#135: Refueling Your Spirit with Regular Routines

Mar 13, 2022 | Office Operations

 

The theme this month is Organizing Your Life, Home, and Office for more Fun and Flow. This month, we’ll comb through the main areas of your life and put some simple, actionable routines and practices into place and, as a result, you’ll get to see firsthand how everything flows better, faster, and easier!

Do you jump out of bed in the morning, ready to face the day with a smile on your face? Or are you hitting the snooze button until the very last second before you’re running late?

Does your morning routine consist of you winging it, forgetting the important things half of the time? Is your beauty routine non-existent?

Today’s episode is Refueling Your Spirit with Regular Routines. We will go over routines that you can implement fairly easily throughout your day so that you can get the things done that you HAVE to do and add in things you WANT to do.

Welcome to a new Systems Sunday! The theme this month is Organizing Your Life, Home, and Office for more Fun and Flow. This month, we’ll comb through the main areas of your life and put some simple, actionable routines and practices into place and, as a result, you’ll get to see firsthand how everything flows better, faster, and easier!

I am Lisa Wells, Your Virtual Assistant Trainer.

Do you jump out of bed in the morning, ready to face the day with a smile on your face? Or do you hit the snooze button until the very last second before you’re running late?

Does your morning routine consist of you winging it, forgetting the important things half of the time?

Is your beauty routine non-existent?

Today’s episode is Refueling Your Spirit with Regular Routines. We will go over routines that you can implement fairly easily throughout your day so that you can get the things done that you HAVE to do and add in things you WANT to do. 

Starting with #1, Your morning routine. You’ve probably heard of some type of morning routine as a business owner. If you don’t have one yet, now is the time to start. A solid morning routine will help you start your day feeling energized, positive, and organized.

When creating your morning routine, think about the following:

  • What absolutely must get done each morning? (i.e., lunches for kids, school drop-off, etc.)
  • What would you LOVE to get done each morning? This will differ from person-to-person, but ideas might include meditation, reading, exercise. Think about something that you know makes you feel good, or something you can’t ever seem to “squeeze” in but would make you so happy to do so.
  • Think simple – you don’t want this simple routine to take up your whole day. It just helps you get your head right every day and makes sure what’s most important AND most pressing for you is taken care of.

My morning routine is very very simple – the only thing I have on my “must be done” list is to make my bed. Now, I never used to make my bed. Not in grade school, not in high school, not even when I got married.  The only time my bed was made was when the cleaners would come or I had to do laundry. But then a few years ago, I heard the “Make Your Bed” speech by Admiral William McRaven about the Life Lesson of making my bed. “If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.” It’s just something so simple.

2. Exercise. Doctors have touted the benefits of daily exercise for years and yet it’s all too easy to find excuses for not doing it. Like many business owners who work at home, I lead a rather sedentary lifestyle, I don’t enjoy exercise, and I prefer solitude so hitting the gym isn’t for me.

It’s time to create an easy-to-follow exercise routine that you’ll actually stick to.

Next, decide what kind of exerciser you are. Do you prefer solitude or a gym atmosphere with other people? Do you have any exercise equipment at home? Plan ways to keep yourself motivated if you decide to exercise at home. Maybe set up a reward system for exercising a few times a week or use an app on your phone to log your exercise progress.

For some, this means doing cardio on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and strength training on Tuesday and Thursday every week. Or maybe that means walking your dog outside on your lunch break or at the end of the day, that’s more my speed.

My exercise routines have changed over the years – from VHS workout tapes in the 80’s to streaming apps or on-demand videos which I use today. I’ve also hired a personal trainer to come to my house, then I joined a gym, then went back to having my personal trainer join me AT the gym! There are so many choices nowadays. I’m always open to trying something new, but I’m finding that I really do need the built-in accountability or else I have a good way of talking myself out of things.

My current routine is doing Beachbody on Demand, which I added to my Roku so I can use any TV in the house. I just follow along to the workouts and at $99 a year, it’s super inexpensive. I also started taking self-defense classes once a week. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do ever since I would sit in the bleachers during my son’s Tai Kwon Do lessons and think, “I could do that, that looks fun.” It’s taken me 20 years, but I’m now showing up. I also love the built-in accountability.  What I do is pre-pay for the month and it’s a small class so my instructor knows if I don’t show up.

3. Self-care routines. A self-care routine is anything you do to take care of yourself on a mental, physical, or even spiritual/emotional level. So often we think of self-care routines as beauty routines, but “self-care” actually encompasses so much more than just beauty. Again, explore those activities that make you smile and/or make you excited. Here are a few ideas which are wonderful on their own or you can bundle a few together for an actual routine:

• Play with a dog/pet.
• Hug someone.
• Take a bath.
• Go on an adventure.
• Learn a new skill.
• Do a DIY project.
• Get creative with some art supplies.
• Create a gratitude journal.
• Talk to a friend.
• Create a bucket list.

4. Evening routine. Just as a morning routine can get you ready for your day, an evening routine will calm your brain and your body, getting you ready for a good night’s sleep. Even though we don’t hear as much about evening routines, they can be just as helpful.

