You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine. – John C. Maxwell
According to the Northwestern University of Medicine (2020) having a daily routine can greatly improve your health. People are creatures of habit, and routines offer a way to promote health and wellness through structure and organisation. Creating a routine allows us to build in time for the important things. This includes time to rest, relax, and have fun. A study by Tel Aviv University states that predictable, repetitive routines are calming and can help reduce anxiety. They can also help you take control of your day and subsequently, your life.
Having a routine can allow us to cultivate positive daily habits and to prioritise self-care. Organising our time allows us to schedule blocks of time for activities that are important to us. This can allow us to build in daily habits that help us with our mental health. It could include things like time to relax, or a regular bedtime. When selfcare becomes a part of our daily routine, it becomes easier to maintain because we have the time to do it and it becomes our ‘new normal.’
According to Rachel Goldman, Ph.D, when people don’t have a routine or structure to their day it can cause increased stress and anxiety, as well as overwhelming feelings, lack of concentration, and focus. Furthermore, if people don’t have structure and less to focus on, some people may find themselves thinking about stressful situations more, which can also lead to additional stress and anxiety.
More specifically, a routine helps you in a number of ways:
Routines help you prioritise what is important. When you plan your day a certain way, you are effectively saying “this is what’s important to me” Routines force you to think hard about your priorities and make choices to better your daily life.
Routine helps alleviate stress. Creating routines can allow you to set times for specific tasks, and allow you to set times for fun, or things that you enjoy or make you happy. Having a daily self-care routine can help us bring more joy, relaxation, and peace into our lives.
Routines free up energy for more important tasks. 40% of our actions are driven by habit because our minds love to conserve energy. The more you can automate the things you do each day, the more mental space and energy you have to commit to more important tasks
Routines can help you block distractions. When you have a routine, you are more likely to notice when something is trying to take away your attention.
Routines can increase productivity. Productivity is not always about how much we are getting done but can also refer to the level of quality and intention we are giving to tasks. Routines can help us better focus on what is in front of us, where to prioritise our time, and, ultimately, increase our productivity.
Daily routines can boost creativity. Having a routine can help set the tone for the day, better allowing us to control our schedules rather than our schedule controlling us. Routines can help us see progress and motivate us to do more.
Finally, routines can be beneficial when it comes to maintaining our mental health. It can assist us in fitting in all of the important things into our day. The predictability of having a routine can offer some comfort in an otherwise unpredictable world. It is important to be careful not to get so stuck in our routines that they start to cause us stress or stop us from being able to do things that we want to do. Routines can be a wonderful thing to develop and grow over time, as long as we see our habits as beneficial rather than detrimental and are willing to be flexible and change them as our lives change.
Sources
The Blurt Foundation. (2018, November 08). The Mental Health Benefits Of Having A Daily Routine. Retrieved from https://www.blurtitout.org/2018/11/08/mental-health-benefits-routine/
Cherry, K. (2020, April 21). The Importance of Maintaining Structure and Routine During Stressful Times. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/the-importance-of-keeping-a-routine-during-stressful-times-4802638
Clarke, J. (2020, September 17). Want to Be More Productive and Confident? Develop a Morning Routine. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/morning-routine-4174576
MacKay, J. (2019). The 21 Daily Routines and Habits of Highly Productive Founders and Creatives. Retrieved from https://plan.io/blog/daily-routines/
Northwestern University of Medicine. (n.d.). Feinberg School of Medicine: Feinberg School of Medicine: Northwestern University. Retrieved from https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/