The Importance of Routines

According to studies, up to 40% of our daily actions are powered by habits. Do you have good, healthy habits is a very important question. Basically, we are what we do over and over. Habits form our life.

Why routines are important:

They create structure: A daily routine often begins with the alarm clock ringing to start our day and the routines follow from there with showering, brushing our teeth, getting dressed, etc. This allows us to have our day mapped out for us, so we don’t have to spend extra time creating a new list of what to do every day. It takes the guesswork out of our day and makes our days run smoother. This gives us extra time for other things.?

They give us a sense of accomplishment – Routines typically have a beginning and an end, and we plan our day and time around being able to prioritize them and accomplish the most important tasks of the day for ourselves and our families. Habits are things we do repeatedly. The more we do them, the easier they become and the better we are at the habits. Practice makes perfect. It also builds our self-esteem. Feelings of accomplishment and pride are positive emotions and cultivate happiness.

They let us know how we are doing – Even small routines like showering, brushing our teeth, and making our beds are important parts of our day. Every time we make our bed we get a sense of accomplishment and pride so we are starting our day in a positive way. Since the pandemic, many of us have had our routines shaken up, we are doing things differently such as working from home in sweats that were once reserved for weekends. Even though it's a small change, it can have a big impact, making you feel unproductive or lazy. It can cause the groundhog day feeling.

They let people around us know how we are doing – Routines also are indications to people around us of how we are doing. Before the pandemic, if you didn’t show up for work co-workers would worry, or if you didn’t come out of your house for weeks friends and family would look in on you. With no routine, there are a lot of unknowns that can cause concern or anxiety. Routines help keep us balanced.?

Creating Routines

Sit down with a pad of paper and write out everything you do each day over the course of a week. See what you can cut or reduce. Then see what you can set as a normal routine, something you do at a set time daily or weekly. It must work with your current lifestyle. If you like to stay up late, getting up early as part of your routine may not work. Don’t judge or compare your schedule to anyone else. We are all different. Don't follow someone else's routines if it doesn't work for you.

Once you have your routine, give it a little time and it’ll start to feel like second nature—but if you realize something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it. It's important to check in with yourself every few months to make sure these habits are still working for you. Life is constantly changing, and our routines and schedules might need tweaking. This is normal.

Structure your day around morning, midday and evening. Which parts of your day are you filled with the most energy and most productive. Set your schedule accordingly. I'm the best in the morning but again my morning time might not work for you.The thought of getting up at 5am makes me stressed but 7or 730am works great for me.You know yourself the best. You can be specific and add times to your schedule or you can just do it according to morning, midday and evening.?

Don't schedule every minute of your day. We need time that is free time, and we can go with the flow. Spontaneous activities are great!?

After you create your schedule/routine, test drive it for a few weeks to a month and see how it feels. If something isn't working, tweak it.?

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