7 Ways Routines Create Peace and Calm in a Busy Life
That may be a gift my friend, one that I and many others
don’t possess. If that resonates with you, you’re probably not going to get
anything out of my thoughts on routines and you may want to skip past.
For the rest of you who dread the “spinning out of control”
feeling, stick with me here.
Routines relieve stress
Why does providing structure to your day help to prevent
stress? If you are going through a
difficult time, a routine can provide a sense of control for you when the world
around you feels crazy.
A disorganized day can create an inability to focus on what
is important in the moment. Disorganization is great for making mountains out
of molehills. That feeling of needing to put out a dozen little fires lurks in
the back of your mind and is discouraging.
Whether you use time-blocking to map out your day in chunks
-- or use a simple to-do list, having some kind of plan allows for a calmer
day. Interruptions happen, and even if the day doesn’t go as expected, knowing
where you left off and what tasks need reshuffling is much easier to accomplish
when you have a written or visual plan already in place.
Routines foster a sense of accomplishment
Did you know when you accomplish tasks that your body
releases dopamine? Dopamine is one of the “happy chemicals” in your body that
acts like a reward. Making a plan, however simple -- and checking the things
off your list is a good way to create happiness.
Humans like being in control. While controlling everything
around us is unrealistic, having some control over our environment, attitude
and productivity is a positive way to dial up the calm factor in our lives.
Routines help us form good habits and break the bad ones
Creating a routine in your environment can create new and
healthy habits. Let’s say you want to read more business or self-development
books this year. You set a S.M.A.R.T. goal of reading two of these books per
month. You create space in your planner to do this every day, Monday through
Friday. You follow through on this. January takes you a little time to get in
the groove, but by February you’ve got this down and you are well on your way
to your goal.
Similarly, not having a plan can feed the bad habits in our
lives. You have a set of seven crises sitting on your desk right now.
Procrastinating about which is the most critical to address feels overwhelming.
You think to yourself, “I know! I’ll go over to the vending machine and get
myself a bag of Cheetos.” With no plan, you still have the seven crises, and
now you have orange fingertips as well.
Having a plan helps you exercise your self-discipline
muscles. Exercising your self-discipline muscles creates healthier habits.
Creating healthier habits dilutes the chaos surrounding you.
Routines improve our prioritization skills
Routines allow us a calm environment where we can determine
the urgency and necessity of completing tasks and in what order.
This helps to release anxiety, and develops our ability to
negotiate deadlines, rather than feeling the pressure of “I have to do everything
at once.”
Successful entrepreneurs are generally able to determine “What
3 things must be done first?”. If you need to make a big, long, and hairy list,
go ahead – just pick the three most important things on that list and promise
yourself “today is the day”. When those things are accomplished, pick the next
3 and so on.
Routines promote a healthy lifestyle
Working out generally requires some advanced planning if you’re going to be consistent about it. But it doesn’t have to be difficult.
Placing your shoes, socks, and workout clothes by the end of
the bed each night before you nod off, sets you up for success to get up and
walk in the morning. The hardest part of your walk will be sitting up, getting
dressed, tying your shoes, and getting out the door. The rest is the easy part!
Scheduling a time once a week to grocery shop and meal plan
prevents last-minute trips to Pizza Hut. Your body will benefit from wholesome self-prepared
meals and thoughtful food choices.
Routines help you avoid “decision fatigue”
Decision fatigue is an inability to make quality decisions,
due to an overabundance of decisions made in a day. By making some simple
changes and eliminating the small decisions, you free up your mental energy for
the important stuff. Decide to check email for only 15 minutes in the morning
and 30 minutes at night – not 6 times a day. Set a timer to keep yourself on
track. Adhere to this religiously.
Automate where you can – limit yourself to two breakfast
choices, create a capsule wardrobe, or go to the gym at the same time each week.
Routines provide you with more white space in your life
We all need some margin in our lives and routines can
provide us the time to volunteer, spend time with family, meditate or
binge-watch a show for a time.
It’s really important to schedule white space in a busy day.
We all need to relax, recharge, and rejuvenate if we want to live a peaceful
life. Whatever that is for you, a routine provides the framework to take time to
do what makes your heart happy.
Whether you use a planner, Google Calendar, or a spiral
notebook, there is a system out there that will be right for you. The trick is figuring
out what that is, being consistent for a month in using it before giving up and
trying something different. I’d love to hear about the routine tips and tricks
you’ve found successful. Here is to a peaceful, healthy, and well-planned 2022!
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