Note 14 - Habits & Routine
Habits, habits, habits. As much as I love travelling, what truly keeps me balanced is returning to the routines I’ve shaped over the years. The habits I’ve built over time help me be the best version of myself and make my day-to-day life feel more intentional. Here are the practices that have stuck and that I rely on every week, or that I’ve been trying to incorporate lately.
My go-to Habits
1 - Moving my body with Pilates
Nothing has brought me more calm or confidence than Pilates. I started two years ago, and it’s now an essential part of my routine. I even wrote a whole blog post about it.
2 - Walking 10K steps a day
In 2025, I challenged myself to walk 10,000 steps a day. It was partly to stay active, but also to ease anxiety and get out of the house. I stuck with it for most of the year and remain consistent, though I let life get in the way when it needs to. Working from home doesn’t always make it easy, but it’s a habit I want to keep nurturing.
3 - Journaling
My favourite habit. Every year, I order a personalized Papier notebook, and while what I write isn’t always profound, it helps clear my head. Sometimes I flip through journals from previous years, and it truly feels like opening a time capsule of my thoughts and emotions.
4 - Early nights
As a morning person, early nights are a given. However, I once read that the hours of sleep before midnight are the most restorative, and I’ve embraced that fully. I like to be in bed by 20h and have the lights off before 22h. I manage it most nights!
5 - Meditation
This is a new habit I’m integrating into my routine. I’ve started using Headspace and try to squeeze in five minutes of meditation a day. It’s tough because on low-anxiety days, it doesn’t feel urgent, but I know the long-term benefits will be worth sticking with it.
6 - Planning meals on Sundays
This one has been life-changing. I plan all my meals for the week, run the grocery list, and I’m set. As a creature of habit, I love knowing exactly what I’ll cook each day. It saves so much time, but I do need to learn to be a bit more spontaneous.
7 - A little bit of cleaning each day
A chaotic space means a chaotic mind for me, so I tidy a little each day to feel relaxed. Something I never thought I’d say as a child: I now do the dishes right away and make sure nothing is left out before I go to bed or move on with my next task.
8 - Slow mornings with a book
Even though I wake up early, I don’t like rushing into the day. On mornings without a workout class, I start with a cup of tea and an hour of reading. It’s truly the best way to ease into the day.
9 - Lots of candles
Especially in winter, lighting candles during dinner or while reading in the morning adds so much coziness. It feels like a way to be a little more present.
10 - Taking time for my skincare routine
I try not to skip any steps and actually enjoy the process. My LED mask has also become a ritual; those three minutes feel like pure calm.
What I Wore This Week
Festive Night
You might recognize this Baum und Pferdgarten polka-dot dress. It’s one of my go-to pieces for special occasions. This time, I styled it with an old pair of black sock boots from L’Intervalle and a secondhand Rodebjer blazer. I love the contrast between the sleek boots, the structured jacket and the flowyness of the dress. I finished the look with a half-up hairstyle and a ribbon tied into a bow.
Everyday Delights
The streets of Old Montreal in the snow
Pilatika Westmount
Manoir Hovey, North Hatley
Winter has officially arrived in Montreal! We’ve already been blessed with so much snow. I say blessed because I genuinely welcome it before Christmas; it transforms the city and makes everything look magical. The first photo is from a mini snowstorm last weekend. I was walking back to my car in Old Montreal when I saw a picture in my head of the building and the snow; it felt like it was straight out of a fairy-tale book.
I’ve also been easing my way back into Reformer Pilates. For the past year, I've focused mainly on mat and barre because they give me that deep, satisfying burn, but I’m slowly working Reformer classes back into my routine and loving the shift. I really like the sturdier reformers at Pilatika Westmount, and it’s been fun incorporating different Pilates apparatuses, like the tower and the chair.
Finally, this weekend we headed to Manoir Hovey in the Eastern Townships. It’s an annual tradition I’ve kept for the past three years before Christmas. It’s the perfect place to disconnect before the year wraps up. The setting is stunning, and the whole vibe feels straight out of a Hallmark movie. The plan is to visit the pub of the hotel, spend an afternoon at the spa, have a winter walk and then enjoy the restaurant’s table d’hôte. I’ll tell you more about it next week!
This Week’s Edit
They All Came to Barneys, Gene Pressman
I love memoirs centred around the golden age of magazines, and this book has a similar feel, except it focuses on one of the most iconic department stores, Barneys New York. It traces the store’s beginnings, its evolution over the decades, its rapid expansion and eventual bankruptcy, and the family dynamics at its center.
The Copenhagen bakery that makes my favourite cardamom buns in the world has released a recipe book filled with stunning photos and detailed tips for recreating some of their most beloved pastries. It’s a beautiful cookbook, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
If you’re looking for a last-minute gift idea, I recently gave this alarm clock to my boyfriend for his birthday. It’s such a special piece. It’s stylish on a bedside table and timeless enough to become an heirloom. Each clock is hand-assembled in Sweden, and the brand offers gorgeous combinations of leathers and metals. I selected the Northern Lights model with a stainless steel frame and a dark blue calf leather case.
Of course, I have to mention the new Taylor Swift documentary on the Eras Tour, which was released this Friday (Parts I & II). It was very emotional to relive the experience. I get all the feels at the opening of Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince, with its pastel colours and an intro that highlights all her albums and eras. The documentary is such a fun, nostalgic look behind the scenes, plus it reminds me of one of the best nights of my life.
Love, S.
