Make A Stress Free Daily Routine

Ever heard of the island town that wants to get rid of time?
 
They have constant daylight from May 18th to July 26th every summer.
 
Imagine boating at 3am or gardening at 4am.
 
The 300 residents of Sommaroy, Norway proposed this idea of breaking free from the “global clock” and having a time-free zone in 2019.

Visitors play along by leaving their watches on the bridge.
 
Some say it’s just a marketing strategy to attract summer tourists.
 
Can you imagine all of the logistical issues? 
 
When do you check out of a hotel or how do you know when a store or restaurant is open? 
 
You can take away time but at some point, you’ll need to decide when you’re going to sleep and eat regularly to function on a basic level.
 
YOUR BRAIN CRAVES A DAILY ROUTINE.
 
The more structure you give it, the better it'll perform.

Ever tried to make some healthy habit changes like going to the gym regularly and notice resistance popping up?
 
That’s partly your brain trying to keep you safe.
 
It doesn’t know that going to the gym is going to help you get stronger and healthier.
 
It just knows it’s a change in your routine.
 
Do you need to clean up any of your Daily Routines right now?
 
If you’re not sure, ask yourself:
 
Are you waking up well-rested, accomplishing the most important tasks each day, and feeling hopeful & happy overall?
 
On a more basic level (just like we monitor with babies)… are you eating, sleeping and pooping?
 
If not, you may need to make some tweaks to your routine and how you support your brain & body by prepping & planning better for your daily activities & rest.
 
Let’s review some ways to structure your day to be your most productive, energetic, creative self.
 
You can use them to help you get back on track or stay on track.
 
To begin, look at how you are scheduling your waking, eating, and sleeping times. Trying to keep consistent times in these 3 areas will do a lot for your overall performance.
 
You can also use the 8+8+8 rule to keep it simple. You’ve got 8 hours each day for:

• Sleep
• Hard work
• Play (hobbies, exercise, relaxation, socializing, creative & soul fulfilling activities)

 
DAILY ROUTINE CHECK IN:

Do a Daily Routine Check In to see what you might want to tweak.
 
*Remember when you want to make changes to your routine or add new healthy habits, always ease into them and try to tie it to something you're already doing. Example: breath work while you drink your morning coffee or tea; exercise after you walk the dog.

Need help narrowing it down to your One Thing? Check out this FIT Blog.
 
BASIC MOVES:

• How do you START your day? Think about the fuel, hydration, movement, and/or meditation you need to TURN ON your brain & body for the day.
• How do you PACE yourself throughout the day, so you maintain a good energy level? Think about the meal, rest, or movement breaks you need to SUPPORT your brain & body. 
• How do you END your day? Think about what activities you need to help CALM your brain & body to prep for sleep: journaling, reading, stretching, showering, breathing exercises, or making your schedule for the next day.

 
PRO MOVES:

• Plan and protect your “DEEP WORK” blocks so you can be your most creative, focused self on the most important projects. Figure out the time of day you can focus best and block that off as much as possible.
• Schedule in regular PLAY breaks for recreation, leisure, relaxation, creativity, exploring, and/or socializing. Do you need to add any of these to help you transition between work and home life?
• Tighten up your routine to get enough REST & RECOVERY time in especially if you’re recovering from injuries, illness, or grieving.
• If you’re struggling to have enough energy for EXERCISE, check in on your hydration, protein intake, rest breaks, and peak exercise time (figure out if you're a lark or night owl).

OVER TO YOU:
 
Decide if you do best with set times for each daily activity or if you work best with a priority checklist and chunking your time.
 
You don’t want your routine to cause more stress so figure out what works best for you. 
 
I prefer to work from a weekly checklist of priorities and chunk my activities as much as possible.
 
If I get too specific about what I’m going to do at each hour of the day, then it overwhelms me if I get behind that schedule.

You may need a strict schedule of what to do every 30 minutes of the day to stay focused.
 
Listen to your body, it’ll help you figure it out.
 
Start by creating more structure to your daily routine but consider regular check ins for what you may need to tweak in your week, month, quarter, or yearly routines so you can have more energy, ease, & flow.
 
Next up, I’ll share the tweak I made to my schedule that has made the most impact on my energy & health this past year. It created structure to my day that I didn’t realize I was missing.

P.S.  Need a Bodywork Routine to help you turn on or calm your body & brain each day? Mini Massage Camp has the 8 key spots you need to target. Learn more here.
 
Need ideas for rest & movement breaks to manage your energy during the day? Download the FREE Daily Energy Planner here.