a typical routine day
intro
a routine is outlined on this webpage though i would like to use this longpost to describe how a typical routine is structured on a daily basis. in this case, a routine is applied on a sleep-wake cycle basis, so it starts when waking up and ends when sleeping. i like to frontload routine items at the start of the day and try to get as much done early on in the day before proceeding to other obligations such as work. on days where there is free time, i mainly spend time starting new task items or completing in-progress items.
routine sequence
- waking up is usually early around 4 - 6am with earliest times most preferred, i try to keep my eyes awake, check the time to see if i got reasonable rest and sit at the edge of the bed for a minute or two to acclimate to waking up
- once sufficiently awake, i get the body active by doing warmup exercises and then bathe
- after cleaning up, i do sitting meditation
- to get the mind active, i do relaxed reading first with a language or technical book and then read sutras
- i spend at most 5 minutes checking email and feeds, just doing a quick scan around content
- language learning apps studies are next as they require mental focus especially with memorization
- with my eyes adjusted to screentime at this point, i make progress with watching shows/movies usually for 30 minutes
- at this point, i should be pretty active and focused, so i start on main exercises which is either strength training or running; depending on the scheduling though i may put off main exercises until later on in the day
- now the foundational routine is essentially done, so the rest of the day is now available for other items
- before going to sleep, i write a journal entry, update completed datapoints, check for emails once more, and then read a book to adjust to getting back to sleep, and the sleep-wake cycle repeats
notes
outside of the usual obligations like work or family, i would like to use this section to describe items outside of the foundational routine done daily.
- most of my screentime is spent on Bilibili especially with live or achived streams at this point; i do spend some time on art platforms to bookmark artwork though this just takes a few minutes
- when time is available, i may play video games to complete dailies or get gameplay to add to the video channel
- content production and skill practice on art, music, programming, videos, etc. are done after the morning routine items are completed
- i often spend time on improving on record-keeping and doing maintenance chores; i prefer planning and completing personal/household to-do items in advance when possible in order to minimize impacts to routine structure
- for meals, i eat when feeling hungry so there is no set schedule for eating. i often consume fruits for additional nutrients
overall, i simply regard all these things as a practice. if there are obstacles on completing items, or if i have to skip or postpone parts of a routine, it is not a bother as i do not seek to get attached to a set of outcomes, rather i just try to practice to the best of my abilities and if external conditions allow