How to Build A Routine that Works for You
Routines are the singularly most important thing in creating the life that you desire and aligning to the highest version of yourself. As simple as they seem, they are the structure, foundation, and basis from which you can build the rest of your life. Although my routines aren’t set in stone and I have not perfected this lifestyle I now understand, deeply know, and accept that the key to my success lies in the routines that I build and execute.
So how can you do it? How do you know which routine is correct for you? How can you even identify your current routines, or lack thereof? In this article I will explain how you can:
identify your current habits and get really honest with yourself,
build out a routine that fits your lifestyle
stay consistent, and
track your progress to ensure success.
Whether you want to be a better homemaker, start a podcast, improve your health, or simply become a better version of yourself, having a consistent routine is the road that can get you there.
Routines
Before we can create and execute a solid routine, first we must have an understanding of what a routine is. A routine is a sequence of actions or activities that are regularly followed in a specific order. Routines can be daily, weekly, monthly, or even longer-term schedules that people do in order to manage their time, accomplish tasks, or maintain structure in their lives. Routines can encompass various aspects of life, such as self-care, career, exercise, family, and more. Establishing routines can help you to stay organized, increase your productivity, reduce stress, and foster a sense of stability and consistency in your daily life.
The most critical part of any routine is its automaticity. Automaticity is defined as ‘the ability to do things without occupying the mind with the low-level details required, allowing it to become an automatic response pattern or habit. It is usually the result of learning, repetition, and practice’. Our routines are the things that we do consistently without giving them much thought. Now that we have a firm grasp of what a routine is and how it can provide us with support and stability, let’s learn how to create routines that will ensure your success. This four-step formula is what I have personally used in order to create my successes within my home, my career, and my personal life. If you stick to it, it is fool-proof and it will get you the results that you desire.
1. Get Real with Yourself: Identify Your Current Habits & Routines
Getting real with yourself can be difficult. It can be painful. It usually sucks. But it is a necessary step in designing your ideal life. So, what do your current habits and routines look like? What things do you do each day without giving them much thought? Do you make coffee in the morning, brush your teeth, or go for a run? Do you scroll through social media, go through the drive-thru after work, or cook dinner each night? This is not the time to judge yourself or feel bad for any of your current habits. There is no reason to feel any shame or guilt (this has been a huge lesson and obstacle to overcome for me). In this current moment you are what you are. You are who you are. You do the things you do and there is nothing wrong with that. Whether you’re an addict, in an abusive relationship, in debt, or struggling with your mental health, you are utterly deserving of the changes that are coming your way. No matter what your current situation is, you can improve it. But the first step is getting honest and raw with yourself. Identify and face every habit and routine you currently hold.
For me, that looked like acknowledging and owning the harder-to-face habits that I had such as spending entirely too much time on social media, snacking before bed every night even though I wasn’t hungry, and allowing myself to become distracted when trying to accomplish tasks. At the beginning of this process I had significantly more negative habits than positive ones. But in identifying them I was able to face them, accept them, and then slowly implement ways to heal them.
I suggest you track your habits and routines for three to five days. This can be as in-depth as journaling each morning or evening about your habits and your feelings towards them, or as simple as jotting down the habits you observe into the notes app on your phone. It will only take a few minutes but it will provide you with valuable knowledge that will help you to move forward in this routine-creation process. (note: I think a similar tactic is suggested by James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits. I am not claiming this process as my own invention, however I am standing by its effectiveness. If you have not read Atomic Habits I suggest you do so!)
2. Small Changes: Designing Your Routine
Now that you know what your current routines look like and what they consist of, we can begin to swap some of the more negative aspects of your routine with positive ones. For example, let's say: you wake up, use the restroom, make coffee, scroll through Instagram, rush to get ready, and leave your house forgetting your lunch at home. This morning routine leaves you feeling unprepared for your day and does not give you ample time to do what needs to be done. You don’t have to change it entirely, but you could make a small tweak to improve it drastically. If you were to get dressed and fix your hair as your coffee is brewing before looking through social media, you’d still be doing all of the things that were in your previous morning routine, just in an order that better suits your needs. There is nothing wrong with doing the things you enjoy. If you like looking at Instagram in the morning, or watching a show before bed, that is totally fine! Simply make small adjustments that you can actually stick to in order to better serve yourself.
