A Simple Creative Routine That Keeps My Life Together as a Writer and Mother

Every creator has a hinge – the quiet ritual that keeps the whole door from falling off.

And for women, especially writers, that hinge is rarely dramatic.

It’s rarely aesthetic.

It’s rarely something you can package into a productivity hack.

It’s the small, steady choices that shape the mind you create from.

This ritual is the reason my creative life didn’t collapse into absolute ashes when the fire blazed and sink into completely into the pit when seasonal depression rolled in.

It’s the reason I can write books, build a business, mother my children, and still feel like myself at the end of the day.

It’s not about perfection –never is.

But it used to be.

However, once I realized this is who I was—who I am, then I realized something.

It’s less about discipline and a perfect routine that’s pleasing for social stories and reels, and it was more about my identity.

Preserving and keeping it alive through all the highs and lows of the day—not the weeks, months, or even years.

The day.

Because so much can happen in a matter of seconds.

Life could change.

Get better.

Get worse.

But this routine is what keeps my nervous system feeling safe.

It gives me room to breathe knowing I won’t lose me.

These are practices that keep me anchored and the ones that make creativity possible in an otherwise chaotic life.

And here’s what my ritual looks like.

Changing My Clothes to Change My Mind

Before anything else (but after a morning visit to the lady’s room) I get out of the clothes I slept in.

It’s a must.

Moms know this temptation too well – rolling straight into the day wearing the same soft, stretched-out clothes we collapsed into the day night before.

But staying in sleep clothes keeps your brain in sleep mode.

Clothes hold energy.

They carry the imprint of the night, the exhaustion, the dreams, the sweat, the hypnosis.

If I stay in them, I stay tired.

Then this is just a given for me to feel frustrated and cave into picking myself apart in the mirror and through the day.

So, I change.

Not into something fancy – just something intentional.

Something that tells me, “It’s a new day. New life.”

A clean pair of leggings.

A supportive bra.

A Popflex top that makes me feel comfortable, capable, and willing.

It’s a mindset shift disguised as a wardrobe choice.

It’s the moment my brain recognizes: We’re awake now. We survived. We are able to keep living this amazing life!

And paired with washing my face, brushing my teeth, and doing basic hygiene, it becomes a reset button for my entire nervous system.

It’s a small ritual that states to my brain over and over again: I’m worth this. I’m worth it all.

And let me make this clear.

This can be done at any hour of the day.

Just change.

Get out of those old clothes.

You’ll feel it.

I can assure you.

After years of depression, this is what helped me the most.

30 Minutes of Reading (Anything, Truly Anything)

I read every day – not because it’s productive, but because it reminds my brain what language feels like.

I don’t force myself to stick to one book.

I rotate between four or five depending on what part of me needs feeding.

Some days it’s craft.

Some days it’s fantasy.

Some days it’s a page and a half of something I’ve already read.

It doesn’t matter.

The point is, for writers, this is filling our cup.

It’s like living in a world that doesn’t understand a single word you say, but then you open a book.

And there it is…

Another world that opens up to my language.

They understand me.

And I’m sure you do, too.

A Little Bit of Writing. Every Day.

I don’t aim for a chapter.

I don’t even aim for a page.

I write something – a paragraph, a line of dialogue, a scene fragment, a sentence that kept me up last night (or at least what I can remember from it.)

This is how I keep my story warm.

Myself sane.

It’s not about progress – it never is.

It’s about honoring who we are and our true identity.

Not the one enveloped in all the things this demanding world wants from us.

Writers write, even in small doses.

Especially in small doses.

15 Minutes of Doing Absolutely Nothing

This is the part that used to feel impossible.

Fifteen minutes of stillness.

No phone.

No scrolling.

No “catching up.”

No multitasking disguised as rest.

Just… nothing.

And if you’re a Mama, while baby or kids are sleeping… just breathe.

I know it’s hard.

It’s not impossible.

I’m a mother of four, and my daughter has leukemia.

So, she is in the hospital a lot with my husband and I then it’s just me.

Wrangling a toddler, steering a teenager, and tending to a 6-month-old who is teething.

But at night.

While they sleep.

I sit in my exhaustion and just breathe.

It’s my nervous system reset.

My brain’s chance to unclench.

My reminder that I don’t have to earn rest with productivity.

This tiny pocket of nothingness is often the reason I can create anything at all.

Nourishment That Supports My Brain

I eat what I planned (and sometimes didn’t plan.)

High protein.

Hydration.

Not because I’m trying to be societies version of “perfect.”

But because my brain is my instrument and I treat it like one.

After studying the brain, and becoming a nutrition coach, everything has just sort of become clear.

When I’m fed, I can think.

When I’m hydrated, I can imagine.

When I’m nourished, I can create and just be here for my kiddos.

Remember, it’s not about discipline.

It’s about respect for who you are and keeping a promise to yourself.

Because you are worth it.

Movement That Keeps Me in The Right Mind

I walk outside when I can.

I walk on my walking pad when I can’t.

Sometimes I walk while I read or brainstorm.

Something I walk just to feel my feet again.

Remind myself I’m alive.

Movement is how I come back into myself.

It’s how I shake off the static when I feel the darkness lurking near.

It’s how I remind myself that when I believed I would never make it out of depression, I did.

It’s so important as a human to move our bodies and that’s why I do that every day.

Not to lose weight.

Not to work out, so I can eat more.

But to just move so I can stay alive.

Stay breathing.

Feel my heart rate increase in a safe way.

Not the kind that does for fear of dying.

But for the excitement to be in control of my own body.

To being alive.

Speaking Kindly to Myself

This one is the hardest, but I press the most important.

I talk to myself like someone I’m responsible for.

I don’t punish myself for what I didn’t get done or didn’t do right.

I don’t shame myself for being human.

I don’t pretend I’m a machine.

If something didn’t happen today, that’s okay.

I have children.

I have a life.

Grace is part of my routine.

Grace is part of the work.

No matter the circumstance.

No matter the elevation or downfall.

I will always speak mercy into me.

The Ritual That Holes Everything Together

Now, none of these pieces require a perfect day.

But I’m here to assure you, all of them will make even the messiest day manageable.

They create a life where creativity isn’t something I chase – it’s something I’m constantly able to breathe.

This routine keeps me grounded.

It keeps me nourished, writing, and most importantly.

It keeps me me.

And if you’re a woman trying to build a life that supports her dreams –

·        Published author.

·        Artist

·        Blogger

·        Content Creator

·        Or anything that brings you to life…

With kids, responsibilities, emotions, and a brain that’s highly reactive – maybe this kind of ritual is exactly what you’ve been craving for.