Our daily routine has an enormous influence over our attitude and, I believe, sense of satisfaction with our life.
I also believe that, given our differences, everyone has a routine that works best for them.
For me, finding time to blog, Skype with family, exercise, read, visit with friends, take photos of Buffalo, volunteer for The Senase Project, bask in the summer sun, and write in my journal is crucial.
one of my favorite hobbies: walking & photographing Canalside
However, life throws us curve balls which inevitably throw off our routine.
For example, I got laid off and found a new job with different hours. Now that I’ve been at the job for a few months, I’ve had time to establish and settle into a new routine that works for me.
I have a great morning routine which involves a trip to the gym for some cardio and lifting, followed by a walk to work and a big breakfast.
Throughout my day, I do my best to take 20 minutes of time to devote to a hobby – be it blogging, taking a walk outside or reading a book.
Right now, I’m reading Chelsea Handler’s “Uganda Be Kidding Me”, which is laugh out loud funny.
Anyway, I believe that it’s up to us to decide whether our routine is important enough to us to take the effort needed to reestablish it in a way that works with our new reality.
Establishing a routine that worked with my new job was critical if I wanted to regain my work-life balance, which is something I feel strongly about.
I think too many of us fail to take the time in our busy lives to stop and evaluate whether our current routine is working for us on all cylinders: physical, mental and emotional.
We might be killing it at work but if we are exhausting ourselves by lack of sleep or down time, or if we’re depressing ourselves by abandoning a hobby we loved, we are losing ourselves in the process.
My routine adds a layer of comfort and organization to my day, and following it means that I’m taking care of myself physically, mentally and emotionally.
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to abandon our hobbies and stop making time for the things we love but it doesn’t mean it’s not important and necessary…it just means you have to make it work.
