1-1-1: are you bored of your daily life?
read my thoughts on a daily routine and a quote about human existence.
october, 2024
edition 49.
good morning or afternoon or evening or whatever timezone you may be reading this in! happy tuesday!
[tangent: I have no idea why I chose a tuesday to release my newsletter and do three things tues (over on my instagram) but it’s kind of a lovely thing to have in the week? like tuesdays are so often overlooked in the week and we’ve really made tuesday *special* :’)]
I’m getting back into my routine, which includes a lot of sleep, a really good night routine (morning routine pending), slowly incorporating different types of workouts in, and getting settled in my room. yesterday I built a piece of ikea furniture BY MYSELF! who is she! a strong capable woman!!!
hilariously, I am craving routine because I have had absolutely 0 structure for the past 6 weeks and it’s made me go a liiiiittle crazy. so I structured this newsletter about the small joys in life and questions to ask yourself and mayyyybe how stability is the biggest blessing in disguise. read on::
you can expect one email from me every week containing:
one quote that has been inspiring me
one journal prompt
one piece of advice*
* = if you want to submit a question for my upcoming emails, you can find the form here.
podcast
there are tons of guest episodes on the podcast from 2024 that are worth checking out — listen to them here <3
one quote
“I like to pretend I already died and asked God to send me back to earth so I can swim in lakes again and see mountains and get my heart broken and love my friends and cry so hard in the bathroom and go grocery shopping 1,000 more times. and that I promised I would never forget the miracle of being here.”
—arthoesunshine
one journal prompt
what parts of my day drain my energy the most, and why?
how can I set boundaries or shift my focus to reclaim my energy?
one piece of advice
note: please submit questions for advice! I’m looking through old responses and I’m worried about reusing questions so it would be really really helpful if you could populate the advice box! submit here.
“how to overcome the monotony of everyday routine”
this is a hard question because on the one hand, I completely understand. living the same day over and over again can be really boring, especially if there’s no variation in your everyday routine. on the other hand, I know how effective mental shortcuts can be in reducing your cognitive load (sorry, behavioural science talk). in other words, having a fall-back routine that you can rely on helps free up ‘mind space’ for you in other aspects of your life.
so if I were to give you a step by step of ‘how to overcome this monotony’ of your routine, I’d ask you these questions:
does your everyday routine allow for variation? for example, do you have 2-3 breakfast ideas on rotation that you can draw from, or are you stuck making the same breakfast on repeat day in and day out?
do you build in spontaneity into your routine? for example, every thursday is ‘girls night’ but do you switch up what you do each week?
what part of your everyday routine do you actually find monotonous? is there a way to switch something up with individual portions or sections of your routine without feeling the need to throw everything out the window?
the broader question is ‘what is serving you? what isn’t?’
while these may not be perfect questions, hopefully they get you to pinpoint what exactly you’re struggling with when it comes to your routine. I find that routines aren’t inherently bad (although some people enjoy routines more than others based on their personality type), but they can be quite finicky to get right.
another reminder— remember that routines change with the season: something that may have served you in one season may not serve you in the next (*no, I’m not talking about the weather seasons).
reading updates
currently reading: (about to start) the queen of nothing by holly black (#3)
finished this week:
ultra-processed people: the science behind food that isn’t food by chris van tullenken
the cruel prince by holly black (#1)
the lost sisters by holly black (#1.5)
the wicked king by holly black (#2)
reading challenge: 38/50, 1 book ahead of schedule
if you want to keep up with my reading throughout the week, this is my goodreads :)
discount codes
these links are affiliate which means I'll earn commission if you purchase through them. thank you for the support!
FreeSoul: 15% off with code katieeu
D.Louise: 15% off with code katieeu
lululemon: my current list of favourite things (aff link)
enjoyed this edition?
until we meet again,
katie
Tuesdays are exciting bcuz I get to read your newsletter !! Love the quote needed to hear it :)