At the beginning of the school year I wrote a post all about how I set myself up for a successful week because I am always getting asked how I navigate everything on my plate. It has been a really popular post and I love sharing it periodically for anyone new to my community who asks how I manage law school, part time jobs, being a creator + podcast host and of course taking time for myself.
As my 3L year comes to an end and I’m also beginning to plan for bar studying and working remotely as a lawyer come September, I also wanna dive even deeper and share with you my daily non negotiables that layer nicely with my tips in my successful week post, which you can read here.
+ Make my bed
I mentioned in that post that something I do everyday to help me feel productive within the first few minutes of waking up is make my bed. If you struggle with this, listen to this Navy SEAL explain why such a simple task makes such an impact. I know somedays all you wanna do is lay in bed or go run an errand and then take a nap for a bit but I am 99% more likely to not get back into bed and feel more productive that day if I make my bed the moment I get up. Plus it makes your bedroom/space look cleaner and more organized which is key for me too.
+ Open my blinds
Similar to making my bed to clean up my space, opening the blinds/window to let light in helps my mind know that its time to start the day. I usually do this right before I make my bed so I’m fully up and out of it already. I have an air purifier too so I also set it to the daytime setting on my way to the bathroom after making the bed. If I’m WFH that day I’ll turn on my salt lamp too!
+ Turn on some upbeat music
Or a podcast. Depends on my mood but I like to have some background noise in the morning so I’ll turn on some music, usually Latin music – this playlist is my fave, and I’ll queue up some old faves too – or 00s R&B. If I’m feeling a podcast in the morning I’ll scroll through my subscriptions to see any I want to listen to. Should I share a post with my fave podcasts next? LMK. I have a highlight on my IG stories sharing them as I listen too!
+ Take my vitamins and drink water
Once I get to the bathroom I like to take my vitamins first thing and I’ll usually drink a glass or bottle of water as I do. Hydration is key!
+ Move and nourish my body
I join these two here because I don’t always do a work out in the mornings but if I do it comes before breakfast. More on my movement routines below.
For breakfast I like to change it up depending on how I’m feeling, this is definitely a theme in my morning and daily routines. I’ll do either an oatmeal bowl, power smoothie, blueberry waffles or eggs with spinach and toast. Sometimes I’ll fry an egg over avocado toast if my wakeup is later and its closer to brunch/lunch hours.
If I’m moving my body, I’ll do either a Melissa Wood Health video, a hot girl walk (usually listening to a podcast) or some stretching and exercises I’ve picked up either from MWH, Sami Clarke’s Form videos on IG or dancer workouts growing up. Somedays I’ll combine all three like I did today. Again totally depends on how I feel.
+ Wind down routine
After a long day of work, school, content creation and usually a combination of these 3 and any other obligations like meetings, mentoring, volunteering or an event, I NEED to take time for myself. My wind down routine can vary depending on the time of day, my energy levels or my mood too but I at least always wash my face, brush my teeth and set my sleep alarm.
I do a full skincare routine 6 times a week with one day where I put nothing on my face at all to let it breathe. I got this tip from Lauryn from The Skinny Confidential and Mimi Bouchard. I also love to turn on my salt lamp and soft music, usually John Mayer radio or Bossanova on Spotify.
Sometimes I’ll have a chamomile tea or Wylde One Chill AF Cacao almond milk latte while I read on my Kindle too. Usually if I’m not binging a show lol. If I feel really exhausted or need a good nights rest I’ll do a little Highline Wellness CBD + melatonin. I have a reel with my full wind down routine here if you want to see it in action!
The last few things I do before I go to bed are apply my Summer Fridays Vanilla Lip Butter Balm, hand cream and put on my Lunya eye mask. I like to lay my head on a fresh silk pillow case as well to really maximize my skin and hair care. Making my sleep routine luxurious makes it feel like an extra treat and it’s all about the little things we do for ourselves, right?
It’s important to be flexible and remember that my days vary but you know my key to navigating it all is setting a schedule for myself. Time management is crucial for me and I like to color code my calendar by type (school, Rella, personal, etc) and then have a To Do List note side by side with a daily to do list that I create every Sunday. At the top of my to do list is my intentions for the week and I have a master list note as well that I pull from. Here’s what that looks like:
I hope this helps you get some ideas on how to structure your days but still leave room for things to change, shit to happen and to have fun and make time for yourself! Remember to take what works for you and leave the rest, this is just what works for me and its a combination of several peoples routine’s that I’ve adopted as my own.
I always want to inspire you to be your best self and give you the tools to do so and I hope this helps!
xo Kayla