Text design featuring “January Cure” in elegant font on a dark blue background, with a circular pink badge stating “Fresh Start.”
Apartment Therapy’s January Cure is a free 20-day program that’ll help you refresh your home for the year ahead. Sign up here and get all assignments delivered to your inbox.
Routines — whether a sleep system you put in place, cleaning schedule you follow, or beauty regimen you apply every night — are important to the way you structure your life, providing stability and even reducing stress. But if you are starting to get bored of your daily routine, you might just give up on it for good. Here’s how you’re going to ensure that that never happens.
Day 12: Step up your routine.
Today you’re going to make one simple change to level up your daily routine. By switching things up, you’ll be able to add some variety. Below, here are different ways to step it up.
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Change up the location. One of the simplest things you can do to shake things up is switching up the location. Whether that’s trying a new restaurant for lunch, going to a coffee shop to do admin work instead of staying at home, or beginning your cleaning routine in a different location each week (instead of always starting with the same one) — there are a lot of ways to “change up” the location.
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Romanticize it. Some things we do every day are far from glamorous (e.g. shutting down the kitchen every night) — but by romanticizing tasks, you can turn the mundane into something special. For instance, light a nice-smelling candle or put on some good music while you wash the dishes or practice mindfulness while you fold the laundry.
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Bring a buddy. Having a friend join you on your errands (and vice versa) can make it feel a little more fun. Go grocery shopping together, do separate tasks next to one another, or even FaceTime or hop on a phone call while you both work.
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Add a new step. It’s best to slowly incorporate your new step into your routine. For instance, when adding an extra exercise to your workout, make sure to keep it to a manageable time, marked down wherever you keep your workout routine, and slowly ramp up to 100%.
What one thing did you do to step up your routine? Share it with us in the community forum.
More ways to participate in the January Cure:
The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.
Further Reading
Marie Kondo’s Method for Storing Kitchen Towels Is the Only Way to Store Kitchen Towels
Try This 2-Second Trick to Double the Storage Size of Your Baggie