How to create a personal schedule during stressful times

“Look for magic in a daily routine.” Lou Barlow

Yes, your routine may be completely off right now but your life despite the disruption from the global pandemic can still maintain daily flow!

Now more than ever we need to have continuity within our daily life. This makes room for new life parameters that have arrived uninvited in the fabric of our lives. 

Enter your “new normal” daily routine. Revised and revamped on your terms and with your own needs covered instead of smothered

Almost all of the normal structures that were built into how we fashioned a routine have changed. Now you need to craft for yourself and those in your home space structure in the form of routine for healthy energetic boundaries that build and foster positive energy and wellbeing amidst all that is during this time!

Here are five key areas needed to craft your routine:

Sleep

You may find yourself staying up later engrossed in the news, involved in leisure activities or if you have littles using this time to get “work” done or carve in “late” night me time. Doing this derails your body’s sleep cycle and potentially brings with it health and wellbeing issues including weight gain, lack of focus and possibly increased issues with anxiety and depression.

Follow these steps to get on track with sleep:

Determine the best time to get up according to your work schedule or need for alone time before attending to your household and workday. 

Reverse engineer this by knowing how much sleep you need. (Typical sleep needs range 7-9 hours for most adults) Create a go-to bedtime and wake up time-based on your sleep needs and start time for work.

Build-in intentional calming downtime before actually going to sleep so your body and brain are connected with the revitalizing task of sleep. 

Gather some tech “sleep” help with one of many calming and sleep aid apps available today on our smart devices.

Work

Keep your work schedule as close to possible to your office schedule if you are working from home. Start and stop your workday as it was in the office. Set us a space in your home that is for work whether in a separate room or a space in a room that is now “office” space. 

The same applies to moms with children now home and being homeschooled and all required with managing ebb and flow with all activities now done at home.

Have a time structure with meals, homeschool work, breaks, recreation, play, and chores. Make this reasonable with your household and needs!

Childcare – if you have littles and school-aged children.

If you are not only working from home but also have children at home you’ll need to build a schedule for yourself and your family. If your children are old enough to handle themselves then work together to plan a schedule to make the best use of their time keeping them on track as your work.

If your children are young and need more hands-on attention, then you’ll need to work creatively to get your work done with your partner and if you have part-time outside help while you work.    

Exercise

In some ways, fitting in physical activity is easier right now with the elimination of your workday commute or on the go meetings and travel. The challenge lies in carving out time and your intention of setting up for exercise in your home. Our typical routines were built around going out to gyms and studios or sports centers. Now, these spaces that we depended on to achieve our fitness goals are temporarily closed.

Get creative with your exercise and be committed to yourself with your best health in mind. Use your smart device and go virtual if you enjoy working out with others or enjoy a specific class such as yoga, barre, Zumba, weight training or cycle, etc. Go outdoors for a walk/hike or bike ride. 

Set up and schedule your exercise time as if it were a “client meeting.” Choose a time of day and days of the week that this will work for you.

Recreation/Rest/Creativity

Given the huge amount of uncertainty right now, setting aside daily time to recharge and regroup is essential to your physical and emotional wellbeing. Intentionally limit time on social media, watching the news and your “shows”. Find something each day that brings you true happiness and inner calm. This could be time spent in quiet prayer and meditation or connecting with friends and family on a video call or listening to music or cooking or crafting or reading or going outdoors for a nature walk. Do what speaks to you and brings from within a smile and joy. 

By creating a personal schedule that’s right for you and your household, you can make the most of what is happening in the present while being in flow with more balanced energy to handle all that is right now in our world and communities.

Share what you’re currently doing to “center” your life. Sharing is caring.