The lockdown routines I want to hold onto
When lockdown was first announced here in the UK back in March, all I could think about was when it would end. I spent the first few weeks in complete and utter denial, refusing to adapt or accept that this was our current reality.
But once those first few tricky weeks were over, I knew that if I was going to stay sane, I had to be more flexible. And so, I changed up some of my routines, added new ones, and generally committed to doing whatever I needed to in order to make this period as enjoyable as I could.
At the time, I expected these new routines to be temporary measures, but as we start to return to some semblance of normality here in the UK, there are a few that I know I want to hold onto. In this post, I’ll be sharing them with you and explaining why these lockdown routines are going to be my new normal going forwards…
Weekly meal planning
We’ve never been great at meal planning - organisation isn’t our strong point, and we were the sort of people who’d go to the supermarket 3-4 times a week to pick up whatever we felt like that evening. However, we had to change that during lockdown to minimise the number of trips out we were taking, and now I don’t want to go back to the way we did it before.
I’ve realised how much time (and money!) a bit of planning can save, plus we’ve been so much more creative with the things we’ve been cooking. Plus I love that my husband and I now sit together every Saturday morning with a pot of coffee and a stack of cookbooks, deciding what we want to cook up that week - it really does feel like a joyful way to spend our time.
3 day weekends
Some of you might remember that one of my big aims when I took the leap into self employment was to take a 3 day weekend each week. I’d been trying to make it work before lockdown and was struggling with my corporate hangover, but being at home so much made me get really strict on enforcing a better work life balance.
Since April I’ve taken either a Friday or a Monday off every week and it has made such a difference to my productivity, creativity and general sense of contentment. I know I’m privileged to be able to do this, and I want to protect those long weekends at all costs now that life is starting to get a little busier.
Daily walks/cycles
I know we aren’t the only ones who have been loving the daily walks and cycles during lockdown - it seems like spending a bit more time in nature is something we’ve all been enjoying! Before lockdown we’d try to get out for a nice walk once or twice a week, but I have to say that getting out more regularly has worked wonders for my mental health.
There’s something about getting out in the fresh air each and every day that has really shifted my energy for the better, and I know that I want to keep prioritising that time in my schedule, whether it’s an after dinner walk with my husband or an early morning solo cycle.
Daily journaling
The last routine I want to stick with is daily journaling. This is something that I was already doing before lockdown, but the last few months have made me realise how critical it is in helping me to feel positive, focused and resilient. There have been many days recently where getting those words down on paper has led me to an “aha!” moment, and for that reason, journaling will remain a vital part of my morning routine.
I like to do morning pages, which is essentially 3 pages of stream of consciousness journaling first thing each morning, and I swear it’s like therapy but much, much cheaper!
Are there any new routines or habits you established in lockdown that you’d like to hold on to?
