Over the last few months I felt like I was in a rut, doing the same thing day in and day out. Work had been zapping all of my energy by 5:30 p.m. I decided to integrate new activities into my routine and they are helping.
Here are a few of my rut busting tricks.
- Turn off the television. I think the best thing I have done in the past few months is cutting television. I can spend my evening working out, reading, writing or cooking as opposed to turning into a zombie watching something I won’t retain anyway. I save about $80 a month now that I have turned off my cable.
- Find a new recipe to try every week. I check out www.foodnetwork.com weekly to review new recipes and try new dishes. Trying different foods has broaden my repertoire and keeps me from being bored in the kitchen.
- Join clubs. I recently joined my friend’s book club and started reading a book I wouldn’t normally have chosen. It’s a great way to interact with new people and open yourself up to new literature.
- Try a new exercise. I would have never said I like to hike a few months ago, but I have tried a few different local trails. I can see it being a regular part of my weekend activities. Hiking is a fun, healthy and free activity.
- Try new restaurants. I try a new restaurant almost every time I go out to dinner. One of the perks of living in LA is that there are so many restaurants. I ask friends where they like to go and check out Yelp or Citysearch to find new locations.
- Try different ethnic foods. I love Moroccan food but I don’t think I would have tried it on my own. It took a friend mentioning it several times in order for me to go out and give it a try. Next on my list is Ethiopian food.
- Pick a day of the week when you have a hard stop. I usually pick Wednesday since it’s the hardest day to get through. I leave work at 5:00 p.m. no questions asked. I use the evening to invest in myself and try any of the activities listed above.
Work/life balance is a necessity. I strongly encourage everyone to try something new and find ways to indulge themselves.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Becky Root // Feb 28, 2008 at 11:55 am
I love these suggestions and agree completely. There’s a funny aspect to being about 10 years into “adult life.” You encounter your first set of ruts, because childhood, teen-hood and college life changes constantly– you never had to focus on changing up routines before.
I could never give up my beloved cable, but I have been setting tasks for myself before I plop down with a glass of wine for the night. I am getting a small fix-it project done every night and approaching it like I do tasks at work (i.e.: “I won’t go to lunch until A, B, and C are done”). The upside is my apartment is coming together beautifully and seems “new” all the time. Tomorrow morning I’ll have great new towel racks to hang my shower towel on!
2 Nathan Bowers // Feb 28, 2008 at 12:57 pm
These all sound like fun. That’s a big part of de-rutting: replacing dreary or self defeating habits with fun and life-enhancing ones. How do you make sure that you stay on track?
This past month I’ve been doing an aggressive life upgrade that you can read about here. Keeping goals manageable and making them public seem to make success easier.
3 Kimberly Perryman // Mar 2, 2008 at 10:28 pm
I think writing things down is important. I keep a running list of things I want to experience. I carry around a small notebook most of the time. When I get an idea or recommendation of something new to try, I add it to my list.
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