My life and routines are an accessible example that I can use in order to show you what I mean. A habit of mine that I wanted to change was getting “stuck” at my desk in the morning. I would put off doing the things that I needed to do to start my day (such as getting dressed, brushing my teeth, and getting presentable) so that I could sit at my desk with my coffee and do creative working. There is nothing wrong with creative work being a part of my morning routine, in fact, it is propelling me to accomplish my goals. However, I acknowledged the necessity for a change. Therefore I wrote out my ideal morning routine on a post-it note. It reads: 4:30 am wash face, brush teeth, put clothes on, moisturize skin, fix hair, coffee and desk until 5:20 am. With this routine I am still doing all of the things that I enjoy doing, I just tweaked the order of things so I complete the necessities first and I do what I enjoy doing after. This routine allows me to feel put together and prepared for my day.
The key here is to create habits for your routines that are necessary and that you enjoy. It is better to have a simple three-step routine that you will actually complete each day rather than having a ten-step routine that consists of time-consuming things you might not even thoroughly enjoy.
3. Consistency IS KEY
We’ve all heard this before. It's the truest truth that ever was true. Nothing of significance can or will ever happen without consistent effort. Whether your routine is focused on becoming an elite ballerina, a top recording artist, or a better mom and wife, you must stick to your routine every single day, no questions asked. My routines are very simple. They are based around the stability and functionality of my household. When both my family’s and my basic needs are met, we all have time and space to pursue our interests. It is easier and more effective for me to stick with my home routines that take me ten minutes and forty minutes (morning and evening respectively) than for me to be questioning what I should be doing and when I should be doing it. My routines are written out step-by-step on a post-it note where I can clearly see and follow each step and the times that I ideally should begin the routine. It is easy to see my list and simply follow it. I trust the process. Through building my stamina to stick to basic routines I will eventually have a strong enough base and structure from which I can build more complex dreams and successes.
This step is simple. Do the things that you are committed to doing. Follow through with your routines. Don’t question who, what, when, where, or why. Get clear on the habits that make up your routine and complete them in the correct order every single day. If you miss them for any reason, do not get emotional. Do not feel bad, mad, or sad. Simply acknowledge the mishap and get back to your routine ASAP. Eventually your routines will become your nature.
4. Track Your Progress
The last step in the routine-creation process is tracking the progress that you have made. The following list consists of some general ways that you can track your own progress.
Use a planner:
Write the habits and routines that you plan to complete each day into your planner. This may seem redundant but the consistent reminder could just be what keeps you on track.
Implement a habit tracker:
This is my personal favorite and it is what I use to track my progress with the habits and routines I have in place. You can create a physical habit tracker within a planner/ notebook or you can use a digital habit tracker app.
Track relevant metrics:
If you have built a routine around a specific goal, you may choose to track metrics that are relevant to that goal. For example, if you have a routine focused on weight loss, you may track your calories consumed, pounds lost, number of steps taken, or some other metric that reflects your weight loss journey. If you have created a routine around writing a book, you may track the number of pages written in a day, time spent writing, or number of topics covered.
Use visual cues:
I also find it extremely helpful to have visual cues within my environment that remind me to complete my routines. Some examples of visual cues are: post-it-notes with routine reminders, setting out the tools necessary for completing your routine, or setting alarms to remind you when the time to start a routine is approaching.
As I mentioned, my favorite way to track my habits is using a physical habit tracker. At the start of each new month I write six routines or habits that will move me closer to my goals. Every morning I color in the box for the habits I completed and I put an X within the box for the habits I did not complete. This is an excellent technique to implement in order to see and reflect upon the areas of life in which you are thriving and the areas in which you need to improve.
In conclusion, routines serve as the cornerstone of personal growth and achievement, providing the structure and consistency needed to navigate life's complexities and pursue our aspirations. While the journey towards establishing effective routines may not always be linear or without its challenges, acknowledging their significance is a crucial step towards realizing our full potential. By identifying our current habits, tailoring routines to fit our lifestyles, prioritizing consistency, and diligently tracking our progress, we pave the way for tangible growth and success in various aspects of our lives. Whether our goals revolve around professional endeavors, health and wellness, or personal development, embracing the power of routines offers a roadmap towards actualizing our aspirations and becoming the best versions of ourselves.