There are many ways to create routine throughout your day. Thriving entrepreneurs share their daily routines which they attribute to their success.
Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square and founder of Twitter, relies on routine to balance the struggle of running two full-time roles. He attributes his success to being very disciplined and practiced. His routine is based on daily themes. For example, Monday’s theme may be Monday: company management while Wednesday focuses on growth, marketing, and communications. Even weekend days are themed for relaxation, leisure, and preparing for the week ahead.
Benjamin Franklin too had a strict daily routine, which included time for sleeping, meals, and working, all set for specific times of the day.
The demanding schedules of political figures Winston Churchill and Barack Obama required stringent scheduling. For both men, dining with family was a priority. This often meant rising before their families to catch up on news and working late into the night.
As you can see, routines are a common link among successful individuals. While your schedule may not be packed with meetings with prominent heads of state, getting the kids off to school, meeting your personal deadlines, and finding time for social activities are just as important.
Whether you want to theme out your days like Jack Dorsey, schedule your day by the hour like Benjamin Franklin, or prioritize specific events and plan your day around them like Barack Obama, creating a routine that works for you is all that matters.
Let me know if you need further help in determining which method will work best for your lifestyle.
FIND YOUR ISPIRATION FROM OTHERS
YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL
“The only possible way to have it ALL is with structure and the discipline to keep to it, to make it a routine.”
Margot Hattingh.
Let’s take a look at steps you can take to create your own personalized routine. To start, create a list of everything you need to get done daily, both in your home life and at work. This isn’t a to-do list, jot down everything you do every day and things you should get done.
Next, you’ll structure your day. Determine if you’re an early bird or night owl. Early birds get things done most effectively before lunchtime, while night owls tend to get their creative burst of energy in the evenings. Neither is wrong; it’s all based on preference. Make sure to group tasks into the time of day that makes the most sense for when you’re most productive.
Now it’s time to get specific. Use your loosely created outline of tasks and get as specific as you want. For some this may look like an hour by hour list; for others, you may just divide your day into morning, midday, and evening. Remember this is your schedule so plan it accordingly.
Finally, schedule in time for flexibility. There will be days when tasks come up that aren’t part of your typical routine. A dentist's appointment for example. Make time in your schedule that can be flexible for unplanned tasks, and keep your most productive time scheduled with activities you need to be done daily.
Once you have a framework for your routine, try it out! Start with a week making tweaks as you go. After 30 days, asses your routine and determine what’s working and what can be improved. Note how your routine makes you feel. If you find you’re more stressed, then your routine will need some adjusting. The purpose of a routine is to make life easier and allow you to be more productive.
DOWNSIZING YOUR LIVING SPACE
Why do we have so much stuff?!
In a Western consumer culture, material goods are equated with happiness, and we all love the comforts of our creature. Throughout the day, we are bombarded with messages to
we keep buying things, so over time, we become convinced that the more we have, the happier we will be.
This cycle of consumption usually results in a chattering amount of, well, stuff.
Whether it's books, crafts, clothes, mugs or pillows, most of us have a vice, something we always buy, whether we need it or not. These behaviors are learned over time and usually stem from the fear that one day we might need these things — even if we haven't touched it for years.
When you are looking to downsize, the first thing you need to realize is that you have a lot more at home than you need. So let the purging begin!
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Think about the positives of a smaller space
We all develop an attachment to our belongings. This makes the process of parting with our stuff more difficult. One thing that might help is thinking of all the ways that less space and fewer belongings could contribute to a better experience.
Smaller house = Less to clean.
Fewer electronics = Less screen time.
No more giant couch = Maybe you’ll finally develop some healthier sleeping habits (rather than falling asleep to TV on the couch every night).
When you have fewer things to care for, you have fewer worries as well. Once you surround yourself with just the essentials, you’ll simplify your life and find new habits, patterns, and activities to fill in the blanks.
Think about it, wouldn’t a fresh start be nice?
Before even getting out of bed, start with a few deep, intentional breaths.
Start your shower with cold water to wake you up and energize you.
Kick-off your morning with a glass of lemon water.
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Nourish your body with a plant-based breakfast. Try bananas and almonds or avocados.
Complete a series of 5 rep exercises, for example, push-ups and crunches.
Set aside 10 minutes for meditation or journaling.
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If you are responsible for getting little ones off to school, try completing these tasks before they wake. This will give you some quiet time to yourself before the hectic morning is in full swing.
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When your feeling discouraged or in a slump, remember actions breed motivation, not the other way around. By maintaining positive actions, you’ll be motivated to continue making positive choices.
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Start your day right.
RISE AND SHINE
By starting your morning off healthy, you're that much more likely to continue healthy choices throughout the day. One right decision often leads to another. However, the same is true with bad choices.
According to various experts, there are a number of habits you should incorporate into your morning routine for a successful day.
A WORD ON RE-HOMING AND RE-GIFTING
A word on re-homing and re-gifting
As we go through different stages of our lives, we accumulate things that are special to us. However, many of those things cease to serve a purpose as we continue to grow.
Reasons that you want to keep something may vary; perhaps it costs a lot of money, maybe it holds value in memories, but no matter what, it’s just taking up space.
