A perfect routine doesn’t exist and it can be hard to follow the same exact structures every week. But setting goals to strive for can be so grounding and rewarding, even if you only do them part of the time. These are five small weekly habits that have completely shifted my life.
Weekly Habit 1: Starting My Day with a Gratitude Journal
For those of us who start our days waking up to the sound of an alarm, it becomes all too easy to immediately pick up our phones and reconnect with our texts, emails, and social media feeds. There is a sense of security that comes with knowing you didn’t miss out on anything during those hours you were curled up in bed, and from being able to start the day reviewing your calendar and to-do list. This habit feels safe, but it also teaches our brains that the world we need to reconnect with is not the one right in front of us: rather, a digital alternative where information is instantaneous. To combat this and try to reconnect with the real world, I bought myself a gratitude journal and started turning to it instead of my phone. Before I know who has liked my most recent Instagram story or texted me asking if I’m still going to lecture, I pick up a pencil and list three things I am grateful for in that moment — only three things! You would be surprised to see how slowing down and taking just an extra second to think about the positives can change everything. My first action of the day has become structured around seeking what is good, and in turn, leaves me looking for the positives all day long.
Weekly Habit 2: Meal Prepping every Sunday
While it takes a little bit of extra planning (and a couple of free hours that we probably could all be using for something else), preparing my meals for the week has been game-changing. Every Sunday morning my best friend and I sit at our kitchen table and swap recipes that make us feel good and are relatively easy to cook. Sometimes it’s as simple as a chicken and rice bowl. Other times we try making flavorful soups and protein breakfast oat bars. Once we choose two or three meals that sound easy enough for the week, we head out to Trader Joe’s and swing by Bearclaw Coffee for a Sunday treat. This routine has become not only a staple in our friendship, but also a way of ensuring we are staying healthy and fed as our schedules pick up throughout the week. Many meals last in the fridge for about 3-4 days, with frozen foods lasting as long as up to a year. If you build in three hours every Sunday (one hour for planning, one hour for shopping, one hour for cooking), you can get by the rest of your week without giving meal prep another thought.
Weekly Habit 3: daily movement
Another game-changing routine I have been implementing has been finding a way to move my body every day. Despite what many health influencers advertise on social media, it is not realistic to ask busy, exhausted college-aged girls to spend hours at the gym every day. If you are able to find time to sleep well, go to class, study for hours, hang out with friends, participate in clubs, plan for the future, AND follow a strict athletic regimen, I am seriously impressed by you. But for those of us who feel like we are barely crawling through our days, a more flexible approach to movement might be better fitting. A 10-minute walk, an online yoga class, a run (literally) to target to pick up that mascara you just ran out of—all of these things add up in reminding your brain and body that they are made for more than sitting at a desk and memorizing information. Movement is not something that needs to feel obligatory; it should, and can, be something that heals.
Weekly Habit 4: Laying Out My Outfit the Night Before
If there was one bad habit that kept me late to every first period class in high school, it was changing my outfit ten times before finally leaving the house. In college, I was determined to make a change. Sure, it helps that most of my daily outfits are simple sweat sets and the same dark wash jeans I can’t stop wearing, but making this decision when I’m not pressed for time has become essential. One less thing to worry about, ten more minutes to move through my morning with ease.
Weekly Habit 5: Friday solo Self Care Dates
Every Friday I do something special for me—treating myself to an iced vanilla latte, watching an old favorite movie, walking through the Arb to watch the leaves change color—it has become SUCH a motivating way to get through the week. In our society, it becomes so easy to just continuously grind, getting what we need to done and feeling too tired to do anything else after. If we build in small pockets of things to look forward to, we remind ourselves that we are not just academic machines. We deserve to take care of ourselves the same way we would a friend, family member, or significant other. What is life if not something to be enjoyed?
At the end of the day, a perfect routine doesn’t exist. It can be hard to follow the same exact structures every week. But setting goals to strive for can be so grounding and rewarding, even if you only do them part of the time. These 5 habits are fairly easy to implement, but they are just personal strategies I have found helpful for me. There are SO many ways you can take care of your mind and body that are totally personal to you—which is even better. These are just small ways I show up for myself, strive to create balance, and make everyday life feel a little more intentional. I’ve found that when I take care of the little things, everything else tends to fall into place a little bit easier. It’s the little things that make us feel more grounded, motivated, and on track.