March: our yo-yo weather month. From one final giant snow storm to seeing that guy driving with the convertible top down, we really run the gamut this month. Spring is (kind of) here. While we wait for the weather to make up its mind, the change of season always makes me think about changing up my routine.
I admittedly got a little lazy with my routines this winter. It’s time to spring clean my life! After some thought, there are three routines I have decided to change this spring:
1. I need to find inspiration to cook delicious, healthy dinners
2. I need to commit to less screen time (again) and
3. I need to find ways to better organize myself.
The Internet is a wonderful place for recipes, meditation apps and organization apps. But after spending most of my day looking at a screen, I want to disconnect in the evening and be less reliant on technology so I can engage in real life. I want hard copy solutions for my problems! It was the perfect reason to finally check out the new McNally Robinson tucked away on the second floor at The Forks Market.
Here’s what I picked up:
1. Food inspiration
I want a cookbook to have and to hold. I am forever being tagged in healthy recipes on Instagram that I can never find again. And I want to get pages dirty, leave handwritten notes on my favourites and have something that doesn’t fade to a black screen. I browsed the cookbook section and found this gem: Oh She Glows Everyday by Angela Liddon, with easy, healthy meals. I have often been frustrated making her recipes from my tiny phone screen, and I am pretty pumped to have a hard copy version with her recipes all in one place.
2. Less screen time
There has been too much Netflix and mindless social media scrolling in the evenings this winter. I have been going to bed later and not having great sleeps. One of my tried-and-true tricks for a great sleep is to read in bed for 20 minutes. It perfectly unwinds my mind from the day, engages my imagination and somehow always makes me just the right amount of sleepy.
But I feel like I can’t “get into a book” right now. Perhaps the Internet is killing my attention span? I had heard a lot about The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur. It’s a book of poetry. Yes, poetry. I can’t put it down! The writing is so simple, beautiful, complex, heartbreaking and inspiring. It makes me think. It’s the perfect escape and much more inspiring than Instagram stories.
3. Organize myself
I have lists on my phone, lists on my laptop and scribbles on loose paper everywhere. I need a better system. I love writing things down. I love lists and crossing things off lists. They have a huge selection of journals at McNally. I was pumped to consolidate all my to-do lists in one place. Everything goes in this journal now. Everything. I am already more relaxed.
If you’re looking for hard copy inspiration to help with your routines this spring, pop into the McNally Robinson Booksellers at The Forks. Whether you want to relax with a good book, cook up some new meals or find inspiration in your world, they have thousands of hard copy tangible solutions to help you find your spring mojo.
As a bonus, McNally Robinson is giving away a $25 gift card. To enter to win, head to The Forks' Facebook Page, share the post about this article and comment with your favourite bookworm friend. The contest will close Friday, March 9 at 3PM.
Lindsay Somers is a Lifestyle Health Coach in Winnipeg. She believes that every day is better with activity. You can follow her adventures on Twitter and Instagram. Photos shot on iPhone by Luckygirl Photography.
___
Other posts that might interest you:
