Are you currently living your life on autopilot and not getting much done? If so, you need to re-evaluate your daily routine.
A routine is a set of habits we develop as a daily practice. Whether you realise it or not, you already have many routines that you do on a daily basis. Whether it’s getting out of bed at a certain time every day or watching your favourite program in your favourite chair at the same time every day.
However, if you don’t take time to analyse each of your routines (morning, afternoon and evening) to see if they bring you closer to your goals then chances are, you’re not going in the right direction.
Having no routine or structure in your life is so much more draining mentally, physically and emotionally than not having a routine at all. Why waste your time figuring out what to do each day, when you can create a routine tailored to your wants and needs?
Lets explore what a good daily routine consists of and how to create an ideal routine that suits you.
First, as you know a routine means: A routine is a sequence of actions that you do repeatedly.
Brushing your teeth and washing your face with your fancy skincare products is a routine. Waking up at 6:30am and going out for a run is a routine. Purchasing hot chocolate from Starbucks on your journey to work is a routine. These actions happen repeatedly and create a rhythm in your daily life.
Why should you create a routine?
Establishing a productive routine is both a self-investment and a way to do your best for the rest of the world.
“In the right hands a routine can be a finely calibrated mechanism for taking advantage of a range of limited resources: time (the most limited resource of all) as well as willpower, self-discipline, optimism. A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove for ones mental energies and helps stave off the tyranny of moods”
Mason Currey
Managing your day allows you to feel more in control. Who likes having their day dictated by other people? I know I sure don’t. You’ll feel more energised and productive with a routine that you know is progressing you further in life. This in turn will help you be more proactive and in control in the face of a stressful situation.
Your routines prime you for success. They help you achieve more than you would by “winging” your day. All it takes is discipline.
Here is a list of actions you should take to help create the best daily routine
1. Make your bed every morning
If there’s one habit you should adopt in your life it’s making your bed every day. Here is some advice from Navy Seal Admiral William H. McRaven:
“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished your first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another. By the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.
Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right. If by any chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made – that you made. A made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be a better day. “
As Charles Duhigg said in “The Power of habit” – Certain keystone habits can trigger other positive behaviours. If you can change a step in your unhealthy habits you can gear your life to building healthier patterns.
Making your bed doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have better productivity, but it can lead to a healthier overall mindset.
2. Reflect on your achievements
It’s easy to lose sight of achievements made after a long day. Taking a few moments before you jump into bed to reflect and celebrate your wins big or small puts you in a grateful and happy mindset before you go to sleep. Reflecting on these achievements puts things into perspective and gives you the encouragement to carry on the same flow for the next day.
Reflecting also gives you a better understanding of what’s working and what’s not. This then allows you to make better decisions and change habits that are not beneficial for you. Each time you improve, it helps build your confidence with increased knowledge and perspective.
You can reflect in a number of ways such as jotting it down in a notebook, writing in your gratitude journal and you can also track your productivity with a number of apps such as: “Productive – Habit Tracker, “ Forest” and “ Wunderlist”.
3. Recite affirmations
Affirmations are positive statements that you use to reframe how you think about yourself and the outcome of the future. They are a good way of visualising the good things that will come to you and overcoming negative self-talk.
Affirmations make an impression on your subconscious mind, allowing you to be in alignment with what you want to accomplish. This makes it easier to be in the right mindset before you start your day and when you’re ready to go to bed.
The way you choose to think, day in and day out is just that – a choice. Choose daily positive thinking and watch how differently you see your life.
4. Have a proper breakfast
Breakfast provides the body and brain with fuel after an overnight fast – which is where its name originates from, breaking the fast! Starting the day running on empty is equivalent to trying to drive a car with no petrol.
I HAVE to have breakfast in order for me to have a productive day. Nothing worse than trying to get some work done and your stomach is just grumbling away!
Eating a good breakfast is amazing for your health, as research shows that those who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight and more likely to be in their ideal weight range compared to people who skip breakfast. If you skip breakfast, you’re more likely to reach for high sugar and fatty snacks mid-morning to get your energy boost.
Probably the most appealing benefit Is that breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism and thus helps you burn more calories during the day. When you eat breakfast, you’re telling your body that more calories are coming throughout the day. When you skip breakfast the message your body gets is that it needs to conserve rather than burn any incoming calories.
5. Clean your home
When you start your day, the last thing you want to see is mess all around you. Without regular clean-up sessions you’ll find your environment in disarray.
Spending 10-20 minutes each day tidying up reduces the stress of having regular deep cleaning days. While it sometimes seems impossible to manage everything on your plate, there are some quick and easy tips to help you get your house in order.
1. Put everything away after use
2. Focus on one room at a time
3. Do the dishes after every meal
4. Set a timer so you don’t procrastinate
5. Do a load of laundry daily
6. Give everything it’s own space to live
7. Make your bed as soon as you wake up
8. Keep basic cleaning supplies close to where you use them
6. Exercise
Even though exercise can happen at any time of the day, many experts suggest that the morning is the best time to take part in physical activities. Exercising in the morning is a great way for helping the body jump-start your metabolism and burned stored fat.
A general recommendation is to exercise 30 minutes each day, this amounts to only 2% of your day! Exercising is a no-brainer when it comes to what you should incorporate into your daily routine. Is it going to be easy? Nope. Is it going to be worth it, absolutely!
Start thinking today about how you’re going to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. If you already do, think about how you can start mixing it up. Keeping things fresh keeps your mind engaged, making you less likely to give up.
7. Read
Becoming an avid reader was one of the best things I’ve done for my creativity and mental wellbeing. The first book I ever read for my personal growth was The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. It was this book that started my daily reading habit and would urge anyone who wants to learn more about habits to read that book!
A daily dose of reading can do wonders for your relationships, health and memory.
Want your vocabulary to improve? Read
Want to develop your self-discipline? Read
Want to boost your IQ? Read
Pick up a book today and spend a minimum of 15 minutes reading. Get yourself in a nice comfy area with a hot cup of tea and let your imagination loose.
8. Spend time with family/friends
One of the best ways to combat stress is to spend time with your loved ones. The smiles, the belly-aching laughter, the sincere joy that you feel when they’re around is what you should aim to feel daily.
Who are you thinking about right now as you’re reading this? Give them a call or text to meet up later or during the week and have a good laugh. You deserve to enrich your life with positive and encouraging people around you.
Don’t underestimate the power of having a solid support system around you. It makes going after your goals even easier and allows you to celebrate your wins both big and small with the ones that matter most.
In Summary
Following a daily routine can help you establish priories, keep track of goals, limit procrastination and make you healthier. It helps lower your reliance on self-discipline and motivation due to the repeated action causing the right habits to be formed.
Since creating and following a routine of my own, I have more drive and motivation which makes reaching my goals a lot easier. I show up every day with more mental and physical energy which get me through my tough days.
Remember: What works for someone else, might not work for you. This is why it’s vital to pick activities that resonate the most with you and put you on the path to task and goal completion. The key is to create regular and consistent daily patterns that will take you to where you want to go in life, helping you maximise yourself on every possible level.
There is a whole module in the How to set goals and achieve them mini-course dedicated to creating your ideal 24 hours! Learn how to create a morning, afternoon and evening routine that gets you closer to completing your life-changing goals. Don’t wait any longer to get what you want out of life. You are deserving of that dream life. Let me help you get started > How to set goals and achieve them mini-course
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I have only just begun to create routines I can follow. At 45 I just got diagnosed with ADHD and learning how to create routines that work for my brain has been amazing. I love this content!