22 Apr 2013

setting the tone: a daily and weekly routine

Do you have a daily routine? You might actually have more than one - I certainly do and I have a weekly routine too! For me, I have a few routines - all of which I deem important: beauty, laundry, room cleaning and time management.

Time management is done on a daily basis. Each morning, I get out of bed and take a look at what my day will look like. This was more relevant when I was at university but this doesn't mean it is any less important now. With little structure to my days, I need to ensure I use my time productively (I have a lot to sort out with regards to home decoration and also in preparation for September). To-dos are looked at and as my memory is quite good so this is usually enough to guarantee that they will be done.

Looking at my diary on a Sunday afternoon! (picture taken sometime in March)

I then take another look at lunchtime; to review my to-dos and to see how my afternoon will shape up and finally, I have one last look after a shower (usually around 8pm, though it sometimes can be later) to see if there are any tasks that need to pushed to a later day. Furthermore, this allows me to prepare mentally for the next day.

Every Sunday, I then look over the week I've just had and see how I could have done better. At this point, I also shift remaining to-dos to the following week or two and also use it to see what studying I may have done less of, so that I can (try to) do more of that in the following week.

So far, my time management 'routine' has worked well for me and I don't feel like I am under-using or over-using my planner.

In terms of beauty, I have a daily and a weekly routine. I have separate routines for mornings and evenings, but I won't bore you with the details. Each week, I also have a set thing to do for each day. For instance, Mondays are exfoliation days, Thursdays are tea tree mask days (I have no idea if I am doing too much to my skin or not) and Fridays are pumice stone days (you did not need to know that, I know, I know).

My laundry routine is just a case of doing laundry twice a week and ensuring I don't run out of clean underwear...! And room cleaning is a weekly task - usually I do a bit as and when is required, but every Sunday, I make sure I wipe down my desk and laptop to remove any accumulation of dust so that I'll have a clean desk for the start of the week.


In the past, I also had a routine for grocery shopping - go once a week and bring a massive bag with me to carry everything home. Now, with the shops being so close, this routine isn't necessary and having a walk from time to time can be productive to studying and other mentally strenuous activities.

Although this post is quite simple in nature, quite often I find routines can be lost during busy periods of life. Routines can ensure that you stay on top of things and maintain a degree of normality just when you need it. This is why I decided to write this post - to just say that routines aren't necessarily a bad thing and can be the backbone to an organised life :)

10 comments

  1. I enjoy reading peoples beauty routines so would love to read yours if you'd like to share? :) x x x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not very interesting I'm afraid! Mornings are like this: wash face with cold water and flannel then moisturise using some moisturiser for my skin type and then I wash my face in the shower (evening time) and then, before bed, I just cleanse, tone and moisturise. Every two nights, I use Bio-Oil as moisturiser instead of my usual night one, and then add in some Sudocrem if I have a breakout or a spot or two. That's it really :)

      I don't know if that's a beauty routine or not (I'm not a beauty blogger so not too clued up on all of that) but if there's anything else you're interested in, let me know hehe xxx

      Delete
  2. I was literally just thinking that I need to sort out a proper routine, especially as I have A Level exams coming up so soon! This post has given me an extra push of motivation - thanks! :)

    janesjumbles.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great post! I love having a routine, and I think that the perfect routine is one that isn't too rigid, but gives each day a structure. My GCSEs start in 2 weeks time and I'm busy at the moment brainstorming my routine for study leave. Hopefully it'll work out! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, not long to go til exams then - good luck :) it's nice to have structure, especially during revision time x

      Delete
  4. This is a really great post, I feel like I've become a little lax with my planning and it's made me feel like I waste my days off not doing anything that needs doing. Going to try to use my filofax more to help me with this. Thanks :) x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you :) Yeah, in times of chaos, I find that having a routine really does help instill some normality. Hope it works for you! :) x

      Delete
  5. hello, just wondered where you got your spotty ring reinforcers from please?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! I genuinely can't remember, sorry :( Someone else asked me that and I couldn't answer either :( x

      Delete