This blog post is dedicated to all the Diamonds out there who simply cannot function without some sort of routine. For nearly all of my twenty-two years of life, I found myself in a habitual sequence of events every morning. It gave me a sense of calming as I knew almost exactly what I was going to do every hour of the day. It’s safe to say that for seventeen of those twenty-two years, being a student made that routine quite simple: sleep, eat, class, homework, repeat. College added a few more things to the list: sleep, eat, class, study, homework, meetings, events, friends, repeat. Post-college, as my last day of “regular” undergraduate life ended and we entered into a pandemic, I found myself with absolutely nothing to do and no motivation to build a new routine for myself.
For seven months, I had no responsibilities, no classes, no homework, and no meetings - but instead, a hell of a lot of free time that I had no idea what to do with it. I hadn’t started my full time job and the added anxiety from the pandemic made it all worse. Thankfully, within a few months, I was able to move into my own apartment and start my full-time job along with other involvements like The Diamond Campaign, CrossFit and my Black Alumni Organization!
Today, my routine gives me the space to find pure joy out of waking up at 5 am every morning. I would have never expected myself to ever say those words, - but the structure that I’ve built for myself each day motivates me to get out of bed at the sound of my alarm. Here is a glimpse into an average day for me:
5:30 am: Wake up & get ready for CrossFit
6 - 7 am: CrossFit Class
7:30 - 9: Breakfast, setting my intentions & getting ready for work
9 - 6 pm: Work
6 - 8 pm: Dinner & non-work related meetings
8 - 9:30 pm: Relaxing
9:30 - 10 pm: Bedtime
After almost six months of striving to stick to this routine, I’d say the most important part for me is staying true to my bedtime. Routines are especially important to me because they give me a sense of structure and purpose. When I wake up, I have full clarity into what lays ahead of me for the day. I’d love to hear your routine or any tips or tricks you’d like to share with us when it comes to building your day in a way that works best for you. Share down below!