Why You Need Habits and Routines
Do you want to feel calmer, less chaotic, more organized and more accomplished in you day to day living?
In this post, I will explain how good habits and routines can improve your life.
What is a habit? A habit is something we do regularly and repeatedly. For example, a habit to get up at a certain time daily, a habit to exercise, a habit to brush your teeth, etc.
What is a routine? Routine is a sequence of actions that you take on a regular basis. For example, a morning routine is to get up at 6am, do a workout, eat breakfast, and go to work. This is a series of actions you take in the morning before you go to work that form your morning routine. Routines can be set for any time of the day, routines can be different for weekdays and for the weekends.
How can implementing habits and routines help?
When you add good habits and routines, you
ADD STRUCTURE TO YOUR DAY
Why is structure good? Structure is certainty, structure is order. When we know what will happen next, we feel more in control, and more control decreases uncertainty and anxiety that’s associated with it.
You may have heard that “kids thrive on schedule.” Why? Because schedule is structure. When they know what will happen next, it allows for a smoother transition between activities and throughout the day.
2. ELIMINATE UNNCESSARY DECISION-MAKING
Throughout the day, we have to make a lot of decisions and they all take brain power and energy, and drain you faster. With established habits and routines, you “outsource” your decision-making and it becomes automatic—saving you stress!
Imagine, if every morning you need to actively think what you are going to do next: should I get up now or should I stay in bed more, should I do a quick workout or should I workout after work? Should I tell my kids to get dressed now or to get dressed after breakfast? These may appear minor decisions to you, but they are decisions you need to make and by the time you are out the door to get to work, you may not feel as fresh and energized as you would with a good structure.
3. IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE
You improve your quality of life because you will be more productive, improve your emotional and physical well-being and you will be able to reach your goals.
Routines are especially helpful when you are a parent
Routines are especially helpful if you are a parent because you are in charge of not only getting yourself ready, but your children too. And with children, so many things can go wrong in a morning (and the age of your child plays a role too)—your child doesn’t want to get dressed, doesn’t want to eat breakfast, or wants to play. When you have a solid morning routine—you will be more prepared to handle those tough moments.
How so? You are in control of the time with routines. For example, When you know that between 7-7-30am, your child eats breakfast and gets dressed, but today she/he is acting out and throwing a tantrum/not listening to you—you can do any of the following:
Accept the situation and work with the moment: “Ok, I have the time to give my child attention/play with him/her for a few minutes—and s/he will still have the time to eat/get dressed”
Change the sequence of steps before you get out of the door. Instead of reacting to the child and being angry and upset that you are going to be late, you will feel in control of the situation.
HOW TO IMPLEMENT HEALTHY HABITS & ROUTINES?
STEP 1: Access your day to understand if you have habits and routines in place.
Are there any habits in place throughout the day that help you achieve the day’s goal? For example, your morning goal may be to get yourself to work or to get your kids to school. How are your habits and routine support your morning? While I used an example of a morning routine, this is applicable to morning, afternoon and evening depending on your goals.
STEP 2: Set a goal to develop habits & routines if they are absent.
The goal is not to set up as many habits and routines as possible, rather being strategic about them. Some people thrive on more and others thrive on less. It depends on your current life stage, lifestyle and life goals. Once you determine that, commit to the goal and make it happen.
BOOK RECCOMENDATION
Do you want to learn how to set habits, how to change habits, and how to keep habits long-term? I really enjoyed reading this book The Power of Habit: https://amzn.to/3Hdlx3b
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