Rebuilding routine after redundancy

In my previous post, I discussed practical steps to take when your working life upends and how you can be kind to yourself while navigating this new life. Today, I want to share the routine I had put in place. This helped me to maintain some semblance of normalcy. For me, it was important to keep active, invest in self-growth, and develop new lifelong habits.

I want to state that I didn’t dwell on not having a job. Instead, I focussed on what I wanted to do and make positive changes. It was also important that I kept to my work routine.
This is what I did every day:

• Get up at 5.15 am
• Drink 2 glasses of water
• Have a coffee and complete the NYT wordle
• Go for a walk
• Drink a glass of water
• Read a self-help book and made notes
• Journal
• Write gratitude statements
• Complete 3-minute HITT exercise
• Household chores
• Have a snack
• By 9am, I’m in my study
o Write until 12pm, sometimes 1pm
• Have lunch
• Plan blog and newsletter articles
• Prepare a few social media posts
• Check and respond to emails
• Apply for jobs (I started this about 3 weeks after my redundancy)
• Plan for the next day
• Spend time outside in the garden
• Prep dinner
NB: I took regular breaks, either bathroom, refill my water jug or make a coffee, and go outside to take the washing off the line.

My routine has changed now that I’ve started my new job as a lecturer. I have stuck to my morning routine right up to the HITT exercises. I plan to keep writing and all else that goes with being a writer, though this now happens in the evening and on weekends. However, I am mindful of needing downtime to rest and relax. This may mean some evenings I’ll not do anything and spend time with family and friends on the weekend.

My redundancy was and is a gift. Granted, it took me a good six months to not feel angry, hurt, or upset. Life throws challenges, some more difficult than others. How you respond to these trials depends on your particular circumstances. For me, it gave me the opportunity to reconnect with my passion to write, finish my draft for book 3, publish book 2, and develop strategies for my next chapter in life.

Routine was the foundation that helped me move forward — but routine alone isn’t enough.

In the next post, I’ll talk about identity loss and redefining who you are beyond your job title, something many of us don’t expect to struggle with.

If routine is something you’re working on right now, comment below with one small habit you’re rebuilding. And if this post helped, please share it with someone who needs practical support.

creative process, routine