My Daily Routine for More Flow and Creativity (2020 Edition)
I’m a daily routine optimization expert.
I have been at this dance for around eight years - or ever since I discovered lifestyle design and entrepreneurship for myself.
This begs the question -
“Why, Conni? Why have you still not found one daily routine that works for you and that you stick to?”
Here is my response - aka my big optimization Why:
I regularly question how I do things in life - and why - and if they are not in alignment anymore, I pivot.
I see my life as a series of experiments.
As I evolve as a human, my needs and viewpoints change - and then I make adjustments.
On top of this, my current Why is that I keep trying to figure out ways to experience even more flow in my daily life.
For this, I want to find out how to establish a good balance between following my joy AND getting stuff done that needs to be done.
In practical terms, my intention is to optimize:
the time I spend using my creative energies
spending quality time with my partner, family and friends
having time to just flow through the day
I want to be able to mainly occupy my life and days with things that feel important and meaningful to me.
Here is my dilemma though:
I always want to do too many things at the same time and I overestimate how much I can get done. It’s killing me.
I get distracted fairly easily.
There are things I have to do that don’t spark joy for me.
Hence, I want to decrease the feeling of time pressure and constantly feeling like there isn’t enough time in the day to do all the things I want to do.
For this, I recently updated my daily routine and implemented the following changes:
I switched the workout slot with my creative deep work phase to use more of my morning flow state as I noticed that it is by far my best time for writing. (I’m also thinking about possibly moving my workout to late afternoon as studies suggest it is the most efficient time to exercise)
I am currently experimenting with not using to do lists and only focusing on one important task per day. I got so overwhelmed with trying to do too many things each day that I figured, fuck it - one thing and if I can, I will do another.
I used to meditate first thing in the morning (RPM = rise, pee, meditate). These days, I sit down later in the morning when I feel like it.
Here is my daily routine as of October 2020:
My Morning Routine
I usually don’t set an alarm and wake up when my body is ready, usually after about 8-9 hours - so this can be anywhere from 7 to 9am, depending on when I go to sleep the night before.
I then clean my tongue with an Ayurvedic tongue scraper and do oil pulling with coconut oil for about 10-15 minutes while I clean up, organize a few things and make the bed.
Next up is my hot lemon water followed by a coffee made from fresh coffee beans with oat or cashew milk, which I drink while I read a book on my Kindle and write my daily pages in my journal. I usually give myself an hour or so for this.
My meditation and breathwork practice usually takes place somewhere in between. Sometimes I do it right after I get up (which is what I used to do for years). These days I mostly sit down either before or after reading and journaling.
Here is a video of my meditation and breathwork routine:
I currently do a silent sitting meditation practice of about 20-30 minutes plus some breathing exercises for another 5-10 minutes (eg. alternate nostril breathing with a 5-count box breathing and/or 4-7-8 breathing).
I like using the Insight Timer app.
After all this, it’s time to use the best hours of the day to write on my laptop for 1.5 to 2 hours. Like right now. I got up late today, so it’s already almost 11.30am.
The writing is usually for my blog (like this one), for a video, or for a course I’m working on.
When I’m done with my morning writing, I head out to the gym or do yoga at home. Depending on where I am and what season it is, I go surfing or swimming or take a yoga class in a studio (which means I have to adjust my morning to the surf forecast or class schedule).
Lastly, I take a hot shower followed by a short cold one.
Here is what I don’t do in the morning:
I don’t eat breakfast as I practice intermittent fasting.
I try to not check my phone for the first few hours of the day.
I don’t schedule meetings or Zoom calls before midday - at best after 4pm.
Note:
I mix up the sequence of things quite a lot. Flow is more important to me than sticking to a set way of doing things.
There are days when I don’t feel like journaling or when I simply forget to do oil pulling. Other days, I skip meditation or do a shorter practice. I stay flexible, because who has time for perfectionism.
My morning routine is sacred but at the same time, I like to always check in with myself and my current needs, which always override any set structure.
What’s most important to me is that my mornings start slow and that I consciously ease into my days with intention. They set the stage for the rest of the day and prime me and my energy flow. My morning routine is also an expression of self-care and conscious living.
Here is a video of my morning routine from last year:
Mid-day and Afternoon
When I finish in the bathroom, I either do some work or depending on what time it is, I will have lunch.
I usually eat my first meal of the day around 1 or 2pm. When I cook at home, I often make a variety of colorful veggies and rice. I also eat out regularly - my favorites are Thai/Vietnamese, Indian or a nice vegan cafe with healthy, clean bowls. I’m a sucker for bowls.
I take my supplements with my meals: Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin B Complex, and something for PMS/my moon cycle.
After lunch, I might have another coffee and chill for a bit, maybe take a little nap.
The afternoon hours are usually downtime as my energy dips before I then do some more admin/execution-oriented work and Zoom calls around 4 or 5pm until 7ish or so.
I like to take regular desk breaks every hour to get up and move my body and relax my eyes.
I also use blue-light blocking glasses as well as the app flux.
All in all I like to keep my laptop time at a maximum of around 5 hours per day if possible.
Evening Routine
Around 7 or 8pm, I start preparing dinner or go out for a meal.
After that it’s chill time, maybe another hot shower and a cup of herbal tea before I go to bed around 10.30-11pm. I like to do a little reading on my Kindle until my eyes fall shut (usually only takes five minutes).
At best I put my phone on airplane mode an hour or two before going to sleep and I like to keep it charging in another room.
Before my partner and I go to sleep we talk about a few things we are grateful for or what were our highlights of the day.
And this is it for my daily routine!
My Weekly Routines
Here are a few things I do on a weekly basis:
Deep transformational Breathwork sessions
State of the Union meeting with my partner
Date Night with my partner
Therapy or coaching session (sometimes bi-weekly)
Sundays are often display- and phone-free days.
I keep my daily routine for during the week and weekends. And it only slightly varies when I travel or live in different places.
As mentioned, I like to keep things flowy and flexible so that I can always choose to follow my joy whatever that might be in the moment.
Maybe it’s meeting a friend for coffee or go for a walk with my partner or have sex or take a car2go and drive out into nature or go for a sunset surf.
Living life is more important to me than sticking to a daily routine. But when I’m in default mode, I opt for the daily routine, which I know keeps me healthy, happy and sane.
Check out my article The Power of Rituals and Routines for Creators.