After reading Joshua Millburn's guest post on Zen Habits, "A Day In The Life of A Minimalist," I was inspired to share my own routine for you. If you read the original piece, you'll quickly notice that every paragraph ends with the words "but there is no routine." This could not be less true in the regimented life that a full time high school student is expected to lead, but when I'm not being forced into a routine at school, there is no routine. I'll be using that quote a few times in this post as emphasis on the freer lifestyle that minimalism has to offer you.
I awake at whatever time my body tells me prior to 6:30 am. If I'm still sleeping at that time, I'm forced awake by the sound of my mother's cheery voice and her knock. Typically, I feel a little groggy, or extremely tired if I was awake working late the night before, but awake enough to respond to a single cup of coffee. But there is no routine.
I always turn on the local christian music radio station. It's commercial free where I live, so I can enjoy waking up to the sound of uninterrupted music and allow my head to clear slowly. In general, though, I wake up happy and excited to start my day. I typically lay in bed for a half an hour or so. In contrast to Ryan, who advises getting up as soon as you awake, I lie in bed. This is not to fall back asleep, although I occasionally do. This is to take mindful stock of the day, remembering what I have to do and what I've completed. With a mind that feels like it's constantly going a million miles a minute and forgetting to be mindful throughout the day, I think this really helps me. Sometimes I'll even light a candle.
After I get out of bed, I get dressed and make my bed, in whichever order suits me. Sometimes I lay out my clothing the night before, but even if I don't, having a capsule wardrobe ensures that the whole process- both getting dressed and making the bed- take no more than 3-5 minutes (and a lot of that time is making the bed!). But there is no routine.
I'll go downstairs and have breakfast- typically oatmeal, sometimes fruit, sometimes both, and always coffee. But there is no routine.
Hair, makeup, and fragrance; fifteen minutes later, and I'm out the door! I do have a makeup routine- powder foundation quickly buffed in with a foundation brush, a swipe of a sparkly eye-shadow stick (only one or two swipes leaves no visible color, just sparkle), and the same Milani lip gloss- in the shade Luminous.
My hair is either in a half updo in one of two clips, down all the way, or up in a ponytail with a cloth headband in a couple different colors. My fragrance is either a lotion or a body spray (depending on whether my skin needs the extra moisture), and the fragrance varies. But there is no routine.
I have three lectures, lunch- A bagel or a sandwhich thin, always with a protein or dairy packed spread of peanut butter or Neufchâtel cheese. I always have fruit with my lunch- a study hall (during which I write) and a lecture (sometimes I don't have the study hall, just two lectures), orchestra, and a math class. But there is no routine- as an upperclassman in the Honors program, I schedule my own classes.
I get home, have a light snack- and then either do a 7 minute HIIT workout or go outside for a walk/run. After about an hour, I finish my homework, shower, and head off to play my cello, write, read, and get ready for the next day. But there is no routine.
Like Joshua said, there isn't much difference between my day, his day, and your day. Except for the routine. Getting rid of the routine, as much as you may think that it will cause you to procrastinate, will actually mobilize you to be more productive AND enjoy those activities that are normally for procrastination.
I awake at whatever time my body tells me prior to 6:30 am. If I'm still sleeping at that time, I'm forced awake by the sound of my mother's cheery voice and her knock. Typically, I feel a little groggy, or extremely tired if I was awake working late the night before, but awake enough to respond to a single cup of coffee. But there is no routine.
I always turn on the local christian music radio station. It's commercial free where I live, so I can enjoy waking up to the sound of uninterrupted music and allow my head to clear slowly. In general, though, I wake up happy and excited to start my day. I typically lay in bed for a half an hour or so. In contrast to Ryan, who advises getting up as soon as you awake, I lie in bed. This is not to fall back asleep, although I occasionally do. This is to take mindful stock of the day, remembering what I have to do and what I've completed. With a mind that feels like it's constantly going a million miles a minute and forgetting to be mindful throughout the day, I think this really helps me. Sometimes I'll even light a candle.
After I get out of bed, I get dressed and make my bed, in whichever order suits me. Sometimes I lay out my clothing the night before, but even if I don't, having a capsule wardrobe ensures that the whole process- both getting dressed and making the bed- take no more than 3-5 minutes (and a lot of that time is making the bed!). But there is no routine.
I'll go downstairs and have breakfast- typically oatmeal, sometimes fruit, sometimes both, and always coffee. But there is no routine.
Hair, makeup, and fragrance; fifteen minutes later, and I'm out the door! I do have a makeup routine- powder foundation quickly buffed in with a foundation brush, a swipe of a sparkly eye-shadow stick (only one or two swipes leaves no visible color, just sparkle), and the same Milani lip gloss- in the shade Luminous.
My hair is either in a half updo in one of two clips, down all the way, or up in a ponytail with a cloth headband in a couple different colors. My fragrance is either a lotion or a body spray (depending on whether my skin needs the extra moisture), and the fragrance varies. But there is no routine.
I have three lectures, lunch- A bagel or a sandwhich thin, always with a protein or dairy packed spread of peanut butter or Neufchâtel cheese. I always have fruit with my lunch- a study hall (during which I write) and a lecture (sometimes I don't have the study hall, just two lectures), orchestra, and a math class. But there is no routine- as an upperclassman in the Honors program, I schedule my own classes.
I get home, have a light snack- and then either do a 7 minute HIIT workout or go outside for a walk/run. After about an hour, I finish my homework, shower, and head off to play my cello, write, read, and get ready for the next day. But there is no routine.
Like Joshua said, there isn't much difference between my day, his day, and your day. Except for the routine. Getting rid of the routine, as much as you may think that it will cause you to procrastinate, will actually mobilize you to be more productive AND enjoy those activities that are normally for procrastination.