I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do since divorcing from my career last year. I took some time. I went back to therapy. I started getting up at the same time every single day (something I’d not managed for more than a week in over a decade).
I’ve got my evening and morning routines down to the letter!
In the mornings, I get up before taking a cold shower, making the bed, and meditating. I then sit down to write with a cup of coffee. After that, I get to work for a few hours.
Once I’ve finished working, I usually cycle along the coast before looping around to pick up my eldest from preschool. I throw him on the back and bring him home before sitting down for lunch.
Afternoons are spent playing with him – teaching him how to ride his bike or swim – while the youngest naps. Late afternoon is spent doing admin, running errands, or seeing my personal trainer.
Dinner is at the same time every evening when my wife gets home from work. We all sit down as a family and talk about our day and what we’re grateful for.
After the kids are in bed, I write my to-do list for the morrow before journalling. I will then sit on the sofa with a cup of tea, where my wife and I will proceed to discuss our day/what’s on our minds. Finally, I will read or watch a little tv before crashing.
Those are my weekdays.
Weekends are a little different. I don’t write on the weekends. I treat Sunday as a family/digital sabbath day. I actually turn my phone off and give it to my wife (because willpower is vastly overrated).
Saturday morning, I go to yoga with my wife. Saturday afternoon we do something fun with the kids/friends. Sunday morning, we take our eldest to play mini rugby. We usually head to the beach for a picnic lunch afterward. The afternoon/evening is spent chilling.
That’s my life at the moment.
And it’s, well, fucking wonderful! But, I’ll be honest (because I’m biologically wired to be slightly dissatisfied with life), it’s beginning to feel a little groundhogish. And something very strange has been happening.
Very little is coming out when I sit down to write. I can force myself to come up with something (reading helps). But the muse isn’t really playing ball. Even this post feels flat to me.
Maybe this is what happens when your life is all about routine?
Your biological wiring adjusts. You start to crave something different. A change. An adventure. So you make a change. You go on an adventure. But then you adjust again.
It’s exciting, to begin with, but then you start to feel there isn’t enough stability in your life. You start to crave routine again. So you settle down for a while. But, before you know it, you crave adventure again.
And so, it seems, I’m at the point in the never-ending cycle of needing a change. Happily, the Gods have sensed my mood. My family and I are going on holiday to Thailand for 10 days. When I return (because I’m a horrible person who likes to leave you hanging), I have some very exciting news to share.
I will see you all in 2!
In the meantime, I’d like to know what your routine looks like? How do you keep it interesting?
Also, I wrote this small ebook called Unlocking Personality. It can help you understand who you are and what you should do about it. It’s completely free and completely awesome!
(To all who downloaded it, I would like to thank you. Please let me know in the comments below if you have any thoughts about it.)