Lifestyle - February 18, 2020

8 Things I Do Every (Week) Day

Things I do every single day routine

I’ve started sharing more of my daily routine with y’all on Instagram Stories this year and thought it would be helpful if I compiled all of these little things I randomly share into a blog post that illustrates the things I do every single day.

1. Make The Bed

I’ve talked about the importance of having a morning routine before on the blog and one of my MUST DO tasks is to make the bed. It’s one of the very first things I do each morning and it makes me feel accomplished. Even if I don’t get anything else done that day, at least I made the bed. I don’t always do it perfectly, but I put the effort in. It also is just something mindless that I can do first thing to get my day started!

2. Quiet Time + Read the Bible

Whether I’m spending 5 minutes or 90 minutes, I try to make time to be quiet before God every single day. Of course, some days are better than others but I think consistency is key. I use this time to read scripture, pray and sometimes just be still and meditate on one of God’s truths.

How I’m Reading The Entire Bible in 2020

I shared this with y’all earlier this year, but one of my goals for 2020 is to read the entire bible. I shared on Instagram exactly how I’m doing that, but I thought it might be helpful to outline it in a blog post for you.

I am using the Bible App to keep track. Within the app, I have subscribed to the Bible Recap reading plan for the year. This keeps me on track daily with my readings. And then after I do my reading, I listen to the Bible Recap podcast.

Each day, there is a new “Bible Recap” podcast that discusses the assisted reading for the day – it’s usually under 10 minutes and easy to process. I really like it because a lot of the time I have no idea what I’m reading (especially with the Old Testament), so the quick podcast gives me something to hold onto – something to take away if I wasn’t able to understand what was going on while reading.

Ideally, I’d be able to “study” the word every single day and look things up myself, but I don’t always have time for that. So I like having this one consistent thing I do every day that keeps me motivated and in check with my reading – even when I have no clue what’s happening.

3. Journal

I’ll admit, I don’t *always* get to spend a ton of time journaling every single day (and sometimes I don’t even get to it), but it’s something I really try to make time for. So if it’s not every day, then I make sure it’s a few times a week. Sometimes I only write down a few sentences, but I think it’s more important to be consistent.

I like to give myself time and space to process what I’m feeling, what I’m learning, and just my experience in general. I try not to put pressure on myself to make it anything more than a “check-in” – otherwise I probably wouldn’t do it. Journaling helps me to be more in tune with what’s going on and helps me to live a more intentional life.

Related: How To Make Journaling a Habit

4. Prioritize Tasks

Every week, I do a Brain Dump – usually on Sundays. I write down everything I need to do. And I’m usually able to get all my weekly tasks out when making that list. If you don’t do this, I highly recommend giving it a try! I started doing it 4 years ago and it truly changed the way I approached my week!

Brain Dump

Then, each day during the week, I revisit this master list and figure out what I need to focus on for the day. I make a smaller list of 3 things that must get done for the day. I have to take things one day at a time – otherwise I feel paralyzed. I do everything I can to simplify my list and let my brain focus on what needs to be done – little by little.

Next, I’ll make another list of things I’d like to do ONCE I get the other 3 things done. The simple act of making these lists every morning calms my nerves and makes me feel like I can actually do it. When I’m feeling particularly overwhelmed, sometimes my list will literally have “make bed” or “get dressed” on it just so I can quickly do that task and feel like I’ve gained some momentum when I get to check it off.

Related: How To Prioritize When Everything Seems Important

5. 30 Min of Movement/Walking

Y’all know I’m a big advocate of moving your body every single day, but just a little. I’m a big proponent of walking and think that letting yourself have 30 minutes of walking time each day will do wonders for your mental and physical health.

I started doing this in January of 2019 and since then it has been a major priority for me. I don’t always want to do it, but I’m always glad to get it in. I don’t do it for “workout” purposes, but more just for my brain and to give myself time to chill al little. Sometimes I’ll listen to a podcast and other times I’ll just be alone with my thoughts.

