How to set up a daily routine for productivity and wellness

As we kick off 2021, it seems like a good time to re-evaluate our routines to make sure they are still serving us. It’s easy to get in a rut where we just continue our usual patterns. But instead of just chugging along, let’s use this time to discard what’s not working and try out some new habits. This is the kind of new year’s “resolution” I can get behind- no rejection of carbs or commitments to run 15 miles a week in sight! And my daily routine may give you some ideas for making 2021 your best year yet.

I like to think of my daily routine as doing two things: First, helping me kick start my productivity for the rest of the day and second, bringing me ever closer to feeling healthy and well. And I can see myself doing most of these activities for the rest of my life (as long as they continue to make me feel good about my progress!)

Jump starting my daily productivity

Journaling

I’ve mentioned before how much I am enjoying planning with my Hobonichi cousin, a relatively new find for me. But I also use a couple of other journals as part of my daily routine.

I use a similar (no longer sold) 10 year journal as the one below, writing a few lines every day for 10 years. I’m up to the 8th year! It’s really fun and thought-provoking to read what I wrote on the same day in 2013, 2017, etc. Puts a lot of things I was worried about into perspective.

Ten Year Journal 2021-2031

I also keep a diary- I’m trying to stay on track with doing “morning pages” and “evening pages.” So far so good! It’s been a useful outlet in 2020, that’s for sure.

I log all my podcast listening and lessons learned in a Leuchtturm1917:

And as needed, I keep a commonplace journal to keep track of quotes, bits and bobs, and I’ve been using a lovely one from Choosing Keeping. More to come with an unboxing from their wonderful London shop.

Duolingo

5-10 minutes of French Duolingo is a requirement- I have a streak to maintain after all! It’s been a part of my daily routine for years, and now I’m up to 504 days of practicing French. It’s really great to keep up my French after studying it for so many years in school and college. It would be a shame to just let it go. Plus it lets me listen to my new favorite stationery podcast- in French!

COVID 19 symptom tracker

I’m not sure how good it is doing the world, but I check in with the COVID-19 symptom tracker app every day (so far, so good!) And it’s good to see the % infected in our county, as a good gut check. (1.1% as of yesterday)

Feedly RSS reader

It’s been almost 8 years and I still miss Google Reader. But life must go on…and I’ve been using Feedly reader since then. I’ve had a lot of time to curate my feed! And now I’m up to over 250+ feeds… I scan the highlights and bookmark posts for reading later in the day, as time permits. My newest finds seem to be coming from Substack. More to come on that…

Budget check

I’m a bit obsessive about budgeting and money management/monitoring. So I spend at least 5-10 minutes a day reviewing the state of affairs on my homegrown excel spreadsheet. It’s the same spreadsheet I’ve been using since 1995 (updated of course!) Hey, it’s not broken….

Re-engaging with wellness for the day

Drinking water

No, I don’t drink water like the CEO of Peloton. 🙂 Just 2 big glasses of lukewarm water. Lemon, if I’m feeling fancy, which isn’t often. I just feel better afterwards, and it gets my 8 glasses goal off to a good start.

Vitamin D

A recent blood test indicated that I’m barely covering my Vitamin D requirements, so I started taking a vitamin every day. Not sure if it’s working, but it sounds like D is one of the few vitamins we should probably all be taking.

Functional Range Conditioning (FRC)

This is a new add to my daily routine. After watching Beth Lewis on the Peter Attia MD podcast, I was sold; functional range conditioning is something I needed to try. And so far, it feels great. As I get older, I am less concerned with getting “swole” (yes, every time I say that, my 16 year old daughter cringes :)) and more concerned with staying strong, healthy and flexible for the long term. And FRC seems to be a good way to do that.

And here’s a sample workout (there are tons on YouTube) to try:

Daily Stoic

Finally, I spend a few minutes each day on stoicism. For now, it’s my substitute for meditation. My go-to resource is the Daily Stoic website, podcast and book.

The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 days of writing and reflection on the art of living

Stoicism has had a huge impact on my mental balance and ability to put things in perspective. Just a few minutes of contemplation really goes a long way to setting me up for a good day.

What’s your daily routine that helps you with your longer term goals? Anything you would change in my habits? Do tell us in the comments…

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