More likely than not, you know someone who could benefit from those special items more than you. Are your kids out of diapers but still holding on to that designer diaper bag? Re-gift it to a new mom. Tea set that’s gathering dust in a china cabinet? Gift it to your grandmother for her next birthday. That old train set from when you were a kid?
There’ve got to be some kids around who would love playing with it.
It’s hard to part with items that we cherish, but if you take the time to find a proper new home for your things, you’ll rest easy knowing that they’ll continue to be loved.
Develop a way to deal with clutter
Things accumulate quickly, and usually without notice. Skip looking at your mail one day, and before you know it, you have a week’s worth of bills piled on your kitchen table. Set a mug down by the sink, and suddenly it’s been three days, and the cups have multiplied.
The best way to stop getting in the habit of adding useless items to our home is to manage the things we do have in an organized and responsible way by setting accumulation limits.
First, you’ll have to take some time to clear some space—be it your closet, your refrigerator, or your dining room table. Next, you’ll need to come up with a new method for controlling the clutter.
When it comes to mail, take the 40 seconds to sort it as soon as you grab it from the mailbox. Junk mail gets recycled, packages get opened, and everything else finds its rightful place. Make it a habit to regularly clean out your entire refrigerator every time you notice one thing going bad.
Another simple rule of thumb to keep things from piling up: If it takes less than two minutes to do, do it now.
Digitize whatever you can
Pictures, documents, books, CD’s, DVD’s, letters, and notes are things that we don’t want to part with, but they also take up A LOT of space.Take your old technology (be it photographs or VCR home movies) and convert them into files that take up NO space by storing them digitally.Start with books. They’re heavy and take up lots of space. If you treasure a particular book, put it on display—but keep such ‘treasures’ to a minimum. If you’ve read a book but don’t plan on rereading it, donate it, sell it, or give it away. Remember, if you change your mind, you can always borrow it from the library!Instead of hauling around and flipping through old photo albums, you can flip through a digital tablet or display the pictures up on a TV screen. Save yourself space and make your stuff digital. You’ll appreciate it later.
YOU SHOULD BE AT THE CENTER OF YOUR ROUTINE
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Using your list of activities, pick out the ones which hold the most meaning and rank them in order of importance. To help guide you, try creating a ‘meaning hierarchy’ which may look something like this:
1. Work on my business
2. Pursue knowledge (study/read/absorb)
3. Create art
MEANING
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It’s important to make time in your day for activities that are rewarding. However, as a general rule, no pleasurable activity should be unearned.
REWARD/PLASURE
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We all need time during the week to socialize, even introverts! How much time you need is up to you. In this category, list activities like going to the cinema, a bar, a friend’s house, a restaurant, etc. These activities don’t need to be planned out in advance, just leave room in your routine for your ideal number of social activities.
SOCIAL
When creating a new routine, you first want to take a look at your current one. Try tracking your activities for a week without making changes. Simply jot down your activities throughout the day, and the time it takes to complete each one. Don’t spend too much time analyzing your days.
There are 4 aspects every successful routine will incorporate. When creating your new routine, make sure to incorporate each of the following:
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TIME FOR BED
According to Mason Currey, “One's daily routine is a series of choices. In the right hands, it can be a finely calibrated mechanism for taking advantage of a range of limited resources.”
Having a successful day often starts the night before. There are lots of techniques for ensuring you have a healthy nighttime routine. Your evening should be focused on relaxation.
According to revealyourbest.com, 10 evening habits make you more productive.
THE BENEFITS OF ROUTINE
There’s a lot to be said about keeping a routine. It can improve overall health, well-being, and productivity. When it comes to creating your perfect routine, the number one rule is to make it work for you.
Did you know some of the most successful people are sticklers for routine? It’s true. Anyone who has children has heard how important structure is for kids, but adults benefit too. Routine provides a sense of structure and familiarity and allows you to organize your life so that it makes sense to you.
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck or standing still while everyone around you is getting things done in life? Having the right routine can provide direction in your life, enabling you to act instead of standing still.
MEAL PREP
Do you try to eat healthy meals but find it hard to stay on track with your busy, on-the-go lifestyle?
It may be easy to grab something quick and convenient, but unfortunately, those “quick” meals are often less nutritious than something requiring more time. Plus, all that money spent on drive through snacks and meals adds up!
Thankfully, there is an answer to your lunchtime woes...meal prep!
I know, it sounds overwhelming. But the thing is, you don’t have to plan and prep food in freezer bags for the whole year. You can start small by preparing for just a few days, or one week at a time.
Choose a day when you have a little extra time to prepare your lunches for the week, right after grocery shopping is recommended. Before even putting your food away, lay out all the ingredients you need and get to prepping.
Start with healthy recipes that you already enjoy making to help you ease into your new routine. Once you’re comfortable, work up to trying new and more complicated recipes.
By following these tips, you’ll be a meal prep expert in no time! This means you’ll be feeling good about your lunchtime decisions, all while getting healthier too.
PACK IN THE NUTRIENTS!
BREAKFAST WHILE YOU SLEEP
ONE HELATHY CHOICE LEADS TO OTHERS!
KNOW HOW TO HOLD 'EM
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KNOW HOW LONG IS TOO LONG
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LAYER ON THE DELICIOUS
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IT PAYS TO BE PREPARED