Related: The Daily Habit Making Me Really Happy Lately

6. Take My Vitamins

I told y’all taking vitamins was one of the habits I wanted to cultivate and bring into my 30s and I’m pretty proud of myself because it’s truly become a part of my daily routine. At the moment, I’m taking Ritual as my daily multivitamin and I really like it.

I’ve tried several before and most of them were either way too big for me to swallow, tasted disgusting or make me sick after taking them (even if I made sure to eat before!). Ritual has been the only one I can actually stick to because there are fewer side effects.

Ritual

Daily Multivitamin

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7. Take Equilibria

I started talking about my journey with CBD back in October of 2019. I was incredibly resistant to trying it out, but like I told y’all in this overview blog post I wrote a few months ago, I’ve really grown to love CBD after becoming familiar with it through the brand Equilibria.

Equilibria

Daily CBD

Use code BRIGHTON for 15% OFF! If you’re just getting start, I recommend the “Balance Box”, which includes the capsules and the dropper.

I take it to help with my moods, hormones, and anxiety. I’ve shared with y’all before, but if you’re new, I really struggle with staying positive and mood swings – or rather, just general sadness typically brought on by comparison. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I struggle with depression, but I do get in my head sometimes and I wrestle with the direction of my thoughts. And this holds me back. I’ve noticed it gets particularly bad when my hormones are contributing – aka the week or so before my period.

All that to say, I started taking equilibria to help with some of this. And although it has not taken the struggles away, it has certainly helped and I have noticed a difference. My PMS is still a monthly struggle, but I do feel a little more balanced throughout the month with my moods and anxiety – particularly with feeling overwhelmed. I’ll admit, it took me a few months to figure out which dosage worked for me and for my body to respond, but taking CBD has become a part of my daily routine.

What I take – I take one 25mg capsule in the morning and one in the evening before bed. I will sometimes take a dropper at lunch if I’m feeling overwhelmed or anxious. And then I use the relief cream on sore muscles and sometimes cramps.

If you want to try Equilibria (which I encourage you to do so), you can use my code BRIGHTON for 15% OFF. I highly recommend subscribing for 1-3 months to give it a fair try. CBD works best when it is taken consistently. And like I told you above, it took me a couple of months to really benefit from it, but I’m so glad I stuck it out.

Related: My Experience with Taking CBD

8. Nighttime Skin Routine

I don’t always have makeup on, but since I’ve now entered into the 30’s club, I try to be pretty consistent with my skincare routine. I’ll admit, I could certainly be better. But for now, I just try to make sure I show up. Currently, my skincare routine looks like this:

Tula

Clarifying Cleanser

This is my go-to face wash. It removes my makeup effectively and leaves my skin smooth and refreshed. Use code BRIGHTON for 15% OFF!

Remove makeup – I usually use Tula Cult Classic Cleanser. I’ve been using this for several years and I love it.

Apply toner – This is a recent addition for me, but I’ve been using Thayers Witch Hazel Toner.

Apply serums – Recently, I’ve been using IS Clinical Active serum.

Apply night cream – Skin Better Science Alpharet Overnight Cream.

Apply under eye cream – I haven’t really found an under eye cream that knocks it out of the ballpark for me (I just can’t tell the difference), so I use all different kinds and mix it up a lot. Recently, I’ve been using Dermalogica Intensive Eye Repair.

Apply moisturizer – I’ve tried a lot of different moisturizers and they all kind of blur together for me. So my favorite and the one I always go back to is the Tula 24/7 day and night cream. I love the smell and the way it feels on my skin.

Tula

Hydrating Day & Night Cream

I’ve been using this stuff for years – I absolutely LOVE it! It’s just thick enough to leave you feeling moisturized without feeling too heavy of a cream, you know? The smell is minimal (which I prefer – it just smells fresh). And it goes on super smooth. I put it on morning and night and always right before I apply primer and makeup too!

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Outfit Details: Blanc Noir white jacket (wearing size XS) // Phat Buddha Leggings (wearing size XS) // Phat Buddha sports bra (wearing size small) // On Cloud sneakers