Why I’m Changing My Daily Schedule & Routine Again

Hi friends,

After a year or two of following the same skeleton structure on my days off — juggling both my personal life and building my art business — I’m shaking things up again.

Over time, I started to feel stagnant. I wasn’t moving the needle in the areas that truly mattered, like creative projects and product development. Instead, I was spending most of my energy on admin and the “back wheels” of my business.

Admin has always felt mundane to me, while creative play is essential. I tried tackling admin first thing in the morning, thinking it would free me up for bigger projects later. But what actually happened was this: I would spend the entire dedicated block on admin, and it would cut my project work by 40–60%.

Later in the day, life would happen. Plans, family time, and little unexpected things would throw off my schedule.

I’m naturally an early bird — or maybe that’s just living in Brisbane, where the sun rises at 4:40am in summer. My partner, on the other hand, usually sleeps until 9:00–10:30am (sometimes even 11:00am). That gives me 3–5 hours of uninterrupted time to focus on my morning routine and art business.

And I love it.

I love working when the rest of the world is asleep. It’s quiet. Calm. Focused.

Once the baby arrives, I hope to wake up 2–3 hours before them to continue this grounding routine and “fill my cup.” We’ll see how that goes — updates will come from March onwards!

So, what exactly is changing?

6:00am - 6:30am: Morning Routine

I’ve drastically simplified my morning routine.

I realised the longer it became, the later I got to my desk — and the less time I had to focus on meaningful work before the world woke up and distractions started creeping in.

Yes, I could put up stronger boundaries. But that would likely mean spending minimal time with my partner and saying no to most social interactions during the week. With our FIFO schedule, we already spend about 71% of our time apart. So when we are home together, I want to be present.

When my alarm goes off, I jump straight into the shower, brush my teeth, and do my daily face massage. This takes about 30–45 minutes.

I then get ready as if I’m going into an office. I step out onto the balcony, greet the sun, water the plants if they need it, and do a quick tidy of the house. I work better in a clean space — it’s my first dopamine hit of the day.

If my partner is home, I wait for him to make me a hot drink (he loves being the at-home barista). If I’m alone, I make my own.

Before starting work, I do a shortened mindfulness practice — about 15–20 minutes:

• 5 minutes of deep belly breathing

• 10 minutes of morning Qi Gong

Simple, quick and effective.

8:00am - 8:30am: Work Block #1

When I sit down at my desk, I check emails once. I respond to anything urgent and note down tasks for the day.

Then I close my inbox.

I don’t check emails again until the evening — and even then, it’s usually just to organise or read something interesting. I love having my inbox at zero.

Then I move straight into my main priority of the day.

This is the biggest shift in my routine.

I dedicate about three hours to deep work, taking a quick 5–10 minute break if needed. This block is reserved for the work that truly moves the needle:

• Product development

• Painting and creating new work

• Editing

• Strategic growth

  
  

My freshest energy now goes toward building, not maintaining.

11:30am - 12:00pm: Lunch Break

Lunch is usually leftovers from the night before to save time.

During this hour, I’ll often work through something inside one of my memberships — listening to a workshop replay, reading through material, or taking notes. It feels productive but in a softer, learning-focused way.

12:30pm - 1:00pm: Afternoon Work Blocks

After lunch, I spend another hour finishing anything from Work Block #1 that needs wrapping up.

Then I intentionally create for fun.

Lately, I’ve been alternating between:

• Watercolour sketchbook sessions

• Oil painting

• Botanical illustration tutorials

This hour is pressure-free. It doesn’t need to be monetised or perfect. It simply keeps me connected to creativity and fills my cup.

After creative play, I move into admin. I now cap admin at 30–60 minutes per day. When I reviewed my time, I realised I was spending nearly a third of it on admin which was the main reason as to why the rest of my projects and artwork felt stagnant.

During this block, I:

• Update my online shops

• Update my website

• Manage marketing platforms

• Draft my monthly newsletter and/or blog

4:00pm: Movement

After work, I move my body for at least an hour.

This might look like:

• A gym workout

• A run

• A long walk

• Or a mix of walking and yoga

Movement helps me think creatively and shift stagnant energy. I always feel clearer and much better afterwards.

5:30pm - 6:30pm: Evening Reset

I start dinner and, while waiting, check social media and emails for the second (and final) time.

Sometimes I post. Sometimes I respond. Sometimes I simply organise.

After dinner, I dedicate one hour to chores — focusing on one section of the house at a time. When I do a little daily, everything stays manageable and I don’t lose an entire weekend to cleaning.

7:30pm - 8:30pm: Evening Routine

I spend 15–30 minutes reflecting on my day. I keep it simple so it doesn’t feel like a chore.

I journal on:

• What are my top 3 wins today?

• What are 3 things I wish I didn’t do?

• What are 5 things I’m grateful for?

• What 3 hard things will I do tomorrow that will benefit me long term?

• What 3 habits will I avoid tomorrow?

  
  

This keeps me accountable and intentional about how I spend my time.

After journaling, I spend about an hour practicing botanical illustration, then read printed material I’ve saved, and wind down with 10 pages of a book. Reading helps reduce blue light exposure and keeps my phone away from me.

I aim to be asleep by 10:00–10:30pm.

And there you have it — my current daily routine.

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my days. More than anything, I hope it encourages you to reassess your own routine and ask yourself: Are you giving your best energy to what truly matters?

I know once the baby arrives, this routine will shift again — balancing life with a newborn, bonding, family time, business, and filling my own cup.

But that’s the beauty of routines. They’re not rigid. They evolve with us.

Much love,

Wendy