A routine can help you stay on track
throughout your day but it can do so much more than that. It can reduce stress
by not helping you not to frantically try to remember everything you need to
get done and keep your sleep schedule regular. Additionally, it can help you
keep goals in mind such as slotting in gym time or remembering to eat a healthy
lunch every day.
Setting a routine can seem a little daunting
at first, though. Luckily, it isn’t as hard as you might think to use a daily
routine to help you become your best self.
Make a List
Before you put a plan into action, there has
to be a plan in place. Take a few minutes one day and start to write down what
you want to get done during your day or even your week.
For instance, what do you need to do each
morning before you go to work? How many times a week do you want to hit the
gym? What tasks are necessary to complete daily at work?
Once you have these questions in place, you’ll
have an idea of what needs to be worked into the daily routine. If you already
have a daily routine that you are trying to improve upon, follow a similar
path. What parts of the routine work? Which parts need to be changed?
When creating your routine, start with set
tasks. For example, your work hours should be noted before you try to come up
with a time that you can use for tasks that aren’t on a set schedule.
Don’t be afraid to get detailed when listing
what you need to do either. If you want to make sure you remember to wash your
face each morning or make some tea before you go to bed, put this on your list
of items to schedule.
Start with Your Mornings
For a successful day, it’s important that you
start off on the right foot. In other words, you probably aren’t going to have
a good day if you’re jumping out of bed and running out of the door first
thing.
Instead, start your schedule by planning your
mornings. Give yourself plenty of time to wake up and complete your morning
ritual before you have to head to work.
To plan this, think of all the things you want
to do in the morning and how long that will take. This will help you to plan on
when to set your alarm. It will help a lot if you start the habit of not
snoozing your alarm several times and make sure you do your routine in order.
You might want to get up at 6 then brush your teeth and then put on a pot of
coffee every morning until it becomes a habit.
Next, Midday and Late Afternoon
During the week at least, much of your midday
is probably spent at work. This means that you probably already have a general
routine set up. When you get to work you might check your email and work on
spreadsheets while the afternoon is reserved for meetings.
The biggest part that you’ll want to make sure
you don’t skip lunch. Even if you can’t get out of the office, bring along a
healthy packed lunch that will keep you going throughout the day.
When you get off work in the late afternoon or
early evening, you can schedule in goals such as an hour at the gym before you
head home.
Evenings
Your evenings should be dedicated to
preparation and winding down. After you have dinner, it helps your mornings to
complete tasks such as choosing your clothes for the next day or packing a
lunch.
It’s also a good idea to schedule when you are
going to go to sleep just as you schedule when to wake up. This ensures that
you get the proper amount of sleep each night. The general suggestion is that
you try to get around 7 hours of sleep a night. Remember to schedule in a
little extra time because you probably aren’t going to fall asleep the minute
you lay down.
Plan the Weekends
On the weekends, it’s okay to let yourself
sleep in and schedule a lighter routine. However, if you simply allow yourself
to sleep the whole weekend away, you’ll be behind on things you need to do and
it will be difficult to transition back into the week.
The weekend is also a great time to schedule
errands that are hard to fit into your work week. Sundays are a great time to
do your weekly grocery shopping and meal prepping.
Give Yourself Some Extra Time
This is a dual point. First of all, try to
schedule in some time for yourself. Maybe you want a half an hour to read
before you go to bed or time to meditate or do yoga in the morning. If you only
schedule in work and errands, you are likely to get burned out.
You’ll also want to be sure that you schedule
in a little more time than you need for certain tasks. There will be mornings
that you sleep an extra few minutes or weekends when the line at the grocery
store seems monumental. By scheduling extra time, you are ensuring that these
kinks in your day don’t ruin your whole routine.
