the plan - april 2025
how I'm taking care of myself this month
March was a major re-prioritization month. In order to prioritize work (managing some big things at work, being in production for That Desi Spark, SXSW), I had to downshift virtually everything else. My bare minimum routine was one I successfully stuck with most days, and I didn’t stress out over the days I missed one or all the practices in the routine.
My first impulse is to crank things back up to my January/February levels, but I’m forcing myself to slow down and gently step things up. I’m matching my energy to that of April - to continue thawing out from winter’s stillness, and finding peace as things start to bloom.
The In-Between Routine
Morning Routine
Morning pages in a pocket notebook
30 minutes of writing time (I deleted email and text notifications from my iPad, and keep it on my nightstand purely for writing or watching shows while folding laundry/tidying)
Workout Plan
Hit 8,500 steps a day (when my schedule permits, I want to go for a walk in Central Park after dropping off the kids at school)
1 outdoor run
1 yoga practice
Evening Routine
‘Tuck’ my phone in bed by 8 pm (really, I’m just plugging in the charger and putting it in a drawer in my nightstand)
In bed by 9:30 to review my planner (day’s reflection, review tomorrow’s plan) and read
My usual planner is out of stock, so I’m giving Intelligent Change’s Productivity Planner a try this quarter.
Lights out by 10:30
I declined all evening plans last month. This month, I’m saying yes to just 1 event a week (and will downshift to the bare minimum routine the following day, if necessary)
Meals
I’ve been assembling rainbow fruit and veggie nearly every day as a way to bring some joy (and fiber) into our days. I have the fruit plate on the table before the kids come down in the morning, and the veggie plate waiting for them when they get home from school. It’s been an easy way to start our meals on the right foot (and I exclusively purchase precut or prepped fruits and veggies to make it easier to prepare).
I’m starting the month with Splendid Spoon’s 5-Day Detox meal plan (gifted) in an effort to reset my diet with minimal effort on my end. I’ll add a protein shake to each day’s meals and maintain my usual supplement routine.
I really want to get back into my meal prep routine (a bigger Sunday prep, lunchtime preps on Tuesday and Thursdays) and to get back to our themed dinners. Here’s our general meal schedule, with some of my favorite recipes:
Indian food on Mondays
‘chicken’ tikka masala with Abbot plant-based chicken or seitan, simmered in Brooklyn Delhi’s tikka masala sauce with whatever vegetables I have on hand (I love it with a kale-spinach blend or with peas), served with rice or mini naan
Instant pot kitchari, served with Greek yogurt (I add Paro’s tarka to my and my husband’s servings)
Mexican food on Tuesdays
quesadillas or enchiladas (I prep a veggie-cottage cheese filling, and use these high fiber tortillas for us and regular flour or corn tortillas for the kids)
enchilada quinoa (I usually add cottage cheese for creaminess and extra protein, or Abbot’s plant-based chorizo)
Pizza on Wednesdays
Order in (Williamsburg Pizza’s vegan pizza is incredible)
We also keep a few Banza pizzas in our freezer, just in case
Scavenge Thursdays (whatever I have the energy or time to throw together and can quickly be reheated when I bring the kids home from karate)
Loaded mac & cheese (we love Goodles, and I’ll throw in whatever veggies we have in the pasta, or serve them on the side)
Snack plates (I’ll do ramekins of fresh veggies, cheeses, crackers or a grain we prepped earlier in the week, fruit, and Greek yogurt arranged on a plate for each kid)
Kimchi fried rice with egg (my kids will eat a small taste of this, but I keep offering it)
Burger Fridays
Pizza burgers for the kids, Juicy Lucy burgers using Beyond Meat for us
Order in from Shake Shack or Bareburger
We usually go out to dinner on Saturdays, and I make pasta on Sunday nights.
My fixation breakfast (a bowl of Rice Krispies and a Chobani less sugar yogurt) is still going strong, but I need to be better about lunches. My goal is to prep a few things (chickpea ‘tuna’ salad, sushi rice for spicy canned salmon bowls, a cottage cheese dip) to throw together an easy lunch.
Fun Things
I used to take a half day off every Wednesday and treat myself to a show, a museum visit, acupuncture or a facial, or a meal. I’d like to bring some version of that back, though I’ll float that block to whatever day/time works on a given week. This is what I’d like to do in April:
Acupuncture (commuting with a slow stroll through Central Park with an audiobook)
A Wednesday matinee of Death Becomes Her
Visit The Frick
A late lunch at a new-to-me restaurant with a book
"I declined all evening plans last month. This month, I’m saying yes to just 1 event a week "
I used to feel so guilty about doing this - reading this as giving myself permission to do this when I need it. Thank you for sharing!
Organizational genius! I am in awe. 😁