Over the last couple of weeks I haven’t been myself. Instead, I’ve been unsettled, unproductive and uptight. Clearly none of that was useful. When I stopped to assess how I had got myself in such a state it highlighted that this myriad of unhelpful emotions stemmed from just one thing – I was out of routine.
That got me thinking; too often routines get an unjustifiably bad rap. Routines frequently conjure up the idea of being boring, mundane and predictable. A thesaurus lists alternative words to routine as unremarkable, plain, regular and conventional – none of which really make you want to jump for joy and sign-up right?
But here is the thing…we humans secretly love routine, and we thrive when we stick to them. You often read in parenting books and forums that the key to a happy baby (toddler and even child) is a predictable routine. But you don’t read a lot about routines being a crucial part to a happy adult. Instead they are associated with the stuff that doesn’t excite us.
I’m not a highly organized person, and routines don’t always come naturally to me, but over the years I’ve come to appreciate their worth in supporting me to be the best version of myself. If I instill a sense of structure in my life, things run smoother. The stuff that needs to get done, does get done, and my stress levels go way down. I spend less time catching my tail, and more time being productive.
But over the last few weeks my habitual ways were thrown out of whack. The necessity of moving house threw me for a loop that I wasn’t expecting. I was taking my blessed routine for granted and forgot how much I relied on it for my well-being and productivity.
In short summary, we moved out of one house, stayed away at a vacation home for a week before moving into our new place. We were comfortable. We had what we needed, but we were unsettled. I wasn’t productive. Instead I was uptight. Having what I needed wasn’t enough to help make me feel calm, relaxed and settled – all necessities if you are to truly focus on thriving.
Therein lies the power of routines. They can help facilitate and support those essential feelings of being calm, relaxed and settled. And who doesn’t want a little more of that in their life?!
Routines really do allow us to become our best selves. They assist in calming anxiety and facilitate productivity. They stop our minds from racing around contemplating what is coming next, and give us structure that can help stop us from falling into the trap of procrastinating and time-wasting. They take the thought out of it and allow us to just get on with the doing. Routines reduce our stress levels. A solid routine is like a foundation stone on which you can build the good stuff. It’s like the base-level of a cake that is essential before you can get to the icing.
If you’ve never really given much thought to what the routines in your life look like, or you know there is room for improvement, here are three places to start.
- Morning Routine : Could you make some tweaks or changes, or become more structured to help take the stress out of the first couple of hours of your day. The morning routine is crucial in helping us start of the day well.
- Weekly Routine: Do you have a weekly routine? Are there ways in which you could benefit in being more structured in how you approach your weekly tasks? Could you block out periods each day to do certain tasks? Would it help if you set particular tasks to a day of the week? i.e. Grocery shopping on Mon; Washing on Tue, Thur, Sun?
- Scheduling: To support your routines, I strongly encourage you to schedule. You may use an online dairy or a personal planner, but until routines become habitual, there is great power to be found in scheduling yourself. By setting aside time to attend to the regular tasks in your life, you can both reduce your stress levels and up your level of personal accountability.
These three quick suggestions are by no means exclusive. All of our lives are unique and we need varying levels of routine to feel happy and set up the strong sense of foundation, but almost all of us will feel better when we stick to some level of routine in our lives.
Having had my personal routine interrupted brought back to focus just how much easier life tends to feel when we stick to a routine. Sometimes they may feel mundane and regular, but they are a crucial foundation for success. I truly believe good routines are a cornerstone to a thriving life. We are creatures of habit for the most part, and life feels that much easier when we openly embrace that.
Hi. I’m Kate Snowise and Thrive.How is my business-baby. I’m a Life & Executive Coach who helps people who want the good stuff out of life, get it. I’m passionate about helping people wake-up and start living on purpose. I have an MSc in Psychology (the happy kind of psychology that concentrates on what is right with you). I offer individual coaching that specifically helps people clarify their thinking, reconnect with their spirits, grow into their potential and re-gain balance. Click here to learn more.
To download a copy of my free mini-guide – 8 Tips Towards Creating a Thriving Life – click here.