Volume 09, Issue 02: Routines, Means to an End

Spontaneous people don't like routines. They are fun and do things on the go and on a whim. They also tend to attend to a mundane task like changing a bulb not necessarily when people want it done but when they get to it, which makes them difficult to be relied upon to get things done. Years ago I felt ashamed to admit that I am a highly routine oriented person. I thought it made me a rather boring person for people to want to be around because what I did, I did everyday. I wanted to be spontaneous.

It's unfortunate that some us who are routine oriented like myself can be boring and rigid. We tend to want to stick to our plans and find it difficult to change gears along the way. This makes us unaccomodating. While trying to be a little bit flexible, I have come to appreciate that even spontaneous people need a bit of routine to show up better.

We are a product of what we do over and over again. Some of us may not admit it, but we all have things that we do routinely. Those are our rituals. Some of us establish routines consciously to reinforce order in our lives. Others of us do some things routinely because we found ourselves doing them.

Having a busy family life and a heavy duty job, my routines are what keep me sane. I stick to my routines day in day out; quiet time, walk, gym, work, home, sleep and repeat.

My morning routines are the power practices I choose to engage in at the start of my day in order to begin my day in a way that brings me the most joy and fulfillment. It's a time that consists of practices that energize and inspire me. I have created a routine that makes sure my mornings are peaceful, nourishing and productive.

The bulk of the day rolls out with routines of its own where I try my best to stay productive. The evening sets in with its set of winding down routines, followed by a bed time that I strictly adhere to except for a few times when I allow other people's evening lives to infiltrate mine.

My first routine is waking up at the same time every morning, irrespective of whether it's a weekend or a public holiday or we are away on vacation. I start with my "Time with Him" activities. I then go for a declaration walk at 6 am for 1 hour, then to the gym for about 45 minutes before proceeding to work or back home if I am on leave. I do this only on weekdays.

My Saturday morning routine after quiet time is one of my favorite times in the week. I get to continue reading, do some writing and reflecting until about 8 am. My Sunday morning routine after quiet time involves some work in the kitchen before proceeding to Church at 8 am.

Early in my marriage I made breakfast for my husband and I every morning. It was the same thing for Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and a different same thing for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. At first my husband humored me and ate it but eventually he couldn't bear it. It was too monotonous for him. Now everyone in my household fixes their own breakfast, awesome freedom for me, I must add.

I honestly have no problem eating the same breakfast every day. In fact, what I eat, when and the order in which I eat it is part of my routine, which changes every now and then when I discover new things. My current breakfast routine is a vegetable smoothie at 9 am, followed by either a nutty cereal, or a Spanish omelette, or peanut sauce with baked sweet potatoes. Later in the day I take a plate of stir fried mixed vegetables, one of my delicacies.

My next routine after morning work is spending lunch hour reading while having lunch, before continuing with work until 5 pm when I leave to go pick up my children from school.

My 5-6 pm weekdays schedule is listening to podcasts while I drive to school and packed at school, and running through a brief set of declarations as I wait for the children to be ready to go home. 6-7 pm from Monday to Thursday has me doing prepping my next day's smoothie, packing my food bag and gym bag for the next day and taking a shower before cooking dinner and handling laundry on alternate days. 6-7 pm on Fridays is time for a coffee date with my husband, before we pick the next week's milk and bread on the way back home.

My 7-8 pm routine is the same for weekdays and weekends. This is the time I have set aside to relax with family (at this time we are not looking at screens) including family devotion before retiring to my room and calling it a day by 8 pm.

My Saturday morning routine after 8 am is to watch a movie or two, or my favorite house hunting/renovation shows where I enjoy looking at beautiful houses and spectacular house renovations.

I have a date with each of my kids on alternate Saturdays between noon and 2 pm. Today for instance is my day out with my daughter and next Saturday my son and I are going out to a car bazaar to look at cars and grab a snack while at it. He enjoys looking at the latest cars driven by his favorite basket ball and football stars. We won't see any of his favorite cars like a Lamborghini but I bet it will still be fun.

2-5 pm on Saturdays is when we are available to hang out with extended family or friends. We could be going for a function like a birthday party or a wedding, but it's mostly lunch at my sister's place nearby if I am not visiting with a relative or friend somewhere else. If we have nowhere to go, we just lazy around the house doing nothing in particular.

I insist on being home by 6 pm every day. On weekends I run through a brief set of declarations before enjoying the nice evening breeze on my estate's driveway that has lots of overlapping trees on both sides of the road where I stroll back and forth in the cool of the evening. It's so easy to be too busy to enjoy our surroundings, but once you notice the refreshing beauty of nature, you can't stay away. This is one of my treasured privileges.

I am fortunate to work half day on Fridays. I use 1-5 pm to prep meals for the next week, including breakfast items and baking. This is what makes cooking and preparing extras like smoothies during the week easy and quick.

Come Sunday it's my turn with the remote at 11 am when we get back home from Church. I watch my kind of movie, then take a nap before reading a book. 3.30-5.30 pm is family time. This is when we do something together, could be watch TV, play board games or just be in the same space with each of us doing a different thing.

These are my routines, my techniques for managing life in a fast-paced world. I keep a digital calendar that stores all these, and other things I want to be sure to do in a day, week, month and year. I am no longer ashamed to be routine oriented. It's not only how I am wired but also what helps me show up better, do the things I need to do.

Although I know the value of routines, I don't impose my nature on others because we are all wired differently, and as such, we have different techniques for managing our lives. Keep in tune with your techniques and show up better in life this year.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi