Living mindfully with rhythms, routines and schedules
My word for 2021 is “be.”
As an enneagram type 3 — you can understand I’m always crossing things off my list, finding projects, moving — it’s hard for me to just be.
It’s hard for me to just lay and enjoy a late morning in bed without trying to get stuff done on my phone.
It’s hard for me to enjoy playing with my kids without reorganizing all the toys or planning the next task — or working while they play.
When I take time to just be in the moment — it’s a conscious effort.
When we hunt - I get to just be.
When we ranger up the mountains - I get to just be.
Walks, cuddles, playing, exploring, being with animals, babies. That’s what I want my year to be filled with.
I don’t want to miss these years that I LOVE because I’m focusing on what’s next. I just want to be in it. Feel it all. Soak it up. And wrap myself in the blessing that surround me.
Enjoy where you are now
I’ve been trying to live mindfully, pause, and be in the moment and do more solo tasks instead of multitasking at all times. You can do the dishes and JUST do the dishes instead of trying to get through your podcasts and shows etc.
Meditation and mindfulness are actually really hard for me. So I’m using rhythms to try to make this happen each day.
I want to talk a bit about the differences between rhythms, routines, and schedules.
Rhythm is inhale/exhale, the day ebbs and flows between structure and unstructured
Routine things that happen in a certain order each day or on certain days
Schedule things happen at a set time
My thoughts on routines
Routines are so useful for certain times each day. We use morning and night routines so that our kids know what to expect.
Classrooms use routines! This is important
Routines can be good for weekly shopping, chores, etc.
We don’t do a set daily routine for the whole day because things come up and it doesn’t allow for the flexibility we need. If we are following a set routine and miss something, the routine tends to go out the window
My thoughts on schedules
We don’t need as many schedules as we tend to have
Schedules restrict flexibility
There are times and places for schedules, like picking up kids from school, meetings, babysitters
Each day may be a mix of schedules, routines, and rhythms.
Rhythms
What I love about using rhythms is the flexibility that every day can be different. Kids, weather, schedules are unpredictable. Rhythms allow us to have a pattern without rigidity.
Some inhales — snack, xo playtime activities, a walk to somewhere specific, a trip to the zoo
Some exhales — free play inside, outside, exploration, sensory play, open-ended play
This is what our daily rhythm kinda looks like:
Morning routine (inhale)
Free play (exhale)
Lunch (inhale)
Downtime (exhale)
Activity (inhale)
Free Play (exhale)
Dinner (inhale)
Freeplay (exhale)
Night routine (inhale)
During free play, we will do a mix of outside or inside, messy open-ended play or quiet play, reading, cleaning, whatever our hearts desire
During inhales, I’m trying to be so much more intentional about BEING with my kids. And during exhales, I try to get some of my work/chores done. Some of the exhale I spend playing with them.
Enjoy Where You Are Now Weekly Planner
Because I am such a to-do list type person, I’ve created a way to have flexibility with rhythms, while still trying to make sure I make a conscious effort to be present. This download includes two versions with blanks for you to make it work for you!
