The Kat Life: My Productive Daily Routine As A Homebody

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For as long as I could remember, I have always been an introverted homebody, and usually, I am more than happy to stay home. I prefer to do most things from home. Sure, there are a few exceptions to the rule, and I do enjoy getting out of the house from time to time, but for the most part, I spend the vast majority of my time at home. Honestly, I spend so much time at home that the "stay at home" order that was put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 has hardly disrupted my daily routine at all. Not only did I already know how to easily stay entertained at home, but I was also already doing my work from home, so for the most part, my daily routine is almost exactly as it was before. I just have to practice a little extra mindfulness now, which isn't entirely a bad thing, and now I have no one telling me that I need to get out more and be more sociable. As a matter of fact, despite the seriousness of the situation, it's almost been nice not hearing that.

But anyway, I digress, because I know that this is not the case for the vast majority of people. Most people are having to either adapt their routines to work from home, or they're unable to work at all because their job can't be done from home if their job isn't considered essential. Not only that, but many people are finding their other daily activities, such as going to the gym, disrupted as well. Even as a homebody, it feels like my world has been turned upside down a little bit, as I was planning on 2020 being the year I started to get out a little more, but now that's been put on hold. I'm going to have to wait for a lot of the things that I want, just the same as everybody else. I can't allow myself to feel too sad or distressed about something that I can't control, especially when I know that I'm not alone in this.

All of that being said, I have found over the years that it's still necessary to maintain a relatively consistent daily routine, even when you're spending nearly all of your time at home. Not only does it keep you productive, but I have also found that it actually helps with stress to have some sort of daily routine in place, as you're not stressing over what to do next. Plus, it gives you a sense of normality, even if things are far from ordinary. So with that said, if it could help anyone build a new daily routine for being at home, whether they're stuck at home during the quarantine or choosing to work from home in the future, I am happy to share my daily routine.

Morning time

A productive day starts with a good morning routine that won't make you dread getting out of bed and helps to get you going. For me, I have found that the best morning routine involves waking up decently early, getting my workout in, making sure I have something breakfast, and then doing something that I enjoy to relax a little bit. I personally love to focus my mornings on self-care and taking the necessary steps to help myself feel my best. That way, I can be my most productive as I start on any tasks or projects I have on my to-do list.

When it's time to be productive...

As tempting as it can be to just relax all day, at some point, I do need to start doing something productive. For me, the time to be productive is typically from about 10:00 AM to about 5:00 or 6:00 PM. Although, I do need to be a little stricter with the stopping time, as I often find myself still working on something until it's time to get ready for bed, if not past that time. Perhaps that's a sign that I'm really enjoying the work that I'm doing? But even though I sincerely enjoy working on my blog and being productive, I do need a balance between work and play. I also need breaks from time to time, which is why I try to eat lunch around 1:00 PM and give myself a break from whatever I'm working on.

What I do with my productive time varies from day to day, but here are some of my favorite ways to be productive at home...

I would love to hear about some of your favorite ways to be productive from home as well. Feel free to leave some of your own suggestions, as you never know who they might help to find a productive use for their time.

When it's time to start winding down...

As tempting as it can be for me to try to be productive all day and way into the night, I do like to try to wind down at some point in the evening before it's time to start getting ready for bed. Generally, this is when I would allow myself to just do something that I enjoy, and not feel the need to be productive or do any kind of work. As a matter of fact, I view this as a time to turn on the TV, play a video game, scroll on my phone, and not worry about whether or not what I'm doing has a purpose or not. Although I do like to do these things mindfully, and in a way that serves me positively. So perhaps, you could say that they do have a purpose, as I do like to use them as a means of self-care and to maintain a balance between work and play, which is crucial when you're working from home.

Seriously, don't forget to allow yourself a little bit of playtime, or some time to just relax and not do any sort of work, with no guilt. What you choose to do with your free time is entirely up to you, but here are a few of my favorite things to do when it's time to put the work away...

Nighttime

Generally, around 9:00 PM, I like to start getting ready for bed, allowing myself plenty of time for self-care before it's time to go to sleep around 12:00 AM. Although, admittedly, I am a bit of a night owl, and sometimes I'll stay up until 1:00 AM. I know that sounds horrible, but I have always had trouble sleeping when trying to go to bed before midnight, even without electronics keeping me up. But anyway, I do like to give myself a few hours in my bedtime routine to practice a little bit of self-care and relax so that sleep will come easier once my head hits the pillow.

While I'm getting ready for bed, I also like to prepare a little bit for the next day by picking out my clothes, writing down anything that I might want to do the next day, and at least deciding on breakfast. That way, I won't need to make all of those decisions in the morning before I'm even fully awake.

Although I will admit that my daily routine certainly will not work for everybody, I have decided to share my daily routine anyway, as I have always loved hearing about what other people do in the mornings, evenings, and throughout the day. A lot of my routine is actually shaped by the inspiration I took from the daily routines of others. Feel free to use anything you'd like from my daily routine and adapt it to your own needs and your lifestyle. Also, one more thing, but if you already have a daily routine established, I highly recommend sticking to it as much as possible, at least in terms of your morning and evening routine. That way, it'll be easier to get back into the swing of things when you do go back to school or the office.

What does your daily routine generally look like when you're at home? I'd absolutely love to hear about how you go about your day, feel free to leave a link to any blog posts or YouTube videos you may have on your own routine! Also, are you a morning person or a night person? I personally feel like I'm both, as I love the peace of both the early morning and the late night. Hence why I go to bed so late and wake up so early for someone who goes to bed after midnight.