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The Routine I try (and Fail) to Keep

By CaffeinatedCM
habits prayer catholic work-life

A co-worker of mine once told me they were afraid to know my morning routine, so I’ve decided in remembrance of that to write it down and share it with anyone who’s curious. It also makes for an easy blog post, and I need to put one out so my blog isn’t empty.

Over the last few years since I’ve returned to the faith, I’ve realized that if I don’t structure my day around prayer, work and distractions will happily take over. This routine is my (often imperfect) attempt to put God first and let everything else flow from that.

I’m far from perfect, and actually not great at keeping a routine. Many days I miss things or the times shift, but this is what a day looks like when I manage to stay motivated and on task. This list is only for weekdays; weekends are similar but more flexible, with adjustments for Mass or extra sleep when needed.

  • 6:30am - Wake up, pray an Angelus , go back to sleep
  • 7:00am - Wake up for real, feed the dogs and pray the Morning Offering
  • 7:20am - Brush teeth, shower, get dressed, etc.
  • 7:45am - Breakfast
  • 8:00am - Pray Lauds
  • 8:30am - Work
  • 12:00pm - Pray an Angelus
  • 3:00pm - Divine Mercy Hour , pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and other prayers
  • 4:00pm - Work
  • 5:00pm - Feed the dogs, cook and eat dinner
  • 6:00pm - Pray an Angelus and Vespers
  • 6:30pm - Open time: read, pray, play games, walk the dogs, more work, chores, whatever
  • 9:00pm - Screens off
  • 10:00pm - Pray Compline , bedtime routine, pray and/or read in bed
  • 11:30pm - Lights out

I also aim to go to at least one daily Mass each week. Ideally I’d like to go to three or more, but the other available ones are either too early (which would throw off my schedule) or are in Spanish. I do sometimes attend the Spanish Mass, but I have a hard time focusing when I don’t understand the language.

This routine isn’t about being rigid or holy-looking (almost nobody, until now, even knew it existed), it’s my attempt to keep God the center of my day and to stay focused.

Missing parts of it has actually been beneficial too. Sometimes it teaches me humility or reminds me to be merciful to myself. When I first started, I was overly critical if I missed something. Over time I’ve learned that the value is in returning, not in perfection. The structure gives me a foundation I can come back to when I inevitably drift.

For the Liturgy of the Hours prayers (Lauds, Vespers, and Compline), I usually use the booklet from Word on Fire , and occasionally I listen along with divineoffice.org .