This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tazo® Tea. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you know that I love to share my tips on practicing self-care, living mindfully, and finding contentment in your daily life. What I often don’t share is what goes on behind the scenes and how I manage to balance my time between writing blog posts, working a 9-5 job, and studying for grad school.
Today, I thought I’d switch things up a bit and give you an inside look at my daily routine and how I manage to stay positive and productive with all of my responsibilities! It’s not an easy task, and I can’t say I’m 100% positive and productive all of the time, but it’s all about prioritizing what’s important, going with the flow when necessary, and letting myself rest in between.
Morning Routine
My morning routine is constantly changing, but for the most part, I’ve found what works for me. Usually I’ll wake up around 6:30, drink a glass of water, then head to the kitchen and make myself a big cup of tea.
I’m a tea addict through and through, and in the morning I like to have either green tea or Awake™ English Breakfast because its malty boldness and bright flavor is super invigorating at any time of day. I’m a big fan of Tazo® Tea because their teas are made with some of the finest quality tea leaves, spices and botanicals to create unexpected blends that are always vibrantly delicious which you can find at your local grocery store.
As I’m drinking my tea (which tends to happen in bed), I’ll write down my affirmation and/or intention for the day and write in my journal about anything and everything that’s on my mind.
Next, I’ll work on a blog post for about 20 minutes and then try to squeeze in a workout like pilates, yoga, or running (the key word is try here – sometimes it just doesn’t happen).
After all of that is done, I’ll take a shower and get ready for work, watch some youtube videos or listen to a podcast, and eat my breakfast which is usually overnight oats or almond butter on toast with banana. Around 8:30, I’ll drive to work in the lovely Seattle traffic although I don’t mind it too much because I love living and working in this city.
During The Day
At 9am, I’m at my desk working. I’m the Operations Manager for a non-profit, so my job consists of answering emails and phones, entering in donations, and making sure the office is functioning and not crumbling to the ground. I’m basically Pam from The Office ;)
While I’m working, I usually have another giant cup of tea by me at all times. Tazo’s ZenTM tea is one of my faves with its harmonious blend of green tea with lemongrass & spearmint. I love how Tazo teas add a little excitement to your day, any time of the day.
Around 12:30, I’m probably eating lunch at my desk. I know that sounds terrible and everyone tells you not to, but I only do it so I can put my 30-minute lunch break to good use. When 1pm rolls around, I’ll either go for a walk around the neighborhood and take some pictures of the lovely flowers, or I’ll spend the time working on homework or a blog post depending on how urgent they are.
At 1:30, it’s back to work work work work work (because I am pretty much Rihanna). The nature of my work isn’t too thrilling so I’ll spare you the details, but once it gets to the afternoon slump time, I’ll do something to give myself a mental break from work.
Sometimes it’s a quick meditation or deep breathing exercise, other times it’s making my desk area a little more calming with an essential oils mist. You can also bet that I’m having a snack like almonds or Greek yogurt accompanied by another cup of tea.
Once 5pm rolls around, I hop in my car to go home or hang out with friends. Traffic is terrible around this time, so I’ll either be blasting music or listening to a podcast to relieve any stress that has built up. Then it’s dinner time!
Evening
After I’ve eaten dinner, I work on any school or blog-related tasks that need to get done. For the blog, it’s usually answering emails, responding to messages on social media, and editing posts. For school, it’s either class readings or discussion questions since I watch lectures for my classes on the weekends.
If I’m not doing school or blog tasks, it’s typically because I’m out with friends or at some kind of event. If that’s the case, I just make sure that I’ve planned ahead and done all of my tasks beforehand (but let’s be real, sometimes I’m working on them in the wee hours of the night).
I try to stop doing work around 7-7:30pm so that I can squeeze in some Netflix time (my current fave shows are Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Stranger Things), but sometimes I’ll still be working on the blog or homework depending on what needs to get done.
Either way, I tend to grab a snack around this time and make myself some tea. I really like to savor my last cup of tea for the day because it helps me unwind and settle down for the night.
Depending on my mood, I’ll go for something like chamomile or, if I have a sweet craving, a cup of Passion® tea which is an exuberant herbal infusion of hibiscus, orange peel, rose hips & passion fruit flavors. It’s perfect for adding a little dose of bliss and joy into your daily routine.
To make sure I’m prepared for the next day and not rushing around in the morning, I try to stick to a nighttime routine that consists of making my breakfast, packing lunch, choosing my outfit, and planning tomorrow’s workout. It seems like a lot, but it really helps me to be more calm and organized in the mornings.
Once that’s done, I take off my makeup with my natural skincare routine, write my to-do list for the next day, and read until I’m ready to go to bed around 10-10:30pm.
There you have it! I hope you enjoyed seeing this little snippet into my life. I’m not a perfect human and things don’t always go this smoothly, but I try to make it work no matter what.
It’s always good to have something in your day that grounds you so that you can handle anything life throws at you, and tea has always been that tool for me. Tea is part of my daily mindfulness routine which is why I love to #SipJoyfully all day. If you’re interested in any of the teas I mentioned, you can find a Tazo near you by visiting Tazo.com!
9 Responses
Tea has been BAE recently for me, too. I’m working from home writing a book, and I found that I got into a really bad habit of just munching on popcorn all day. So tea to the rescue! If I’m sipping on tea, can’t be munching on bad food ;) And Tazo tea is where it’s at.
Just saying, I love all the pictures you always post. :) your post pictures are always so calming and beautiful.
Great post!
Rebecca Lindenbach | Life as a Dare
I’m so intrigued to hear you’re writing a book, Rebecca! I would love to know what that process is like as someday I hope to publish a book. And thank you for saying that about my photos! I’m no photographer, but I’m slowly learning ;)
Ha the process is chaos. :) But it’s so much fun–doing it with a publication company takes so much stress off, too, since it’s in the hand of experts! I think once I’ve finished the book (only one more week…) I’m going to be writing a bit on the process on my blog :)
And if you ever publish a book, I will be first in line!!!
Really enjoyed reading about your day! :)
moremindfulyou.blogspot.com
Thank you, dearest! xo
I love seeing a ‘Day in the Life’ post from a fellow blogger working a 9-5! While I’m always interested in how the day shakes out for people whose blog or blog-related business IS their full-time job, it’s so helpful to see how someone in the same situation as me makes time for everything, because I’m forever tweaking and fine-tuning my routine.
And I agree, tea is part of my daily mindfulness routine, too. I’ve recently started having my morning cuppa before breakfast while I slowly wake up and work on either blog posts or my novel, and it helps me feel so much more relaxed as the day begins (as a bonus, it takes LESS time to have my tea then breakfast than it does to make them both at once, probably because I’m not half-asleep when I’m trying to make my oatmeal!).
I’m glad to know I could provide some insight, Nicola (you have the same name as my sister!). I also think it’s so interesting to see how full-time bloggers run their day, but it isn’t always helpful to me since I’m trying to work around something I don’t have much control over aka a 9-5 job. And a cup of tea in the morning is so beneficial! One of my favorite things :)
Love the routine! “Day in the Life” are often my favorite posts to read – especially as a fellow employee, blogger, and graduate school student! I’ve been trying to make the switch from drinking a ton of coffee to having more tea, so I’ll have to check out some of your recommendations!
Thanks for sharing,
Amanda | amandabixler.com
I’ve mastered my night-time routine, but I really would like to get motivated and create myself a morning routine. I loved reading about yours. Great post!
Raza from http://www.implicitsimplicity.blogspot.com