Balanced Daily Routine

When achieving daily work-life balance, it’s essential that you split your day up into sections, as this will make it easier to navigate.

The 3 elements of any balanced daily routine are:

• Work
• Play
• Rest

Within this blog post, I’m going to break down each fundamental so you can get a better hold on what I mean by them.

I’ll also show you how you can implement each one into your day using a pie chart so you can feel even more balanced.

But before we get started, I want to point out how essential it is to regularly revisit your daily routine.

If you’re a creature of habit (like me), it’s easy to fall into the pattern of always doing the same thing, whether it’s working for you or not.

So I want you to start treating your daily routine like you would your skincare routine.

If your face cream is making you break out in a rash, then chances are you wouldn’t continue to use it. So if your current daily routine isn’t making you more productive and leading to burnout, then why would you stick to it?

Don’t be scared of switching things up every so often and testing out new ways of doing things, like the concepts within this blog post.

No matter how much I try to argue, work will always come first on my daily schedule. Purely because work gives me a reason to wake up in the morning — a purpose.

I’ve finally gotten to a place where I am excited by my work, and I get to wake up every day doing what I love — blogging, coaching and connecting.

So yes, although I follow an “anti-hustle” approach to life and prefer slow living to fast living, work is still my top priority (after my health, of course).

And I am not ashamed to admit that.

Although in the past, I’ve suggested scheduling non-work activities first, I’ve now started to do the opposite. What can I say?! I’m in my plan work first era!

But this has all come down to me recognising my needs and understanding what I need to do to feel balanced. And right now, that is focusing on my work. (I guess this has stemmed from the fact that I spent the majority of last year travelling and dedicating my time to self-care.)

So every Sunday, as part of my reset routine, I make a list of all the tasks I need to do that week that will bring me closer towards my goals.

I already have a pretty good idea of this as my weekly tasks are usually the same. I then use the method of “theming my days” to organise these tasks throughout the week.

I don’t like to overload my todo list with loads of tasks, so I focus on only 1-3 priorities each day. This allows me some flexibility as well if one task ends up taking longer than the other, or my day doesn’t go as expected.

Writing down my top priorities for each day gives me a clearer picture of my schedule. I can then use this as the basis of how I balance my day.

For example, I’m usually busier mid-week as I like to use Monday and Tuesday to ease into my flow after the weekend. This means that I might have 3 important tasks on a Wednesday but only 1 or 2 on a Monday or Tuesday.

This shows me that I can dedicate more time at the beginning of the week to play and rest. As a result, I make sure to schedule up to 3 self-care activities for each area on a Monday and Tuesday, whereas on a Wednesday, I’ll only schedule one activity.

When I talk about “play”, I’m not talking about the modern version of “play hard” and party.

Play to me means spending time engaging in fun, recreational activities that invite more joy into my life.

As kids, we’re encouraged to go outside and play — to climb trees, jump in puddles and make friendship bracelets. But when we grow up and become adults, we’re not encouraged to have fun like we used to when we were kids.

Instead, heading out to the club, drinking alcohol and sleeping with strangers seems to be the right type of “fun” when you’re in your twenties. (I mean it was for me anyway.) But now that I am in my thirties and have grown out of partying, I cultivate fun in other ways.

This, for me, looks like doing jigsaw puzzles, socialising with friends over dinner, and connecting to my inner child to do the things I used to do as a kid.

So, stop taking life so seriously all the time and loosen the grip on being an adult.

Because amidst all your responsibilities, you deserve to have some fun.

And as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.” So do not skip this step!

You’ll also find that by making your daily routine more fun, you’ll feel more inspired to stick to it.

Before filling in the “be playful” section of your wheel, I want you to write a feel-good activities list. Write down all the activities that you like to do for fun. For example, socialising with friends, trying out a new hobby, going to the movies, etc.

Keep going until you have at least 10-15 activities.

Unlike play, rest allows you to spend time by yourself and engage in activities that help you decompress from the day.

They are not necessarily high-energy or fun activities, but are more calming rituals that help to relax and nourish your mind and body. For example, reading for 20 minutes as soon as you wake up, going for a walk in nature or simply sitting in silence and focusing on your breath.

These rituals can, of course, still bring you joy.

Self-care is an essential element of any balanced daily routine. Because you cannot show up and perform at your best if you are not taking care of yourself first. And rest allows you to do this.

And just so we’re on the same page, resting goes far beyond getting enough sleep each night.

In fact, there are 7 types of rest to choose from:

• Physical rest restores the body
• Mental rest allows your brain to repair
• Social rest gives you a break from socialising
• Sensory rest helps you to disconnect from “the noise”
• Spiritual rest provides you with a sense of meaning
• Emotional rest reduces stress, overwhelm and anxious thoughts
• Creative rest protects your creative energy

So choose the area that best suits your needs each day.

As I said at the beginning of this blog post, your self-care routine does not need to be overly long or complicated. It can be as quick as 10 minutes. Just as long as the rituals you choose allow you to feel refreshed and nourished.

Write down a long list of things you like to do to decompress after a long day. Keep going until you have at least 10-15 activities.

When filling in the last segment of the wheel — “be restful”, choose at least 1-3 activities (depending on your needs) to add to your daily routine each day.

You can stick with the same activities each day or switch them up depending on what you need — it’s entirely up to you.

Now that you have a completed wheel, it’s up to you to find the time to schedule in your activities.

Just because you’ve written them down doesn’t mean you’re actually going to do them. You need to commit to them just like you would with work commitments.

So start treating self-care as a non-negotiable and keep yourself accountable.

Pinpoint a time now in your schedule when you can dedicate time to play and rest today (assuming you’re already deep into your work).

You’re also more likely to do something if there is a trigger to prompt you. Set an alarm to remind you, and when it goes off, tell yourself that it is time for a self-care break what ever that looks like for you.

And stay consistent!

It can take up to 6 weeks to firmly establish a new habit, so if you start using the Balanced Self Wheel today, you are one step closer to forming a more balanced daily routine.

I am on a mission to promote a healthy work-life balance. One where productivity and self-care can work side by side, and you don’t need to sacrifice one over the other.

And despite what others will have you believe, this doesn’t need to be as complicated as it seems.

Incorporating play and rest into your schedule (no matter how long or short each activity is) alongside your work commitments is a simple and tangible way to achieve work-life balance.

Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a healthy and fulfilling life.