Your routine isn’t just something you choose one day, put in place the next, and forget about until you need to change it again.
Sticking to a routine isn’t always easy, especially when you’re balancing work, family, and everything else in between. However, it’s an important part of staying productive and healthy and keeping the peace in your life.
To be effective and ensure long-term success, your routine needs constant attention and care.
Here are seven ways to stick to your routine and create the habits that will bring you closer to your goals every day.
What Is A Routine
A routine is what we do every day, repeatedly. It is our daily pattern of behavior.
Most successful people have created routines that help them get things done so they can concentrate on other priorities throughout their busy days.
It might seem at first like you need to choose between work or spending time with family, but setting up routines in your life will help you get more accomplished while still being able to spend time with family and friends.
One of your most important tasks as an entrepreneur is creating healthy routines for yourself so you can focus on growing your business without getting distracted by all of life’s stressors.
The idea of routine can seem a little daunting like you’re stuck in some sort of Groundhog Day (the Bill Murray movie, not the actual holiday).
But really, the routine isn’t that bad. Basically, it’s what you do every day—things like getting up and going to work, showering in the morning, and maybe having coffee on your drive there.
It doesn’t have to be complicated; routines don’t need lots of rules or strict schedules.
In fact, routines are often more effective when they’re simple: Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
5 Importance of Having A Routine
Sometimes we want or need a change in our lives. We may want new things or experiences, or we may be desperate for anything different from what we’ve been doing.
But once change arrives, it’s actually easier for some people to go back to how things were than take on something completely new.
That can mean reverting back to destructive behaviors like overspending and overeating.
In other words, there are benefits of sticking with what you have and avoiding risks: less stress and more peace of mind.
Being unhappy with your routine is one thing; losing sight of its value is another entirely. Here are some ways that having a routine is worth holding onto
Many people like to think that they can stay productive and organized having no sort of routine in place.
Having a routine actually does more for you than you may realize, including
1) Preventing burnout – If your body doesn’t know what it’s doing throughout each day, it’s going to start getting worn out. By building a routine into your life, you’ll be able to keep yourself energized while doing what you need.
2) Keeping things simple – You don’t have time or energy for everything that life throws at you, so it’s important that you keep those tasks organized and reduced down to only what’s truly important
3) Saving time – It takes just as much time to do something once as it does hundreds of times. Having a routine will help you save time by making sure that you’re not wasting effort on small repetitive tasks.
4) Improving focus – A lot of people struggle with being focused because they’re always trying to figure out what comes next instead of just focusing on one thing at a time. Having a routine will help keep your mind from wandering off onto other topics and allow you to focus on one task at a time.
5) Helping with memory – When we lack structure in our lives, we often forget about all sorts of little details, which can make us feel scattered and overwhelmed.
Having structure helps us remember where we are supposed to be when, which makes it easier for us to get places on time and not worry about forgetting anything else along the way.
What are the 7 Ways to Stick to a Routine
1) Create a Morning Routine
To begin with, let’s be clear that routinely doesn’t have to feel like a prison sentence. In fact, having some routine in your life can do wonders for your mental health and overall happiness. But how do you get started? If you’re feeling overwhelmed by just thinking about it,
here are some tips on how to create a morning routine that will help you start your day off right.
1. Write down what you want out of your mornings:
So what does a perfect morning for you look like? Is it waking up early enough to exercise or read before work? Maybe it’s drinking coffee while catching up on news headlines. Whatever is important to you should go into your list.
2. Start small:
When trying something new, whether that’s dieting or creating a morning routine, starting small makes things easier to manage—and there’s less chance of failure!
Don’t try to change everything at once; instead focus on one thing at a time (e.g., wake up earlier than usual). Once that becomes habit, move onto another item from your list (e.g., meditate for 10 minutes after getting dressed).
3. Make it something you look forward to:
Think about what you like doing in your spare time and try to incorporate that into your morning routine. For example, if you love running, don’t force yourself out of bed early on cold winter mornings just because it’s part of your routine—make it fun!
Put on some upbeat music and enjoy yourself while you get fit. It doesn’t have to be a chore; instead, make it something that will energize you for your day ahead.
Here are some examples of routines to create
1. Set a certain time to wake up every day.
2. Have time for eating breakfast every day.
3. A time for everyday exercise (or, even better, make exercise part of your daily routine).
4. Do something creative or work-related roughly on daily basis (even if it’s only 15 minutes).
5. Take care of any household chores or errands you need to take care of before noon (or before leaving for work).
6. Make sure everything is ready for bedtime: shower/bath, brush teeth, put pajamas on…
7. Read something relaxing before going to bed
2) Write Down your Goals
If you don’t write down your goals, you’re less likely to achieve them. Even simple goals that we want for everyday life should be written down.