To decide what to include in your evening routine, go through the same process you did for your morning routine:

  • What NEEDS to be done each night? (i.e., brush teeth, skincare, self-care, etc.)
  • What would you LOVE to make time for each night? Reading, journaling, turning off electronics an hour before bed, connecting with your partner for 5 minutes about the next day’s schedule, etc. Get creative but also choose items that will truly give you a sense of calm and tranquility so your brain can rest.

A great idea that I do every night as an evening routine and is what I do every single day is a daily brain dump. Write down everything you’re thinking about – what you need to do, ideas you have, etc. – so you’re not up all night thinking about things that need to be done and hoping you remember them in the morning! You can also keep a notepad on your nightstand to capture any “middle of the night” ideas or to dos.

If you enjoyed this episode and want more tips and strategies, check out my new Organize Your Life, Home, Office & Routines Training system. In this training, you’ll learn how to organize everything from your home office to your self-care routines (and all the things in between!) with just a few hours a week, so you can accomplish both what you need to and what you’d love to. You can find the product below or head over to my VA Business Builder Boutique by clicking on Shop in the menu bar.

Join me next week where I’ll talk about how to build a less-stressy business day. Bye for now.

Catch up on other “Organizing Your Life, Home, and Office for more Fun and Flow” episodes + resources mentioned in the video:

Did you enjoy this episode and want to put it into action? Check out this action kit!

Organize Your Life, Home, Office & Routines

$15.00

Feel like your life is one, big unorganized mess & it’s really time to get it together, but don’t know where to start?

Tell me if any of the following sounds like you…

1. You don’t have solid routines or structure in your days because you started your business for more freedom–but truth be told, it’s draining and time-consuming trying to keep up with all your commitments (and “life stuff”) without a plan.

2. You’re struggling to get it all done in your business because you’re constantly stressing about everything else–like the dirty dishes in the sink, or the laundry that most definitely needed to be moved from the washer to the dryer several hours ago (oops!)

3. You’re eating like crap because you haven’t planned a meal ahead in months. (You’re way-too-familiar with the frantic search for something–anything–to eat at the end of a long work day, and never actually making it yoga, HIIT or barre despite your best intentions).

4. Overall, you’re overwhelmed by all the things in your life and business and it’s reflected in everything from your waistline to your bottom line

…then keep your eyes on this page.

Here’s the deal: Everything in life is connected. And as a business owner, the truth is you’ll get lots more done (and have way more fun!) if you create solid structures, plans & routines.

For example…

When your home is organized, you can hyper-focus on your work without secretly obsessing about the dirty bathrooms or the major mess in the family room (And when your office space is clean & pristine, it becomes a place you actually want to be.)

When you have routines in place that ensure you’re well-nourished with healthy food, well-rested with adequate sleep and well-manicured with self-care rituals, you feel creatively full (versus energetically drained) when serving your cherished clients or customers.

And when your finances are in check, you can enjoy life (and enjoy spending a little cashola) without sweating over what bill is coming out when and whether everyone on your team is paid out (or not).

See how it works?

Yep, when you’re a business owner, it ALL matters. Your mental health–and the health of your business–truly depends on every area of life and business flowing well together. (Especially if you’re the face–and backbone!–of your business).

The good news? You can start simplifying, streamlining and “doing” life and business with more intention today.

Yep, with just a few tweaks, you can ensure every single area of your life is “in check” and (almost) instantly start experiencing more fun, happiness and ease in your daily life.
Introducing…

Organize Your Life, Home, Office & Routines for More Fun, Flow, and Happiness

In this training, you’ll learn how to organize everything from your home office to your self-care routines (and all the things in between!) with just a few hours a week, so you can accomplish both what you need to and what you’d love to.

We’ll comb through the main areas of your life and put some simple, actionable routines and practices into place–and as a result, you’ll get to see firsthand how everything flows better, faster and easier!

Here’s a peek at what we’ll cover….

  • Advantages of organizing your life so it all flows together
  • The best systems for streamlining your weekly tasks–from cleaning to meal prepping and back again–for more productivity and pleasure
  • How to efficiently eliminate distractions (like ahem, dirty laundry) during your day so you can get more done with less stress
  • How to make meal planning, prepping, cooking and shopping 100x easier on yourself–especially as a business owner!
  • Creating a less stressful business day through structure, routine & boundaries, so you can easily get into the groove/flow
  • Managing your money and finances so you’re not forever-wondering if you paid that bill (or if you have enough to pay that bill) while crafting content, serving clients or living your life
  • Living your life in line with your natural rhythms and inclinations. (i.e. If you prefer working at night, allow yourself the luxury!) all while being a better business owner (and human)
  • Crafting an ideal schedule that includes both home and work tasks so you can make sure every area of your life is tended to, every day

When we’re done, you’ll have a plan for everything and everything will have a plan. Period.

#135: Refueling Your Spirit with Regular Routines
#135: Refueling Your Spirit with Regular Routines

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