that might take your skincare practice to the next level.

16. Work on a house project

That “someday” list of house or apartment projects can now be tackled! It feels so good when you tackle one of those things on that someday list. What’s a DIY project you’ve been wanting to do for awhile now, but always put it off for a time when you’re not as busy? Take action.

17. Curate care packages to send to friends

Nothing feels better than getting a surprise gift in the mail, except maybe the joy of putting it together. You get so excited for the delivery to the recipient and it’s so fun selecting content for a package filled with love. If someone has recently moved or hasn’t been having an easy time lately, it might be fun to curate a package filled with beauty products or snacks or thoughtful little gifts.

18. Going for a walk or run outside

There are so many fun houses in my neighborhood that I didn’t notice until my second year living in Long Beach. One evening, my family was visiting, and we went on a totally different route along the water and I was thrown off. I’d always walked a route that I liked, but felt kind of bored with and suddenly I was excited about my neighborhood again. I started taking walks every evening.

Sometimes it takes a little exploring to figure it out. So take time to explore your area – map out a run that is a little different or take a different path while you’re out. We get stuck in our routines and forget that there are so many roads unexplored.

19. Create a travel journal

Find yourself reminiscing on your last vacation and counting down the days until your next one? Look back on your travel photos and create a travel journal. There’s no reason your photos need to just sit on your phone or instagram feed. Make it a fun project, print out photos, get some fun papers and stickers and create a little journal, documenting your adventure.

20. Draw or sketch

You could even get competitive with a fun drawing competition with your partner or roommate. You can play music in the background on vinyl if you have a player. It might be cheating a bit but we’ll allow it. Choose something to draw, set a timer and maybe even post them both to social media and put it to your friends to vote on whose is better.

21. Go through your old stuff

It doesn’t have to be spring to go through your things. Give things away, purge, sort, clean, donate. Start with a small space, and work your way to the tougher areas of the home. A good place to start is your junk drawer. We all have one, and they’re such a headache to go through. Yet, it’s small enough that you can tackle it in less than 20 minutes.

Do you find it hard to spend an evening without technology? What’s your favorite way to wind down?

You likely remember having a bedtime as a child to ensure you got the proper amount of rest. But children aren’t the only ones who need to give their bodies a chance to recharge. For adults, the National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours of quality sleep every night. You owe it to yourself to take good care of yourself.

However, sometimes settling down after getting through a demanding schedule is trickier than it seems. Your mind may still be active thinking about the day’s events or even running through what you want to accomplish the following day. Having a routine to help you wind down may be a key ingredient to getting that oh-so-important rest.

About an hour before you go to bed, try using some of these techniques to have a peaceful night.

Turn off electronics

Shut down anything with a screen—tablets, phones, computers—to eliminate the distraction and the light that will keep you awake. Being connected or constantly “plugged in” is the norm in today’s society, and it could be wreaking havoc on your sleep. Checking email and watching TV stimulate your brain and send the message that it is time to be awake.

Write down worries for the day

If you find that your thoughts drift toward what happened during the day or what should happen the next day, capture those thoughts on paper. Use a journal or a notepad and write your thoughts or tasks down so you can feel assured that you won’t forget the ideas. You can go back to them when it’s time to be alert and take action.

Give your teeth some attention

One thing you can do to support optimum physical health should happen every night as part of your routine. Bacteria in our mouths are especially active when we sleep at night. The goal is to avoid giving the bacteria anything to feed on. Brushing, flossing and rinsing with mouthwash are three easy steps to take to keep you oral health in check. Highly regard medical officials have even announced that just adding flossing to your routine can add over six years onto your life. If that’s not motivation to get out the floss – I don’t know what is!

Have a regular sleep schedule

There’s more to getting enough sleep than simply feeling good. Following a regular sleep schedule affects your circadian rhythms, or internal clock, which contributes to you getting better sleep. Every 24 hours people go through physical, mental and behavioral changes in response to the light and darkness around them. Going to sleep and waking up at about the same time each day will keep your rhythms on track.

Unplug in the bedroom

Doing work, texting or watching television in bed may be comfortable, but those activities can also be hindering you from getting a good night’s sleep. Spending time on activities that require concentration is time you are not spending resting. Those activities can interrupt your sleep pattern and lead to poor sleep at night.

Taking some simple steps to create or add to your nightly routine can have a big impact of the amount and quality of sleep you get. Experiment with several options and find what works best for you. Your body will thank you.