Daily Routines – Know your limits and optimise your time

Healthy or unhealthy, our habits in combination create micro-routines that can impact our days. Most of the time, these habits occur without us even having to think, which can make them difficult to identify and even more difficult to change. However, with some reflection and a little bit of hard work, you can form a routine that can set you up for success.

By understanding how our behaviours can form unconsciously, you are taking the first step to make the necessary changes. With a bit of self-reflection and understanding of what habits you’d like to change, you’ll find it easier to create new routines and stick to them. By following a healthier routine, you may find that you have much more energy, feel more positive about the days ahead, or feel refreshed from a well-needed change.

Routines are important because they challenge us. When you have fallen into a bad routine, it can make every day feel the same, you may feel stuck in a rut or bored. Building conscious routines, and holding yourself to them, is a way to question the habits that are forming your current routines. They can help us to learn more about ourselves by finding out what works for us.

Self-reflection will help you to work with yourself, not against yourself. With a good routine, there is not a one-size-fits-all formula. For example, some people work best late at night, others early in the morning, recent evidence even shows that some people work well with a messy workspace, finding that it promotes creativity. Everyone is different, and what works well for one person may not work at all for you, but trying out new things can boost your productivity and self-understanding.

Your habits do not define you! Research revealed that the best way to form a new habit is to stick at it for 21 days. After 21 days, it will feel like less of a conscious chore, and more like a part of your natural routine. As humans, we have a tendency to define ourselves by our habitual behaviours- you may think of yourself as someone who hates early mornings or exercise, but often these patterns can be challenged. By testing out different things, you may discover new things about yourself – maybe you’ll swap out caffeine for an early morning run to energise yourself, or with a good morning routine you’ll, discover that you’re a morning person after all.

It is never too late to start! Setting reasonable expectations for yourself based on something that you’d like to introduce to your daily routine is a great place to start. Planning your time effectively and thinking about what is achievable will make it more likely for you to stick to your new routine.

Whatever you try, a new routine can give the shake-up that we all need. Any thoughts? Comment below.