Hey,
One of the nice things about having a job is you don’t have to think much about your routine. Your daily 9-5 (or whatever) acts as an anchor in your schedule – something large and predictable you can plan your day or life around. Each of your days kind of looks the same. You wake up, maybe do something (exercise, breakfast, walk) and then get to work. After work, it’s the same think – eat, TV or read, get to sleep. You might fit in some hobbies, socializing, or save it all for the weekend. While it might not sound glamorous, it’s predictable. And like it or not, we are creatures of habit who crave predictability.
For the last 8 months I’ve been drifting without an anchor. At first, it was liberating. Free from meetings and a schedule I would sleep in, play video games, go to a coffee shop to read when I felt like it, and ride my Peloton. But then the days flowed into one another with little consistency or repetition and I felt stuck.
I tried throughout the year to create a routine once I started client work, but failed. I couldn’t stick to anything. The only routine and anchor I’ve managed to stick to has been my running training, but it’s hard to plan your life around 2h workouts every other day! I’ve made a list of the things I want to do in a day, sketched a calendar on my whiteboard, and attempted iterations of a plan. I have no idea what I’m doing though and days continue to pass me by where they feel half well-spent.