Your life needs more tiny traditions
The secret to making ordinary days feel special
Hello friends,
First, a quick announcement. Since the 1st of this month falls on a Saturday, the August Anti-Rot Guidebook will be published on Saturday, and there won’t be a new post this Friday. For that reason, this week’s free post that everyone can read is being published today instead of Friday. I hope you enjoy it.
Today, we’re talking about the tiny traditions we can create for ourselves that bring more joy into our lives, and before the new month begins, I highly recommend picking your favorites and giving them a try.
So, if your iced drink is ready (I chose homemade lemonade) and you’ve put on a cheerful summer playlist, let’s begin.
Why do we need tiny traditions anyway?
First of all, I think there are very few things as chic as tiny traditions when it comes to making you feel like the main character. It’s something you do because you want to and because it makes you feel good. It becomes part of your life, people start associating you with it, and one day even your children may continue these traditions.
And if none of that is enough for you, think about it this way. You’re creating something to look forward to, an activity you wait for with joy and excitement.
Also, I don’t think consistency always has to come from difficult things. Yes, working out every day is wonderful, and if you keep doing it regularly, I’m sure you’ll improve not only your body but also your ability to stay consistent. But if that ability can be developed by doing anything regularly, then maybe creating traditions can also help us develop that skill. What do you think?
So, if you’re looking for a little more joy, and main character energy in your everyday life, here are a few tiny traditions you might want to steal.
1-The first day of the month breakfast
This one combines two of my favorite things: new beginnings and breakfast.
At the beginning of every month, treat yourself to a beautiful breakfast, whether it’s at your favorite bakery or at home with all your favorite breakfast foods and pastries.
Bonus points if your table also has fresh flowers and fresh juice.
2-The seasonal candle
Every year, if I don’t buy Zara Home’s gingerbread candle, it feels like the new year simply isn’t coming. Buying a candle to mark the beginning of winter is one of my favorite traditions.
Here are my recommendations for other seasons.
Spring- Linen
Summer- Citrus
Autumn -Pumpkin
If you needed another excuse to buy a candle, you just found one.
3-The birthday week
As you know, this month was my birthday month. And I celebrated it for as long as I possibly could.
There were candles on my breakfast pancakes, a celebration while paddle boarding on the sea, and another celebration over dinner. Throughout my birthday week, I spoiled myself as much as I could.
I even put candles on my ice cream. Just because it made the whole week more fun. Highly recommend.
4- The first swim of summer
Turn your first swim of the summer into a little celebration. Your favorite playlist, a cold watermelon, a beach sandwich, and a disposable camera will be enough for a real celebration.
5-The first rainy day soup
Every year, on the first rainy day of autumn, make your favorite soup. You can even put on a cozy nostalgic autumn movie and invite your friends over for a soup party.
6-The fancy grocery trip
How about turning one grocery trip every month into a luxurious one? Especially if you’re anything like me and love appetizers even more than the main course, I’m sure you’ll love this tradition.
Good olive oil
Fresh basil
Nice cheese
Fancy butter
And a good wine
A perfect girl dinner is waiting for you.
Sometimes all it takes is deciding that the first rainy day deserves your favorite soup, that the first day of the month deserves a beautiful breakfast, or that your birthday deserves to last a little longer than just one day.
Have the loveliest rest of your week, and I’ll see you on Saturday with the August anti-rot guidebook.
What you’ll get if you upgrade:
weekly articles— about ideas and life skills I wish we learned at school to help you build a life full of memories and less rot
a monthly anti-rot curriculum — built around monthly missions, a monthly curriculum, and rituals to help you reconnect with your life and make your days feel less repetitive
a monthly cozy life inspiration series — inspiring ideas, reflections, articles, and little guides (from journaling prompts to hobbies, rituals, and creative projects) designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.
If you’re curious about joining, you can do so here.And if you already are here, thank you. It genuinely means the world to me, this little space wouldn’t exist without you.
Tiny traditions are like little luxuries that remind us of why it’s important to prioritise ourselves and those we love in a busy world 🌍✨
A birthday week? How come I never thought of that? What a great idea! Unfortunatly, my birthday is in June so will have to wait a while...at least I can make the soup. Maybe I'll try a portuguese recipe...it's called a "Stone Soup"...(this is the direct translation because I don't know its name in english!)