Are Your Routines Helping You Thrive—Or Keeping You Stuck in Busy Mode?

"Are Your Routines Helping You Thrive—Or Keeping You Stuck in Busy Mode?"

✨ Show Notes 

Episode Summary:
In today’s episode of Clear & On Purpose, Christina explores a surprising truth: your routines and habits—while powerful—might actually be keeping you disconnected from the life you're trying to enjoy. If you've ever found yourself saying "no" to spontaneous connection because your calendar is full of “good-for-you” tasks like Sunday resets, meal prep, or work projects, this conversation is your gentle wake-up call.

Inside this episode, Christina shares:

• Why routines can quietly become a distraction from living
• The personal moment that made her question her own "productivity trap"
• How to tell if your habits are aligned with your deeper intentions
• Practical ways to create space for fun, connection, and spontaneity
• A mindset shift for high-achieving women who fear “losing progress”

If you're craving more freedom, presence, and joy—but don't want to lose your structure—this episode is the balance you've been looking for.

Resources Mentioned:

• Join The Village: Click here to connect with our community.
• Sign up for the Momentum Challenge: Click here to get started.

Resources & Links

• Follow Christina @christinaslaback
• Email us at hello@christinaslaback.com
• www.christinaslaback.com

Transcript

when to set aside routine

Christina: [00:00:00] You are allowed to be human, to be flexible, to be present. That's the point after all the rhythms, the routines are meant to support your life, not become your life. 

Welcome to Clear and On Purpose, the podcast design to help you cut through the noise and get back to what matters most. If you're feeling stuck, but needs to take intentional action, you are in the right place. I'm Christina Slayback, homeschooling mom of two and life and business coach, helping you drop in and align with your values and create more space.

Each week I'll be sharing practical insights and simple. Actionable steps to help you find clarity, boost your energy, and design a life that balances ambition with mates. Let's dive in and get clear on purpose.

Today's episode is for my fellow planners, the Sunday reset people, the [00:01:00] ones with the color coded calendars and beautifully curated routines. I see you, I am you and I wanna talk about something that hit me recently. I. How even our best routines can become a sneaky form of distraction. You know, I'm all about routines.

They help create consistency, build healthy habits, and make space for momentum. A well-crafted routine could be a total game changer when you're trying to feel more in control of your life, especially if you've been stuck and overwhelm. But when do those routines actually start working against us? When do they become, just another way to stay busy, avoid discomfort or check out of our actual lives.

I've caught myself saying no to plans or last minute fun because I had something important to do my Sunday reset, the evening meal prep, sticking to my workout schedule, or needing to get ahead in my work and listen. All of those things are good. 

They're part of what [00:02:00] makes my life filled with ease and feel aligned, but they're not the point of life. I remember recently feeling really stagnant and just blah. I had finished my weekly reset. The fridge was stocked, the laundry folded. My week was mapped out, and yet I felt kind of empty. It had been weeks since I'd had a spontaneous hangout, a deep conversation with a friend, or done anything really fun just because I wanted to.

I had built this beautiful container for my life, but I forgot to actually live inside it. So here's a gentle invitation for you today. Make connections, spontaneity. Enjoy a part of your actual routine. Yes, release schedule In the fun, make it non-negotiable like your workouts. Plan it in. Intentional dates or intentional days for date nights or friends nights, a favorite things day, the day where you just get to do whatever [00:03:00] feels nourishing just because all of your favorite things and do it regularly.

Regular meetups that don't require a reason or productivity just for fun, 

Even being open to spontaneous invites and opportunities. If a friend calls and says, Hey, wanna do a picnic tonight? Maybe it's okay to scrap the meal plan and just go, the food will keep. The laundry can wait. That moment, that connection, it might not be available again. Now I know what you might be thinking, but what if I lose the progress I've made?

What if everything falls apart and I get it? I've been there too worried that stepping away from my structure might undo all the hard work I've put in to create it, especially when I work so hard to finally get consistent. Consistency doesn't always come easy to me. So when I'm actually in the mode and being able to keep up [00:04:00] with the routines, it can be really hard for me to feel like I can step away because I'm afraid it'll all go away from there.

But what I need to do is turn inward to look at that trust in myself, that trust in the fact that I can come back to it. It will be there waiting for me and that I will be able to take on the things that I need to do again, because the truth is that you're not going to unravel your life by taking a night off.

You are allowed to be human, to be flexible, to be present. That's the point after all the rhythms, the routines are meant to support your life, not become your life. I've noticed recently that a young, a lot of young people in their twenties are doing all of these things, all these self-care activities, they're working out, they're getting their lives ready, they're planning days, they're doing their own resets, [00:05:00] and while that is amazing, part of me wonders if they're gonna be so stuck in those routines, they're gonna look back and feel some regret for the things that they might have missed.

I know in my twenties I was hanging out and going out late at night. We wouldn't even leave until 10 o'clock. Weekends, weekdays, it didn't matter. I definitely didn't have any routines and I definitely didn't have any resets, but I also don't have any regrets about that now at this stage in my life. I do need that consistency.

I do need those rhythms in my life. But giving yourself some space to step out of the routine can be a form of recalibration. When it feels like you're just checking things off the list, just to check things off the list, it's time to reevaluate that list and remind yourself why you created those habits in the first place, and assess if [00:06:00] they still actually fit.

Because your needs and priorities will shift, and that is not failure, that's growth. So this week I wanna leave you with this question. Are your routines helping you feel more alive, or are they keeping you too busy to notice that you don't? It's okay to loosen your grip, to pause, to dance in the kitchen, to take the call, ditch the list and say yes to something unexpected.

Because staying connected to your real self, your energy, your joy, your why, that's the whole point. do something this week that creates more joy, some spontaneity, some excitement in your life. Now let me know about it. Thanks for hanging out with me today, and if this episode hit home, take a screenshot and share it with a friend who might need the reminder too.

Or send me a message and tell me what fun you're saying [00:07:00] yes to this week. Until next time, stay clear, stay connected, and stay on purpose.

Thank you for tuning in to clear and on purpose. If you're ready to take intentional steps toward a more fulfilling life and wanna customize the approach, I'd love to work with you. Visit www.christinaslayback.com to schedule a free consultation or explore current offers designed to help you gain clarity.

And reclaim your energy. And don't forget to subscribe and share this episode with a friend if you found it helpful. It helps others find the show and grow our community.