How to Build a Rock-Solid Daily Routine
â° Beep beep beep
âď¸ You wake up (ish)
⨠Itâs a new day, full of possibilities!
But then you hit snoozeâŚand wake up two hours later. Suddenly, things donât look quite so promising.
We've all been there: armed with the best of intentions to set up the perfect daily routine, you do your best for a week or two, and then give up when things donât go as planned.
So you Google around searching for the next new routine, hoping to find one that can actually give you the change you need in your life.
For some, setting up any daily schedule can be a real challenge. Nailing times to your weekly calendar requires that your commitments are somewhat predictable - not to mention the discipline needed to get up and go.
What if you could find a personalized routine that actually suits your lifestyle?
Believe it or not, creating a daily routine can truly put you in control of your time while giving structure to your day, allowing you to make the most of those precious 24 hours.
Hint: reclaiming your time may involve opening your mind to the many creative ways to say no. The magic begins when you clear your schedule â¨
Why Is A Daily Routine Important?
Itâs time to connect with your inner-child.
If youâre skeptical about the power of a daily routine, look at things from a kidsâ perspective: Kids wake up at the same time every day, eat, go to school, do activities and go to bed at specific times. The predictability of these routines allows parents to plan a variety of activities in one day without overwhelming their children.
Why do we stop the daily routines when we grow up?
Unless managing many responsibilities at once, many adults throw daily routines out the window. Planning a daily routine can feel restrictive if youâre used to breezing through with whatever life throws at you. But the truth is, daily routines can enhance our lives by taking the time, energy and guesswork out of scheduling recurring events, so we can focus on more important things.
With a little dedication, you can establish a routine that matches your lifestyle and needs. Plus, when you schedule specific activities into time slots in your day, you can get a better overview of how you are using your time and identify any areas where you can improve your time management.
With your timetable in hand, you will boost productivity effortlessly and organize your day more efficiently! This doesn't simply translate into taking a step closer toward achieving your goals: It also helps you carve out time for yourself and schedule needed downtime, so you can finally lay back and relax!
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How to Create a Daily Routine You Love
So what's the secret to the perfect routine? Well, the thing is that there's no specific scheme to follow. Every one of us has specific structures in place already and might need to schedule around family time commitments and work responsibilities.
However, try to keep in mind that you should create a personalized routine that can fit your life so it's not you who adapts to the routine, but the other way around. Focus on weaving the activities that nourish you the most into your daily routine to prevent burnout, rather than filling your agenda with joyless tasks.
If youâre totally overwhelmed by your current commitments, you may need to take a step back from your daily routine and shift your perspective to crisis management. When youâre in crisis mode (or you find yourself there often), the first step to creating a daily routine may actually be planning around the worst possible outcomes you can imagine for your schedule.
Ask yourself: How would you like to approach the day when sh*t totally hits the fan?
Identify elements of a daily routine that still work during these chaotic moments (for example, start the day with 20 minutes of journalling), and build from there.
This is how to build a daily routine in six simple steps:
1. Write Down Your Current Schedule
A good starting point in crafting your dream daily routine is to write down your current schedule, including all of your activities and tasks.
This will allow you to have a better overview of any changes youâd like to make, so you can introduce them slowly and improve your chances of sticking to the new schedule.
Once youâve written down what you are currently doing on a day-to-day basis, make a list of activities and habits you want to integrate into your routine.
Remember this is just a brain dump.
You don't need to worry about listing them in a precise order of importance yet. Include all the tasks related both to your work and to your personal life.
2. Reflect on Your Priorities
Your second step is to try to make more sense of the list you've just created. Are you doing what you want to be doing, or is there something you need to learn from and improve moving forward? Now try to understand which task has the utmost priority and then keep on adding on all the other tasks in order of importance. So set aside all the activities that are less relevant and focus on what's truly valuable to you.
3. Break Down Your Day
Some people are night owls and others are early birds! Donât plan an ambitious morning if you struggle to get up: This is a common mistake that often leads to failed routines. In this stage, try to ask yourself these questions:
What time of day am I most active?
When do I like to socialize?
What time would I like to be done with my work day?
If you're more of a morning person, in this case, try to create a routine that includes healthy morning habits like meditation or fitness during your peak sunshine hours.
4. Create a Timetable
Once you've completed the previous steps, you've gotten to the real nitty-gritty of your routine. Good work! Now it's time to get a little more specific. Try to create a timetable including times and specifying the type of activity that you're supposed to do at that time.
5. Schedule Free Time
Carving out some time for ourselves is incredibly vital, but we very rarely care about that if we don't have a routine. If youâre always in a rush, jumping like a yo-yo from our workplace to home, you may feel like you never have some time to dedicate to yourself. This is one of the most important reasons to use a daily routine! When you write out your weekly time table with leisure time included, you are contributing to a harmonious work-life balance.
6. Be Consistent
Consistency is everything with daily routines. If you commit to your daily routine, over time it will just become natural to you. It's said that it takes roughly 21 days to set a habit, so try to stick to your routine for at least 3 weeks, take it as a personal challenge and you'll be surprised by the results! However, remember not to be too hard on yourself if you skip a day or two. Just remember to get back to it as soon as possible and reward yourself when you accomplish a goal!