Think about your best friend or partner – do they know what you want out of life? Do they know what motivates you, and what drives you crazy?
Have you told them how important they are in your life?
Most people can answer no to these questions, which is why it’s so vital to write down (and refer back) to your goals daily. Also make sure these written goals have purpose; and if they don’t have purpose then they’re pointless.
Writing down your goals will allow you to achieve much more in life because it allows us to see where we need improvement.
There will always be an aspect of our lives that needs improvement whether its personal relationships, school, work or any other aspect of our lives but as long as there’s something we need to improve on we can strive towards those improvements and grow into better versions of ourselves.
3) Reward Yourself
It can be easy to forget about yourself when juggling work, family and other personal obligations. Once you get into a routine, give yourself at least one day per week where you do something just for you. This could mean going for a run in your neighborhood park or catching up on some much-needed reading time. With any luck, it’ll keep you looking forward to your days off (and actually leave you refreshed when they arrive). Reward yourself after reaching a goal—whether that means running five miles each morning or spending an hour every Sunday doing whatever you want—so that building good habits feels less like an obligation and more like a reward.
4) Remove Unhealthy Habits
If you’re trying to figure out how to stick with a routine, here’s an easy way: just think of it as removing unhealthy habits. Instead of trying to break old habits, replace them with good ones. What I mean is that instead of waiting for something bad to happen and telling yourself I should do better tomorrow, build good habits into your life so you get rid of negative influences automatically. The side effect? You create structure and happiness in your day-to-day life without even trying! (And since structure makes us happy, everyone wins.) Here are some examples: (You can actually use any habit as an example)
Steps to Remove Unhealthy Habits
Unhealthy habits, whether overeating or sitting around all day, can wreak havoc on your mind and body. If you want to get healthy—really healthy—you’ll need to give up old habits that aren’t good for you. Try working through these tips in order; they’ll help you build a daily routine that will keep you fit and trim. This list includes removing unhealthy habits such as smoking and stress eating as well as replacing them with positive routines such as meditation and regular exercise.
1. Write down your current habits and write down why you do them.
2. Figure out what you want instead of what you don’t want, and how that will benefit your life in ways other than weight loss (for example, getting more sleep).
3. Do an activity that is similar to what you are trying to accomplish (for example, if you want to be less stressed out, try meditation).
4. Find an accountability partner who can help keep you on track (someone who can support and encourage your new healthy habits).
5. Reward yourself for making it through one day at a time (and celebrate when you reach your goals!).
5) Stop Lying to Yourself
Knowing you have to wake up early tomorrow but telling yourself you’ll sleep in doesn’t actually make it happen. You can lie to your boss, but not your subconscious—it’s impossible to change how you feel by pretending something else is true. Instead of talking yourself into doing things you don’t want to do, make a list of positive reasons why completing your routine would be beneficial and read it before bed every night. You may find that regularly reminding yourself of what motivates you makes it easier to get going in the morning. After all, even if you do decide to hit snooze a few times, at least now you know it’s because you really wanted to!
6) Buy Exercise Clothes
Even if you don’t think you’ll ever be motivated enough to go through with exercise, buying some sportswear that makes you feel good about yourself is still important. After all, clothes do not make the man (or woman), but they do have an effect on how people see us. If you look and feel more confident when in your athletic gear, then it can be more likely that you’ll actually hit up those 5 AM workouts or run around town after work. Plus, having a few pieces of clothing designated for physical activity can help keep your other clothing from becoming too stinky—and who doesn’t want that?
7) Invest in a Good Pair of Shoes
This might sound like a strange thing to say, but your shoes matter. It’s important that you wear shoes that not only fit well and are comfortable, but also provide enough support for you. For example, if you stand all day at work, it’s important to have shoes with plenty of cushioning and shock absorption. Not only will these shoes be more comfortable for long hours on your feet, they’ll protect your feet from chronic pain or injury caused by uncomfortable or poorly fitting footwear. If you have an old pair of running shoes lying around (or ones that don’t fit very well anymore), donate them and pick up some new walking or work-style shoes.
Conclusion
Sticking to routine is hard, but it will pay off in spades. When you have no clear idea where your days are going and what you need to accomplish—let alone by when—it’s easy for time to slip away. Having an itinerary for your day can help you get more done, be more productive and happier (you’ll sleep better at night too). If you want things like balance or meaningful work out of life, having a routine is key. So follow these seven simple rules and stick with it as long as possible!
