How to get back into routine after a chaotic period

Imagine this: your life is a freshly scrambled egg. You’ve whisked it into chaos, and now you’re faced with the daunting task of turning it back into the neatly separated yolk and whites it once was. Impossible, right? Well, not exactly. While we may not be able to reverse entropy or unscramble an egg (I’ll leave that to the physicists), getting back into a routine after a period of chaos is a bit more feasible. It’s not about restoring the exact structure you had before, but about re-engineering something equally nourishing—and maybe even better.

Chaos: the parent of all excuses

We’ve all had those stretches, haven’t we? A few hectic days that snowball into a few disjointed weeks, which morph into months of feeling like you’re constantly three steps behind. Maybe work became an avalanche, or perhaps life itself threw a curveball that knocked your routine out cold.

The key is to resist the temptation to make chaos your excuse for inertia. We humans are remarkably adept at rationalising chaos: “Oh, well, life is crazy right now. No wonder I’m skipping my workouts or eating my bodyweight in chocolate or ignoring my emails.”

Here’s the trick: chaos is not the exception—it’s the rule. Our routines, when they exist, are fragile fortresses against the unpredictability of life. And when those fortresses crumble, we get the chance to rebuild them stronger.

Step 1: don’t aim for perfection (your scrambled egg is still breakfast)

The first mistake I—and usually most people—make after a chaotic spell is aiming for an idealised version of what their routine used to be. They set themselves up for failure by believing they can jump straight back into the perfectly regimented life they once had.

Let me be clear: routines are not a one-size-fits-all garment. They’re custom-tailored, and like all good tailoring, they need regular adjustments.

So, start with small wins. If your routine was obliterated by chaos, don’t try to reassemble the entire thing in one go. Just take one element—like waking up at a consistent time or setting aside 15 minutes for reflection each morning—and build from there. The beauty of routines is that they’re like dominoes: one good habit tends to knock over others, leading to momentum.

Step 2: borrow from behavioural science—create ‘Ulysses contracts’

In Homer’s Odyssey, Ulysses ties himself to the mast of his ship to resist the call of the Sirens. It’s a classic case of pre-commitment, and it’s a brilliant way to trick your future self into staying on track. Let’s say part of your routine involves getting back into exercise. Sign up for a class in advance, commit to a workout buddy, or even put down a deposit for a non-refundable membership. The psychological pressure to not waste your money or let someone else down can be a powerful motivator.

Ulysses contracts work because they transform abstract desires into concrete obligations. You’re no longer hoping you’ll have the discipline to get back into routine—you’ve forced your future self to comply by adding friction to the path of least resistance.

Step 3: reframe the chaos—it’s a feature, not a bug

We’re often too quick to label a disruption as ‘bad’. But what if the chaos you’ve just endured was precisely what you needed to rethink your routine? I mean, routines aren’t just about doing the same thing over and over; they’re about discovering what works and then doing more of that.

If chaos forced you out of an old pattern, perhaps that pattern wasn’t working as well as you thought. Use this moment to reframe the chaos as a design opportunity. Ask yourself: what parts of my previous routine should stay in the bin? What new habits, discovered in the mess, are worth keeping? Maybe the late-night work sessions actually unlocked a new creative vein you hadn’t tapped into before.

Embrace the chaos for its instructive value.

Step 4: the power of constraints—less is more

Counterintuitively, the more chaotic things feel, the simpler your routine should become. There’s a lovely concept in behavioural economics called the ‘paradox of choice’—the more options we have, the harder it is to choose. In the same way, a complex, sprawling routine can overwhelm you before you’ve even started.

So, start with fewer moving parts. For example, instead of a rigorous, multi-faceted morning ritual (yoga, meditation, journalling, organic green juice—you know the drill), focus on one thing that grounds you. If it’s just five minutes of silence with your coffee, that’s your routine. Constraints can simplify the decision-making process, reducing friction and helping you ease back into a sustainable flow.

Step 5: celebrate your progress, not your perfection

One of the most harmful aspects of routines is the guilt that comes with falling off the wagon. But think of it this way: the value of a routine is not in its rigidity but in its ability to serve you. After a chaotic period, you don’t need to achieve perfection overnight; you need to build a new, flexible routine that fits the current shape of your life.

Every little bit of progress counts. Even if you manage to stick to your routine just 50% of the time, that’s still miles better than 0%. So, celebrate the small wins.

Every day you stick to one small part of your routine, you’re investing in long-term habits that will compound over time.

In conclusion: embrace the new scramble

Getting back into routine after chaos isn’t about turning back the clock. It’s about accepting that the egg is already scrambled, but it’s still breakfast, and breakfast is still good. Don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go perfectly. Take small steps, build momentum, and before you know it, your routine will be humming along again—not because you managed to unscramble the past, but because you embraced the new scramble of the present.

So go ahead, crack a few eggs, and enjoy the process.