Routine, Intention, Structure

I remember heading into the quarantine thinking about how much my routine was about to be disrupted. No more 15 minute commute to and from work where I typically listened to podcast and used the down time to mentally prepare for the day ahead. No more iced coffee from the break room. I had just converted to the iced coffee world! No more friendly “good mornings” to coworkers. No more shaking up my daily salad kits for lunch as my teammate Bryan swiveled in his chair to give me grief for not diverting from the greens once in awhile. No more racing Anthony out of the office to see who would get stuck turning the lights out. Oh, and no more business attire. Slacks, button down, dress shoes. . They’re building up dust right now as we go on week 6 of this quarantine.

Well, the quarantine routine caught on quickly. If I don’t have a routine, it’s not pretty. I’ll get to the routine, but I think it is imperative for us to carry intentional structure around our day. “Attack the day with intention.” We have to take ourselves to the day and not let the day come to us. If we wait around and just let our lives take what the world gives us, we are in trouble. I think I have always been a structured individual. You read about the “morning routine” folks who have a specific checklist for how they like to get things done in the morning in order to set themselves up for a successful day. . . Yeah, that’s me.

I’m typically a slow starter on Mondays, but for the most part my days go like this:

1. Wake up around 5:45 – 6 a.m. Look at my phone for 2-3 minutes. Acknowledge that it’s not wise to look at your phone first thing in the morning and then walk to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

2. Occasionally, I will hit my foam roller and then I’ll either throw on my shorts and a light quarter zip or sweatshirt and go for a walk, work out on my roof top or ride my bike. Let’s say I go for a walk.

3. The morning walks. Wow, when my clients tell me they walk for exercise, I think to myself, “how can walking be exercise?” Well, it’s therapeutic to the mind. It’s an exercise to remain mentally sharp. Can you imagine how many people don’t simply go out and walk a few thousand steps each day? My favorite parts of walks are listening to the birds sing. I love being one of the few people out in the mornings. The city is still waking up. I often throw in a podcast and mentally prepare for the day. I’ve caught up with my mom a couple times as she tends to be an early riser. The park is nearby and I might hit a few pull ups and push ups. I ask myself, “should I have my Clorox wipes with me?” I pass the same homeless man every morning under the I-77 bridge. He’s been here for a few years. Dreadlocks, air mattress, shopping cart with all of the essentials. He has it figured out (at least in his world). He chased me down one day to ask me if I could Google something for him. He wanted to know how long it would take to train for a 5K. Crazy question for a guy who wears sandals every day of his life. He said he’s run them before and is recovering from a foot injury. 4-8 weeks I told him. “Thank you,” he kindly replied. So, the morning walks go for 30-45 minutes and then it’s about go time.

4. First thing I do when I get back, I throw a sauce pan with a couple cups of water in it over the stove to get ready for my Folgers Instant Coffee. I’ve converted back to hot coffee. It’s a morning ritual. How could you live in quarantine and not have coffee. While the coffee heats up, I jump in the shower.

5. After the shower, I am sure to find a collared shirt to put on. It’s a mental thing for me. I would love to go shirtless for one day at least. That would be classic! Next up, I grab my coffee. Again, Instant Coffee! It’s legit. I grab my book and I spend about 15 minutes on my patio reading before kicking off the work day. I just finished The Impossible First by Colin O’Brady. He is the first human to cross Antarctica with no resupply or human support. He looks like a 3rd grade history teacher. Dude is a monster.

6. I fire up the computer and key in our secret codes to access our VPN and WFH system. This is all new since moving to home. I love spending the first 20-30 mins on recent events and articles. There are always a few client IMH (emails) waiting. I push them off as I was in a “worry” mode for a few weeks when the bottom was falling out of the market and clients were losing 15-25% of their portfolios in a very, very short amount of time just a few weeks ago. Anyways, 9:30, the team gets together for a “huddle” on Microsoft Teams. We talk through hot topics, key trends and hear from our fearless leader, Sally, on what’s going on with the business. Sally is a legend! It’s fun seeing everyone’s WFH environment. Often, kids are joining our video conferences with their parents, as most of my team has young kids who are home schooled and being cared for during the stay at home life.

7. Client meetings kick off and the day zips by. I usually grab a banana and a couple apples for morning breakfast between calls, but it’s back to back to back until lunch. Lunch usually takes place around 1 pm. I retreat a total of 15 yards to my kitchen where I make my salad. No shaking, just a big glass bowl that nicely mixes everything together. Sorry Bryan, I keep it calm at home. I often eat at my desk too much. I need to enjoy my patio a little more, but there is always work to do! Time management could be a little stronger.

8. 5 O’clock comes around quickly. But I usually don’t shut down until 6. Most nights I find a work out, whether that be yoga, head to Max’s for a garage workout, or go on a walk. Structure, structure, structure. It’s a must. If you don’t have structure, you’re toast. I always look forward to tv but usually I am occupied with other obligations.

9. Dinner is either salmon, Mahi Mahi, eggs, or salad. I keep it simple. I have been on a crazy almond/trail mix kick. It’s been bad. My self will to stay away from the snacking has been very very bad. Extra reason to work out more!

10. Fold in a fair amount of phone/social media time on top of my newfound hobby – juggling – and that closes out the day pretty well. By 10, I am exhausted. I need to figure out a better bed time routine because it’s bee fairly inconsistent. It’s 11:14 p.m. right now and I need to get up at 5:45 a.m. tomorrow. I think I can do it! 8 hours is the goal. 7 is more realistic.

In closing, routine is healthy for the mind. Our days go by quicker and we react naturally to our tasks which I think allow us to be more efficient. It’s important to shake things up once in awhile, especially now with our solitary confined lives. Just kidding, it’s not that bad. Enjoy the little things and we’ll be just fine.

Until next time.