Ever wonder what a day in the life looks like for a 26 year old living in NYC?
For the most part my routine during the work week is pretty similar every day of the week. Like I’ve mentioned before, I am a creature of habit so when I go off my routine my day is completely thrown off. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing but I know I’m not alone on that front.
6:30am. Alarm goes off. As crazy as this sounds, I am not a person who presses snooze when my alarm goes off. I never have been. So right when my alarm goes off, I pick up my phone, and probably like most of you, check my notifications and scroll briefly through instagram. It is a TERRIBLE habit that I know I probably will never be able to break but I only do this for about 5 minutes so I let it slide.
6:35am. Shower. I shower every single morning because I find that it wakes me up and gets me ready for the day. Until recently, I would always wash my hair every single day. Dana has been a good influence for me because now I wash my hair maybe every other day (dry shampoo is now my newest bff) and has made such a huge difference on my hair. I have to admit, it does take a while to get used to but I’m proud of how far I’ve come!
6:50am-7:30am. I like to take it easy in the morning. It depends on the day and if I have to get into the office early for a meeting but for the most part I let myself have some “me” time before starting the busy day. I always turn on the Today show while I’m getting ready because it is so easy to listen to and it helps me get up to date on what is going on in the world. During this time I also make breakfast which honestly depends on the day. It is either oatmeal, cereal, or a smoothie and I eat this while catching up on reading blogs and doing my makeup.
7:45am. Out the door. I live in downtown NYC and have to make the trek over to Hoboken, NJ for work. If you aren’t from NYC this is known as a “reverse commute” and I have to power walk through thousands of people to get on the Path and make my way over to Hoboken. Door to door (if transportation Gods are on my side) it takes around 30 minutes. During this time I always read The Skimm or listen to my daily devotional podcast. It gets me ready to tackle the day!
8:15-8:30am. I arrive at work before all my coworkers for the most part and I love it. It is time for me to relax after walking 100 miles per minute (and probably sweating) before all my coworkers get in. I check my emails that came in after hours and check daily sales. Side note: I work in eCommerce for a major CPG company and love it!
9:30am. My coworkers and I go upstairs to get water and coffee. My office has a Starbucks barista in the office and coffee and tea are free! It is amazing and saves me SO much money. We always go up as a team to get coffee and I think it is the cutest thing.
9:45am-12:00pm. Busy at my desk and in-and-out of meetings. Depends on the day but usually my Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are a mix of desk time and meetings and Thursdays and Fridays are days where I can really crank out a ton of work and get projects done.
12:00 – 12:45pm. Lunch time! I try to make the effort to eat with my friends in the cafe area instead of eating at my desk. At my previous job I would always eat at my desk and it was terrible because I didn’t feel like I had a break during the day. Even if I eat for fifteen minutes in another space I come back to my desk more refreshed and ready to take on the afternoon.
1:00-5:30pm. Same as the morning where I am either at my desk working on projects or at meetings. Nothing too exciting here except for my daily snacks that I eat during this time. I always make sure I eat a little something before I leave for the day since I’m always off to the gym to run.
5:30-6:30pm. My work-like balance at my current job is actually amazing. In my previous job, every single day was different and I was always at work until 7pm and very frequently until 9-10pm. The best part about my job is that I’m able to leave work at work and not have to check my emails when I get home.
6:30pm (or earlier). I make my way back to the city and go straight to the gym. What I love about my gym is that it is on my way home so I really have no excuse not to go. Every day is different with my workouts but since I am training for a half marathon it usually revolves around running. I try to meet Dana once a week during my “strength training” days for Soul Cycle (which I have to leave work at 5:30 to get to a 6:30 class in time) or I take a class at my Equinox.
7:45pm. Depending on the workout for the day but I am usually always home before 8pm. Right when I get home I eat dinner (I’m usually starving), take a quick body shower, and then make my way over to my couch. I love this time of the day because I can watch my trashy Reality TV (Bachelor, Vanderpump Rules, Real Housewives, Siesta Key, etc) before heading off to bed. After dinner I’ve been having a cup of tea because I am so damn cold or just want something soothing before bed. During this time I also do my skincare routine and obviously brush my teeth.
9:30-10:30pm. My new thing is reading before bed and NOT looking at my phone at least 30 minutes before I turn out the lights. The timing of this all depends on when my shows are over but it is usually around 9:30-10 that I pick up my book and read for thirty minutes. It makes such a difference in my sleep schedule so I am trying to incorporate this every single day.
10:30pm. LIGHTS OUT.
What does your daily routine look like?
Thanks for reading Elle’s Edit. If you have any topics that you would like for me to discuss, feel free to email me at elizabeth.lane.dooley@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! xo
