I’m staying with my parents over the summer holidays and haven’t quite returned to routines after the disrupted Christmas/New Year weeks. Those public holidays smack bang in the middle of the week mess with my sense of time. I volunteered to look after dinner for everyone on Wednesday night. I knew it was Wednesday, yet I spent most of Tuesday planning on cooking dinner that night—I even wrote “Get Groceries” on my to-do list. That is a list directly under the heading “Tues 7th Jan”. Late in the afternoon, it finally clicked that I was not cooking that night, and I scrubbed get groceries off the list. I don’t know why I’m having this trouble; my running still provides structure to my week. I’m also back working, so I was doing my Tuesday tasks while this confusion was going on. Can I blame it on peri-menopause brain fog?
Not being at home, I’ve also dropped into some bad habits, like instead of doing my bible reading first thing in the morning, I keep picking up my phone. Pretty soon, I’ve read the newspaper, checked my email and run out of time to do my bible reading. My phone lives overnight in the kitchen at home, so I’m never tempted to roll over and pick it up. Everything lives in my bedroom here, but I should probably put my phone in the far corner of our relatively small bedroom. It will not be foolproof, but maybe it will help. I’m a big believer in shaping my environment to support my habits, but it’s harder when I’m not at home. For a couple of days over New Year, a bowl of jaffas was on the kitchen bench, and I ate my fair share. Helping myself to one or two whenever I walked past. We never have sweets at home for exactly that reason.
Good habits and routine will need to wait a bit longer, though, because today, we are driving to Lorne to stay at a friend’s house for a long weekend. G and I are doing the Mountain to Surf Race, which is on Friday. I had to move some runs around to accommodate, but fortunately, I was on a deload week with a time trial, so the actual runs I’m doing can stay pretty much the same. Going back to a properly structured running schedule feels like a return to normality. Can I say I’ll never take being able to run for granted? Probably not, but for now, I’m so happy to be able to run.
On the blog front, I’ve decided to shake things up this year. Good Things Friday will move to a once-a-month deal. It will be more of a list post, and I plan to post more random life stuff when I feel like it. I also have a backlog of posts to finish: The Camino, the books I’ve read since August, some lists that I need photos for, not to mention all the ideas that are just bullet points on my ideas list. For now, I’m looking forward to a fabulous long weekend of socialising and activity before I’m back here at my parent’s next week, hopefully in the mood to wrangle a bit more routine and pick up some of the habits that have dropped off over Christmas.
Did you forget what day it was over the Christmas holidays? Do you find your good habits drop off when you are away from home?
Comments
16 responses to “It’s Probably Time for a Bit More routine …”
Like you, I thrive on routine. I always envy the people who seem to start January immediately back into a routine. I figure it takes me the first month or so of the year to get things sorted out.
I have a slightly new planning system this year and I am loving it so far. I do love a good list and sitting down with paper and pen!
All the best with the race.
And, also, YES to getting back into a Bible-reading routine. Argh. I was so consistent for most of the year and then got out of habit over Christmas and haven’t consistently returned to it.
I’m sure we’ll both get back into the bible reading. I think once I;m back home I shouldn’t have any issues.
I was essentially confused about what time even was from December 20 – January 6. Thank goodness I’m back at work now and on some semblance of a routine.
I adore people who have an actual schedule for their blog. Like, they post this type of post on X day and another on Y day. My blog is basically a free-for-all. You get what you get. I joke about having a “made up editorial calendar,” but it’s not really a joke. I wouldn’t even know how to start one!
I’ve really only had the Frisay posts going and the rest is free wheeling, but I want to be more free wheeling! You’ll never know what to expect.
Oh yes I have struggled with the days of the week, even this week which is a back to normal type of week. I had a lunch scheduled for Wed with a friend and on Tuesday at lunch time I got paranoid all of a sudden that it was Wednesday and I was late for lunch – but it’s only calendar so I would have gotten an alert! Time is confusing!!!
Haha, that sounds exactly like me
I ALWAYS forget what day it is over the holidays! I got back into a good routine this week and it feels great. I love getting out of the routine, and I love getting back into it!
Yes, I have just decided to roll with being a bit out of routine for now, altohugh I’ve had a lot of extra work this week.
What if you let it all go during the holidays while you’re at your parents? Look at your phone, do whatever. Have that be your routine there. Then go back to the routine you love at home. I wonder if it would make it more special some way? (And by it, I mean both the time with your parents, and the time at home.)
I like your blog ideas! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
I hope your race went well! EXCITING!
You are so wise. I have decided to just let everything roll while down here and next Monday it will be back to routine.
I am usually very aware of what day it is, but the way Christmas fell this year, and then with Coach getting the flu . . . everything was topsy turvey and I got more mixed up than usual. There were lots of moving parts here this break, and one of the biggest tasks was getting Mini packed up for her study abroad trip to Florence. I’m back to the daycare and kids are back in school and the last college kid left yesterday. I love having my big kids home, but I had the day off yesterday in a quiet house – first time since I don’t know when. Bliss.
I bet you are really enjoying your visit at your parents home. I hope the race went well. I look forward to seeing these post ideas you have in the near future.
I can imagine having all of that happening really messed with yuor routines. Mini’s trip is so exciting, I hope all settles down for you soon.
Most definitely the day around and after Christmas are in a time vacuum and no one ever knows what day it is. It’s like a parallel word where times is like gum.I LOVE it.
But I agree getting back to it can be so so tough.
I think routine is a good way to stick to habits. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t get much done.
I had extra work while I was at my parents (covering for someone’s annual leave), so I did stuff. I just didn’t do all the reading and other fun things I envisaged.
Melissa, hi
I am very late with my comment but wanted to contribute regardless. Precisely because of my fear that days will morph one into another, I did my Winter break personal writing challenge where I documented what we did every day… Otherwise, like you said, days just melt into one another and I start farting away the precious hours of my time.
Whether good habits drop off when I am not home… I don’t know… Some, but not others. Early wake ups are always there when I travel. Yoga suffers of course – time difference, poor wifi, not enough space at the airbnb…
I love your journal cover- so pretty.
Your winter break series was a great idea to keep track of what you did and not fritter away the time. I’m afraid there was a large amount of frittering by me over the Christmas break.