How To Develop A Daily Routine That Works For You
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In Brief: (1) Finding the right daily routine takes time as you experiment and figure out what works best. (2) It’s important to have a top priority to orient your schedule around. (3) As you establish boundaries, communicate with your employer about your daily routine.
Developing a daily routine can drastically impact your productivity at work and help you avoid burnout . Finding healthy rhythms might feel like a challenge, but it’s important to curate your schedule in a way that sets you up for long term success.
Although you may have more flexibility in your schedule depending on your field or position, professionals across all industries can benefit from having a daily routine. Everyone has different habitual rhythms that are tailored to their personality, which is why knowing what works best for you matters.
Finding the right daily routine takes time
It will likely take time for you to experiment with your daily routine and figure out what works best. Although incorporating simple habits throughout your work day doesn’t sound too complicated, getting used to them can take effort.
“All habits take practice and care — like watering a plant, if you aren't actively checking in on your habits, they can wilt and wither. Find habits that sustain themselves because they're rewarding, and for those that aren't as self-sustaining, be ready to keep focus on them until the practices feel easier.”
— Victoria Wobber is the founder of Victoria Wobber Coaching and Consulting and has worked with major companies such as Google and Facebook. Wobber received her PhD from Harvard University.
The virtue of self-discipline tends to be forgotten in today’s world of constant self-gratification. However, the type of self-discipline that Wobber references is integral for finding a self-sustaining routine. Whether you’re trying to go to sleep earlier or you’re trying to balance day-to-day responsibilities, it will probably take time to adjust to a new daily rhythm.
“Many people feel that in order to be productive, they need to be constantly in motion. They feel that they don't want to waste a single minute in their day. The reality though is that productivity is more about rhythm than perpetual motion. You can see this in professional athletes or musicians, they learn how to harness the power of rhythm to help them be more successful.”
— Dave Crenshaw is a LinkedIn Learning instructor who teaches a course on how professionals can find productive rhythms. He wrote the time management bestseller, The Myth of Multitasking. He is known for developing leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and many other organizations.
Have a top priority
As you reorient your schedule, you should establish a top priority. By having a goal to aim for, your new routine will have a purpose. Your daily tasks will be aligned with accomplishing your top priority.
“In terms of tasks, I absolutely recommend having a ‘top priority’ — each quarter, each month, and each day. Take the time to step back and reflect on what it is, regularly, so that you know what your priority is.”
— Victoria Wobber
Your top priority may be related to your professional pursuit and apply specifically to your current work, based on the quarter, month, or day. Regardless of how broad your top priority may be, your actions will now have an intentionality that may have previously been missing.
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Consider the times when you are most productive
It’s important to remain practical as you reorganize your schedule. Consider the times that work best for you to be productive. Similarly, remain aware of times that make the most sense to relax and take a break.
"We've heard the concept of people who are night people versus day people, but what about afternoon people or middle of the morning people? You want to think about the time of day where you are most productive, when you have the most energy and of course, start to schedule activities that are high value during that time. These are the best times to focus on your most valuable activities.”
— Dave Crenshaw
Depending on your field, you may have more freedom to choose your schedule than other people. If you’re a morning person, take advantage of working throughout the morning. If you have less energy in the afternoon, consider taking your lunch then.
Establish healthy boundaries
After figuring out your daily routine, seek to establish healthy boundaries by notifying your employer and coworkers of your availability. Although not all jobs will allow you the flexibility to determine your routine, there is likely still a need to address lighter boundaries.
“Your managers and colleagues will invariably ask more from you than you're capable of giving, but folks will generally respect healthy boundaries (and if they don't, that's a flag against that work environment). When you start a new job, design an idea of what you'd like your schedule to look like. Then, observe the work schedule for a week or two to see how your desired schedule squares with what's happening on the ground. Make adjustments as needed and then put them into place within the first month. If you don't set boundaries early on in a work engagement, they become much harder to implement down the road.”
— Victoria Wobber
By bringing up your boundaries, you will help contribute to a professional atmosphere that considers and supports workers. Such conversations can also reveal your employer and coworkers’ attitude toward their work, along with their own priorities. However, a supervisor should put your personal needs ahead of anything else as you aim to be successful in your role.
“Seriously, it's in your employer's interests if you balance your own energy level such that you can deliver over the longer term. It's not in their interests if you deliver ‘amazing' work for three months and then rage quit. It's your responsibility, to yourself and to the job, to make sure that you execute at a pace that is sustainable over multiple years. Just because folks are asking you to do something doesn't mean it has to get done right away. Nothing in business is that important. So set your schedule, articulate and communicate it, and then feel free to defend it. Your health and effectiveness both depend on your ability to do so.”
— Victoria Wobber
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Meet the experts
Dave Crenshaw is a LinkedIn Learning instructor who has taught a course about how professionals can find productive rhythms. He wrote the time management bestseller, The Myth of Multitasking. He is known for developing leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and many other organizations.
Victoria Wobber is the founder of Victoria Wobber Coaching and Consulting and has worked with major companies such as Google and Facebook. Wobber received her PhD from Harvard University.