.ideal morning routine.

I am terrible at waking up.

can't wake up in the mornings on weekdays. wake up too early on weekends. can't fall asleep. can't stay asleep.

some weekends, I find myself bursting with energy and motivation, while others, I sleep the day away. I try not to feel too guilty about it because obviously, my body needed all that rest, right? especially if it had been a mentally / emotionally / physically draining week before. and I know there are other factors, like hormones or if I'm fighting off sickness.

however, I know it would be easier to track *why* my sleep fluctuates the way it does *if* I maintained a consistent schedule. (and I most probably would be able to sleep better.)

everyone's different, so for me, I'm a natural night owl. I love staying up late, as the nighttime creeps in and most everyone else heads to bed, there's a certain kind of creative energy that comes to me in these late night hours.

however, I can't sustain a life keeping these late night hours because I'm working a regular full-time job from 8 am to 5 pm.

I struggle with mornings and waking up on time to get ready for a full day. it's embarrassing running late all the time. the few times I've shown up to work a minute or two before I'm supposed to clock in, my coworkers have commented on, "oh! you're here early." -- actually, I'm just here on time instead of 10 minutes late. whoops.

here's to figuring out what works for me by writing this and then committing to keeping it for one month by posting it. I will post once a day for the entirety of october to recap the night routine and morning routine.

this post will focus on an ideal morning routine.

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OCTOBER ROUTINE CHALLENGE: MORNING

workday
6:15 am - day breaks: first alarm; snooze for a slow wake.

6:20 am - wake up: turn on the light (!!). sip some water. wake up.

6:30 am - yoga stretch: I found this video recently and follow along at half speed. a simple routine to follow and wake up to. after finishing this, get out of bed and continue with a few light stretches.

"5 morning stretches in bed | to energize and wake up" by meghan livingstone on youtube, published on aug 23, 2018

6:45 am - get ready: head out to use the restroom; brush teeth; wash face.

7:10 am - steady going: put in contacts. complete skincare routine & get dressed. do makeup.

7:30 am - get organized: gather items - water bottle, purse, any extra food or snacks for the day at the office.

7:40 am - head out: leave the house. enjoy a leisurely drive to work; no rush.

weekend
wake up when my body wakes up (which should be earlier, with consistency in my sleep schedule). yoga stretch; skincare; continue with day as however it's planned.

---

there it is: something simple, attainable. look, I'll even have special exceptions listed because I know I'm human and can't maintain the perfect schedule all the time.

special exceptions will be early work mornings, travel days, lazy vacation days

I'll try my best to keep special exceptions to a minimum; stay tuned during october to see how it goes!

until next time,
emily renee

.ideal bedtime routine.

I am terrible at sleep.

can't fall asleep. can't stay asleep. can't wake up in the mornings on weekdays. wake up too early on weekends.

some weekends, I find myself bursting with energy and motivation, while others, I sleep the day away. I try not to feel too guilty about it because obviously, my body needed all that rest, right? especially if it had been a mentally / emotionally / physically draining week before. and I know there are other factors, like hormones or if I'm fighting off sickness.

however, I know it would be easier to track *why* my sleep fluctuates the way it does *if* I maintained a consistent schedule. (and I most probably would be able to sleep better.)

everyone's different, so for me, I'm a natural night owl. I love staying up late, as the nighttime creeps in and most everyone else heads to bed, there's a certain kind of creative energy that comes to me in these late night hours.

however, I can't sustain a life keeping these late night hours because I'm working a regular full-time job from 8 am to 5 pm.

I struggle with mornings and waking up on time to get ready for a full day. it's embarrassing running late all the time. the few times I've shown up to work a minute or two before I'm supposed to clock in, my coworkers have commented on, "oh! you're here early." -- actually, I'm just here on time instead of 10 minutes late. whoops.

here's to figuring out what works for me by writing this and then committing to keeping it for one month by posting it. I will post once a day for the entirety of october to recap the night routine and morning routine.

this post will focus on an ideal bedtime routine.

---

OCTOBER ROUTINE CHALLENGE: BEDTIME

9:20 pm - clean up: showered, face washed, teeth brushed, nightly skincare routine completed.

9:50 pm - wind down: creating a quiet time, quiet space. unplug from gaming & watching intense TV. type up and publish daily post. make an entry in my handwritten journal.

10 pm - yoga stretch: I've been following this video recently. a simple routine to follow and relax to.

"yoga for sleep♡ easy bedtime yoga | 5 minute miracle" by boho beautiful on youtube, published on nov 20, 2015

10:20 pm - in bed: resting into bed. last sips of water. goodnight wishes.

---

there it is: something simple, attainable. look, I'll even have special exceptions listed because I know I'm human and can't maintain the perfect schedule all the time.

special exceptions will be family commitments, facetime dates, and our trip to hawaii.

I'll try my best to keep special exceptions to a minimum; stay tuned during october to see how it goes!

until next time,
emily renee

.intro 2.0.

welcome to my newest blog (again)!

I've had several of these started up over the years, and am getting back into it as I adventure through life. this specific one was created in 2016 and, here I am, rebooting it, and, here you are, reading it. welcome.

to catch you up to who I am:

• college grad (BA, English - Creative Writing, minor: Marketing)
• full-time employee (currently at a small private school, admissions/records/marketing/summer specialist)
• available for hire (website design, social media overhaul/management, content writing, dog-sitting, marketing consultant)
• dog lover (cats are great too, but I am allergy-sensitive)
• sibling to, like, a thousand people (six biological siblings, seven international, two by sisters' marriage, and many, many more who I've chosen as brothers and sisters)
• auntie to the cutest, smartest, most beautiful baby girl, who is now a full year old (also faux auntie to a few other favorites)
• super indecisive (unless I know all seventeen sides to the situation/opportunity, I'm looking to other people to make the decisions OR unless I know you *neeeeed* me to choose)
• lactose intolerant (but a lover of cheese and ice creams - a blessing or a curse, we'll never know)
• book lover (don't ask me about authors, because I'm awful with their names and sometimes book titles - stories/plots/details are what I remember best, so let's have a discussion on that)
• perfectionist (this is probably where most of my life problems derive from, honestly)
• feminist (because why not. seriously. why the heck not)
• health & fitness enthusiast (kick-started back into it in March 2016 & working on it ever since, ever-searching for the most viable options to my lifestyle & personality)
• a planner (would you like to see my excel sheets for planning a weekend away trip? they're excessive)

these are just a few samplings, and there's always more to a person than what they volunteer. stick around and get to know me more, and let me get to know you too. (or not - I'm not your father.)

I plan to post once a week, so we shall see where this newest adventure takes me!

until next time,
emily renee