Some people find routines to be boring. In truth, they can be valuable organizational tools that keep us in a positively charged daily flow. We concentrate on fitness and well-being around here, both physically and mentally. Routines are an important part of staying healthy.
A friend texted me yesterday to ask “how was your day?” My mind involuntarily rewound to the morning. I woke up, I tackled emails, I turned on music, I made coffee…you get it. Yesterday morning is eerily similar to nearly every other morning. Because this structure is similar from day to day, I’m mentally freeing myself up to be more creative throughout the rest of my day. From the Chicago Tribune:
“Routine basically gives us the mental freedom to think about what’s actually important. That way we don’t have to think about all the mundane aspects of life,” says Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business” (Random House). “Getting to relegate all those things to sort of an automatic thought process, we gain all the mental bandwidth we need to do the really important things in life. Almost every single species that has survived has the ability to take routines and make them automatic. That way you have cognitive power to invent spears and fire and video games.”
These routines can be part of our larger goals. Practicing routines takes, well, practice. It requires a degree of willpower, and may involve breaking some habits to create new ones. I often tell friends trying to get leaner and stronger that perpetual hydration is critical for losing body fat over the long term. You make cleaner, healthier choices when your body has the water it needs. Therefore, I advise waking up and drink a large glass before seeking out breakfast or even our beloved coffee. This practice should become routine. Particularly if you find yourself craving sugar in the morning, it may be a challenge, but it’s worth the effort to implement new regular practices.
People who are very, very successful don’t forget the importance of routines. There’s a huge correlation between thinking very deliberately about (creating) the right habits in your life and developing successful habits,” says Duhigg, a New York Times investigative reporter who plowed through mountains of scientific research for the book.
Of course, a routine isn’t necessarily ideal simply because it becomes a habit. Rituals with healthy implications are beneficial, others less so. A few drinks after work here and there would be classified as an indulgence around here. As part of a weekly or monthly routine? Great. Practice it daily and you’re bound to hamper your creativity and decision making capacity. We often add counterproductive activities to our routines that disrupt our balance. As always, some trial and error and making smart decisions is key.
“If you have habits you feel are boring, that you don’t like, spend time thinking about how to change that habit,” Duhigg adds. “Once you have the habits that you genuinely want, at that point your life kind of becomes this wonderful place because you have all the mental energy you need to concentrate on the things you really want to concentrate on.”
That’s the key. Preserving the ability to concentrate. We’ve all been at the point of being stressed out, exhausted or faced with difficult challenges in life. Having a set of healthy, beneficial habits to fall back on leaves us free to make positive decisions in those areas while operating on cruise control in the rest of our life. From a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology:
When we try to change our behavior, we strategize about our motivation and self-control. But what we should be thinking about instead is how to set up new habits. Habits persist even when we’re tired and don’t have the energy to exert self-control,” says Wood, Provost Professor of Psychology and Business at USC
As individuals with limited mental bandwidth, we have to be cognizant of our energy spends. Routines will unquestionably help us manage and kick ass at our jobs.
Strong mind,
Kap
couldn’t agree with you more. Routines help me get the stuff I need to do every day out of the way, which makes me feel good. Even better though, it frees up the rest of the day for pure enjoyment, followed by my end-of-the-night routine that ensures a great start to tomorrow.
” I advise waking up and drink a large glass before seeking out breakfast” … my morning routine, warm water 🙂 … another routine i have is meditation before going to bed at night, this helps me empty out the chaotic thoughts that i accumulate during the day.
Routines always seemed like something “boring” people did when I was a kid. Alas, once I started finding success with the things I cared about, lo and behold, I realized…. I HAD ESTABLISHED ROUTINES. Ha!
A great read is Hal Elrod’s “The Miracle Morning”- talks about the 6 things you can do on a routine basis every morning that will prime you for the best mental state to rock your day. It’s a fast read, which I value greatly. I’ve been implementing it for the last 6 months.
Kap, a really cool post would be to see the first 2-3 hours of your day, step-by-step, with a rationale behind the things you do. What routines are in place and why?
– Ben
Why not just make a reality TV show…I don’t know, call it Kaps-life-style or something where your personal life is invaded by cameras (walking up, at the gym, in the kitchen etc…). Your every move is caught on camera, inviting us into your daily routine. They could sandwhich you between Duck Dyansty and The Duggars.
As a licensed child care provider for nearly eight years, I resonate with this post. Besides reading to your child for 15 minutes a night regardless of said child’s reading level will GUARANTEE your child’s success, I stressed to parents the importance of routine. I encouraged parents that children living within routines were the ones best adapted to thinking outside of the box. It was a wild concept to some and now I wish I could have shared this post to qualify my recommendation. Thank you for such a clear visual. Spot on!