I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of obsessed with ‘daily routine’ content. I watch this stuff constantly on YouTube! So, I thought it might be fun to write up my own. I’d love to know what you get up to on a typical day – whether you’ve got a full-on routine or not. I like to think I read and watch this stuff to help inform my own daily plans, but in reality it’s probably just nosiness!

I’m a big fan of structure

My mornings are pretty structured at this point, because I’ve found that works well for me. I write out my routine for the next morning each evening, which seems like overkill? But it’s the best way I’ve found of sticking to it. I plan things out with rough timings, to help me work out what I can realistically fit in before I start work.

There’s a lot more variety in my afternoons, depending on what my husband’s up to and whether I’ve got calls with friends or family that I’m working around. I still like to have a list of things I want to get done in the evening, but I don’t assign times to them.

So, that’s how I plan my day! Now, what does that actually look like?

My daily routine starts at about half six

I’ve got one of those sunrise alarm clocks, so I’m usually pretty much awake by the time it goes off. It starts playing the actual alarm at 6:25, so that’s when I get up, and I start off with yoga. Sometimes I follow a Yoga with Adriene video, sometimes I just sort of make something up. I might only end up doing five or ten minutes of yoga, but I like it as a way to start the day.

The next thing in the daily routine is meditating. I’m a deeply anxious person, and I know meditation doesn’t work for everybody with anxiety, but it has a marked effect on me.

Once I’ve done at least ten minutes of meditating, I either go for a run or do some other workout. I’m really not a fan of running, but living close enough to the sea that I can run along the beach has made it less awful. Marginally.

After a run, I have a shower, then it’s time for breakfast. Breakfast could be quick, but I like to read while I eat, so it usually ends up being one of the things that takes longest in my mornings! This week I’ve been re-reading The Poppy War trilogy (no, I’m not okay).

Finally,with whatever time is left I get some writing or editing in. Right now I’m working on polishing the first chapter of my YA novel before The Writers’ Weekend in June. It’s fun, but also kind of intimidating!

Next up is my actual job

I start work at nine, or a little before, and finish around half five. I’ll usually do some more reading during my lunch break, or some tidying. Because I’m working from home I don’t have a commute to worry about, which is nice! I have no idea what I’ll rearrange when that changes, but for the moment I’m definitely enjoying the bonus time.

After work I’ll either do some podcast editing or work on blog posts. I’m trying to get a bank of The Island Library podcast episodes stored up at the moment. No small feat! But I’m really excited to be working on our Season 2 episodes. If you’re not listening yet, I definitely recommend checking us out!

Sometime between seven and half seven I’ll step away from my laptop for a bit. Have some food, hang out with my husband for a bit, maybe game for a while. And then I try to get to bed between ten and half ten, and read until I’m sleepy. Which, honestly, normally takes about five minutes by this point.

I normally feel like I get quite a lot done. Still, I’d kill for an extra couple of hours in the day. More time for writing, for editing, for working on my blog and podcast. But we can only do our best!

What does your daily routine look like?

Do you obsessively plan like me, or do you prefer to wing it? Do you like to do the same thing every day, or switch things up? Let me know in the comments!

You might also like:

• Making time for writing
• Reading every day – 5 great reasons to make time
• The three writers I’d invite to dinner
• Time management and writing