Summary

The web content discusses the importance of establishing and maintaining daily routines for effective time management, mental health, and productivity.

Abstract

The article emphasizes the critical role of routines in modern life, arguing against the common perception that they are mundane. It suggests that routines are essential for managing the 24 hours available to everyone, allowing for the accomplishment of tasks without the feeling of time scarcity. The author shares personal experiences of deviating from a once solid routine and the negative impact it had on sleep and overall daily efficiency. Highlighting the benefits of routines, such as reduced stress, improved focus, and better productivity, the author also advocates for flexibility to accommodate life's unpredictability. The article concludes by encouraging readers to prioritize and outsource tasks, and to build a routine that is meaningful and contributes to personal goals and happiness.

Opinions

Routines are unfairly seen as boring and mediocre, yet they are crucial for a well-managed life.
Everyone has enough time in a day to do what needs to be done, provided they manage it well through routines.
The author's personal routine includes waking up early, planning meals, and allocating specific time for work, which frees up the rest of the day.
Routines are beneficial for mental health, as they reduce stress and provide a foundation for planning.
Flexibility in routines is important to handle unexpected events without stress.
Not all routines are beneficial, and it's important to evaluate and adjust them to serve one's goals and well-being.
The author values prioritizing tasks, focusing on important activities, and not getting distracted by less important things.
Certain routine activities like breakfast, exercise, sleep, and family time are non-negotiable for the author.
The satisfaction at the end of the day is a measure of the routine's effectiveness for the author.

The magic of routines

I’ve noticed that the word “routine” evokes a vision of “mediocre and boring.”

Yet, if you stop to think, where would we be without our routines?

This is even more relevant in today’s rushed lifestyle where people are talking about never finding “me” time.

The happy truth is, we all have the same 24 hours in a day, enough time to do everything that’s worth getting done without whining about too much to do and too little time.

Of course, that begs the question: how do some people manage their time so well?

The secret is — setting a routine and following it.

I am — or was — someone with a solid routine that worked like a dream. Then I strayed off the path, and found myself wasting time online. Luckily, my work is deadline driven and it is like a physical wound if I can’t meet one. I pulled myself quickly enough.

It all started with staying up late. Now, that’s not routine, but it can quickly become that. Sleeping late messes with our health. I wake up at the same time every morning, but the day is not as energetic as when I keep my bedtime. After all, we all need restful sleep. Allowing this disturbance in my routine hurt my day’s schedule.

Routine is an important ingredient of time management and facilitates it. A friend of mine often says that routines kill her spontaneity. We argued long and hard over that and ended up laughing, because routines won.

I’ve found that when I carry out my daily and weekly routines, it frees up time while ensuring regular tasks are executed automatically. My mind becomes free, helping me work efficiently.

For example, I have a rock solid morning routine that involves waking up at 5.30 am, getting the coffee going and then, getting started on preparing breakfast, lunch and planning dinner. I’ve gotten into the habit of making a weekly plan that, in turn, helps plan the shopping and ensures that everything is available.

I enjoy cramming the cooking into the three hours I have in the morning before 8 — and this frees up the morning for me to work without interruption. If I allow myself to think that I can tackle the cooking later, it eats into my work time and my entire schedule suffers.

Routines are known to:

Keep us mentally healthy as they keep us less stressed.
Give our days the foundation we need, so we can plan around them.
Help us stay focused which means better productivity.

Of course, I’d be the first to say that routines also must be flexible, so that unexpected changes can be taken in our stride and handled with ease. For example, emergency medical issues — or even, once in a while, playing hooky, as I like to do.

Here it is worthwhile to note that not all routines are beneficial — so it is important to take a long hard look and assess what works. At the end of the day, our routine should be healthy, rewarding and meaningful. Why waste time on things that do not make us happy or take us closer to our goals?

Routines keep us functioning smoothly so that we don’t miss something important even as we make good use of our day.

I am a list person and my existence is around innumerable lists. Of course, I learned that eventually it is all about prioritizing, focusing and not giving in to random distractions. It is also crucial to start the day right. I begin my day with the list I prepared last night. I try to allocate time to them in their order of importance. I try to figure out if I have to do it all myself — or can I outsource?

Some routine stuff is non-negotiable and this includes breakfast, exercise, sleep, and hygiene (oh yeah — ask any work from home mama). And coffee. And family time.

I love my routine! If, at the end of the day, when I go to bed, I am satisfied with how the day went and find myself smiling, I am happy!

What do you think of routines? Do you have one?

This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by 289,682+ people.

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