Routines

[Seirende]

I'm trying to have more structure and routine in my life for reasons of mental health and I could use some inspiration. So, tell me about the routines that you maintain on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.

Some things I'm trying to do is incorporate meditation into the beginning and end of my day and during the day to do regular exercise, reading, and social activities.

 

[VentMonkey]

My wife and I are both extremely regimented individuals. I don’t know where to start with advice, but what I will say is we try feverishly at times to instill this ethic into our children’s lives.

For exercise, I am an avid runner and basic calisthenics kinda person. It’s helped tremendously through the recent pandemic-driven gym shutdowns.

I work with people from all walks of the “routine” spectrum and from what I’ve seen it’s typically a smidge harder to develop once you’re older. Certainly not impossible though.

GL, and mind you this is all coming from a schlub with 3 kids and wonderfully, patient and understanding wife. It’s certainly doable!

 

[Seirende]

My wife and I are both extremely regimented individuals. I don’t know where to start with advice, but what I will say is we try feverishly at times to instill this ethic into our children’s lives.

For exercise, I am an avid runner and basic calisthenics kinda person. It’s helped tremendously through the recent pandemic-driven gym shutdowns.

I work with people from all walks of the “routine” spectrum and from what I’ve seen it’s typically a smidge harder to develop once you’re older. Certainly not impossible though.

GL, and mind you this is all coming from a schlub with 3 kids and wonderfully, patient and understanding wife. It’s certainly doable!

I also like basic calisthenics and I've tried taking up running, 'bout due for another go at that. Yoga is the other exercise I like. Oh, and I forgot about bicycling, though I have to repair my bicycle and that's kept me from it for a while.

I certainly wasn't raised with much routine and I've never had much imposed routine in my life even with work. I put in a request at my current job for my shifts to be scheduled at around the same time of day, so that's a step.

 

[DrParasite]

i wake up every day at 630, Monday to Saturday (because i used to do stuff on Saturdays, now i've changed it to Monday to Friday only). first thing i do is generally check the news on my phone via google news. by 7am I'm in the shower, unless I'm delayed by getting my son up. I have breakfast around 730 (either a bowl of cereal or an omelette with spinach, hot sauce, and cheddar cheese), and then i'm off to work.

I work 8 to 5 normally, so i get in, check my email, see what disasters I have to deal with; fix any crises, work on projects, etc, and attend any meetings. my lunch is 1230 to 130ish, and on Mondays my coworkers and I go to the local pub for a burger. every Monday and Wednesday, I have 90 minutes of workout time scheduled from 530 to 7; it's in my calendar. Dinner is at 7:30 on workout nights, and 6ish on non-workout nights. if I'm working an evening shift at the FD, i typically go from work to the station, make my bed, cook dinner, see what the captain has planned for the evening, and by 11 pm it's lights out time. if I'm teaching, I go straight from work to the college (classes run 6pm to 10pm), so I get there 15 minutes early, get anything set up, see what my lead instructor has planned, make a lot of stuff up for the class, and by 10pm, it's home, light dinner, and bed.

When I was on the truck full time, I would wake up at 5, shower, shave (sometimes), and make it to work for my 6am start time. truck check of essentials happened first, then get a bagel from easton bagels, with a cin raisin bagel with 2 eggs and crispy bacon. next followed a complete equipment check to make sure we weren't missing anything. handle any calls during my 12 hour shift., with lunch around noonish. nap sometimes in the morning, call volume permitting. head straight to the gym after work, then home, shower, food, cartoons, and reading.

I like having a routine, as well as using a google calendar to schedule everything. even something as simple as planning my weekend, and allocating time for grocery shopping (with the list of items in the details), vacuuming, and any other item i want to finish. I might over do it, but otherwise i feel like i miss things. even something as simple as allocating 2 hours to work on HW for grad school; it lets me know that my goal was to spend 2 hours working on that assignment, before i was distracted by something else.

 

[Seirende]

I put in a request at my current job for my shifts to be scheduled at around the same time of day, so that's a step.

I will say that the simple tactic of switching to being scheduled exclusively in the mornings at work has brought a drastic improvement in the flow of my day.

 

[CCCSD]

I get up at 0630, feed the pup. At 0900 I walk the dog while drinking my coffee and smoking a good cigar or two.
The rest of the day...whatever.

 

[VentMonkey]

At 0900 I walk the dog while drinking my coffee and smoking a good cigar or two.

Well ain’t you just a regular old Col. Hannibal? I’m a little jealous.

 

[CCCSD]

Heeeheeeheee...

 

[Carlos Danger]

I will say that the simple tactic of switching to being scheduled exclusively in the mornings at work has brought a drastic improvement in the flow of my day.

Along those lines, getting up at the same time every day and going to bed at the same time every night helps me a lot. I don't follow a routine as consistently as I'd prefer because of a somewhat unpredictable work / call schedule and family commitments, but all things being equal I get up at 0430 each day, have some coffee while I check my personal email and read the news, work out in my garage from about 0500-0600, then shower and get dressed, eat a quick breakfast, and off to work. In the evening I usually have dinner and hang out with my wife and daughter for a couple hours, and then I'll get my clothes around for the next morning, prepare or least plan my meals for the next day, plan out my morning workout in my workout log, and read a little before bed. I keep a running "to do" list on my phone and try to check a thing or two off each day after work, time and motivation allowing.

On the weekends I don't set an alarm but I usually wake up pretty early without it (it's very rare that I don't wake up on my own before my alarm goes off). I try to get everything I need to get done (lawn work, errands, etc.) during the week so my weekends are pretty free.

 

[Aprz]

Morning and night, I cleanse, tone, and moisturize my face. I brush my teeth morning and night. I use a waterpik at night. I try to put sunscreen on every 2 hours during the daytime. Every Tuesday, I eat food from the same Chinese restaurant I've been going to for years.