Routine Survival: How Strong Is Your Routine?

Your perfectly crafted routine is only as good as when it fails

We’re all looking to maintain that perfect routine.

It might be a meticulously hacked morning routine designed to boost productivity and confidence. It might be that 9 to 5 workday routine that enhances efficiency. You might be a person who works late into the night, in which case you have a routine that capitalizes on that particular circadian rhythm.

Bully for you! A reliable, effective routine is something to value. Most of us are continually developing and refining ours. We want to be productive and feel positive about the work we’re doing.

With good reason, we defend these routines aggressively. Freelancers are especially invested in their routines because it also means discipline and, without discipline, a freelance career could crash and burn.

I don’t think I’m overstating the value of a solid routine as a way to get things done.

Making the perfect routine more perfect

I know. Technically, something already perfect cannot be made more perfect. Perfection is its pinnacle state. That said, our needs change. Our goals change. The very nature of our work can change.

What do we do?

We adjust. We tweak. We keep that routine running as close to perfect as possible.

I’ve been tweaking and adjusting my morning routine for several months now. The details aren’t important as it’s my routine, not yours. Everyone’s routine is going to be a bit different depending on individual needs. My routine has changed over time. Usually, it’s for the better. When it hasn’t been better, I backtrack and try something else to see if that might work more effectively.

The point is, I have a routine that works best for me. It sees occasional adjustments depending on projects, but its trajectory remains true.

Until it doesn’t.

The routine is disrupted

Monday, my wife was sick, stayed home from work, and spent the day on the couch wrapped in blankets while watching TV. We also got a call from grandma. She was feeling under the weather and couldn’t take the boy that day.

I now had a sick wife and boisterous toddler on my hands.

While I maintained the first couple of hours of my routine before anyone got up, the rest of the morning was a challenge. I was able to be flexible enough to work while also caring for a sick wife. I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked because the bulk of childcare duties fell on me, but that’s all part of being part of a family. It happens.

Tuesday, I had to take my mother-in-law to Boston for the day. My wife was still sick, so I packed the boy up and took him with us. Because we had to get on the road early, my morning routine was cut very short. To add to that, we got back much later than intended. Essentially, my entire workday was shot.

Wednesday comes. What madness next?

There was no madness. No hu-hu.

My wife was feeling better. She went back to work. Grandma was feeling better. She took the boy. I didn’t have to drive anywhere, so I stayed home, and I slipped back into my routine with little issue. Because Tuesday was a wash, I had a few additional tasks remaining from the previous day to handle, but I had also warned a couple of clients that I would likely be out most of Tuesday. I wasn’t in danger of missing any deadlines or expectations.

I was extra busy on Wednesday. By Thursday, I was just about where I wanted to be.

By Friday, it was as if I had worked a normal, routine week.

Surviving the stress test

I knew Tuesday might have been a longer day than planned. Anyone who has ever dealt with Boston traffic could have seen that. Monday’s disruption of my routine was less expected and poorly timed (is there ever a good time to be sick?). Still, my routine was hardy enough and, more importantly, flexible enough to survive disruption.

Is yours?

As I mentioned earlier, we spend a lot of time honing and refining our routines. Sometimes it seems like a very delicate balancing act that relies on precise timing and maximized efficiency.

Sometimes we get a little too into it and get a little too refined.

Your routine needs to be able to survive disruption. If your whole week falls apart because of one or two bad days when things don’t go as planned, then your routine is not working its best for you.

Here are some things to consider when hacking your work routines:

Be flexible

That’s the most crucial point. Honestly, you could probably stop reading here. Flexibility is your most important defense against routine disruption.

If there is a part of your routine that is set in stone, rethink it.

• You must make that pot of coffee
• You must scan the morning news
• You must read your email first thing
• You must meditate
• You must spend ten minutes journaling

There is nothing wrong with any of the above, but if you must do one or more of these things to have even a minimally productive morning, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Be flexible and understand that sometimes the Real World butts in, and maybe you won’t have time for journaling or reading the news. Perhaps you’ll just have to reheat a cup of coffee from yesterday’s pot. It’s not that gross, just add some extra milk.

Prioritize

If time is short, what can you cut out for a day or two if needed? If scanning or participating in social media is part of your routine, you can probably go without for a day or two. It will still be there when things get back to normal.

Is writing a piece for Medium each day a part of your routine? I know it hurts to let a day slide by, but it won’t be the end of the world. You may even be a stronger writer the next day.

What must you get done? Email? That makes sense. If you’re going to be running late on a project or be unavailable for calls, you will want to let affected clients know.

Move that to the top of your priorities, but try to stick to the most important emails.

Meditating? Journaling? Pick one that you can do in a relatively short time. Both are excellent practices for calming and centering yourself. You still need that.

This brings us to…

Don’t panic

Shit happens. It’s okay. Deal with what the day is handing you and understand that it’s just a temporary situation.

Whatever is disrupting your schedule will eventually pass. You can pick up the pieces and get back on track. In fact, you can get back on track wiser about how well your process works and how well your routine serves that.

Where is the weak link in your routine? How could you fix it?

These are questions you can ask yourself after the dust settles.

You’re going to be fine

No one likes to see their carefully created schedule turned upside down. We’re trying to maintain discipline, damn it! We are just trying to make the most of our time to be the best creators we can be.

If unplanned events ruin your routine, you need to either learn to adjust or rethink your overall routine.

There is no holding back the vagaries and uncertainty of life. Not every day is going to be a perfect rose.

What makes the difference is how hardy your rose is.

Can it bend in the wind and then spring back up?

Or does it break?

Look after your rose and care well for it. It’ll spring back up stronger and more beautiful.

Cheers!

Thank you for reading. I’d love to share more with you via my Weekly Word Roundup newsletter sent to subscribers every Sunday. It will feature news, productivity tips, life hacks, and links to top stories making the rounds on the Internet. You can unsubscribe at any time!