Struggling with Routine
I'm someone who puts a lot of effort and value into maintaining a routine but lately, my routines haven't completely fallen off but they've definitely haven't been going so smoothly as usual. February isn't the greatest time of year for me, it's around the time where winter gets a bit harsher and feels like it's overstayed it's welcome. Don't get me wrong, I love winter and I love a good cozy nighttime routine but I've been struggling with consistency since the start of the year, mainly in my morning routines.
Life has been busy, I started off the year sick and work has also been non-stop and insanely stressful and on top of that, my partner recently gotten surgery recently (but recovering well!). All of that, plus piling on an extra cold winter (and an even colder house), isn't vibing really well. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself, allowing myself time for laziness and rest and recovery during this stressful time of the year.
January/February is a strange time, it's still dark and cold outside but it's the start of the new year and we're expected to kickstart on a bunch of goals and be productive and proactive. We're not really meant to go so hard during this time of year and I feel like that's why so many people get burnt out by February with trying so hard to do so many things in January.
My routine isn't completely out of whack, I still manage 2-3 days at the gym a week and have been able to find time for hobbies majority of the days but my routine isn't quite where I want it to be. My ideal gym schedule would be 3-4 days a week and allowing time for hobbies and learning new things. I had an ambitious goal to learn something new every month this year and my January and February attempts aren't going so greatly, but again I'm not trying to be too hard on myself. I also wanted to join the 5AM club, waking up at 5:30AM instead of 6AM to get some more time out of my mornings, especially on gym days. However, waking up so early during the winter is such a struggle with the complete darkness but longer daylight hours are slowly creeping back in.
All of this to say, if things aren't going so well right now and you've already fallen off of your ambitious routine and goals you've set for yourself in the new year, then just take a step back and let winter be your rest time. Don't give up on those goals but just give it some time and plan ahead for when the days are warmer and the sun is out longer.