Rouines are important in our day to day lives. Habits and routines allow us to stop overthinking and just go for it.
Why is this important? Because you want to make sure your new plan and goals happens every day without fail and turning into a routine is the best way to make sure that happens.
We want to be on autopilot. When you wake up first thing in the morning, it’s hard to think things through at first.
We need time to wake up, and start our engines for the day. By making your new plan a routine, it’s a lot easier to just go with it rather than needing to think about what you have to do next.
For example, I never used to wear makeup unless it was a fancy occasion. Now however I make more of an effort to put on makeup in the mornings.
When I started, I would carefully apply each piece of makeup. Now when I wake up I don’t even think I just do it. I’m finished in no time at all because it’s just part of my routine.
Before something becomes a habit or a routine, it takes a lot of willpower to things happen. That’s energy that you will need for other things throughout your morning and busy rest of the day.
Yes, it will take some willpower, mental energy, and drive at first to create the new habits, but once they are set, it will become automatic like brushing your teeth before bed (and I do hope you brush your teeth before bed).
Once you come up with a good working routine, stick to it for a few weeks. That’s the best way to turn it into a strong habit.
Before long, it will feel like the new normal and you no longer have to remind yourself to do each thing along the way. It will have become a habit and a routine you’ll follow automatically.
It will take a lot less effort and mental pep-talk to get things done… even if your new routine includes a 30-minute run, or getting up at the crack of dawn to work on your most important business task for an hour.
Watch out for moments when you slip back into your old habits and routines. It’s going to happen.
I stopped putting makeup on while I was sick and it took about a week after I was better to get back into the habit again. I had several days when I almost forgot about it completely!
The key is to catch it early and get back on track as quickly as possible. For example, let’s say you’ve been doing well with waking up 30 minutes earlier and going for a run before you start your day.
Then one day you oversleep and can’t make it out there. Or the weather turns too bad, you get sick or hurt, or something else pops up that keeps you from going on that run.
That’s life. It happens. What’s important is what you decide to do the next morning.
Your most important job whenever life gets in the way of your new routine is to get back on track as quickly as possible. Do what you can as soon as you notice the disruption.
If the weather is bad, do a quick workout at home, or head to the gym to run on the treadmill.
If you overslept, try to squeeze in a few minutes of meditation or doing something to grow your business before you get back to the rest of your day.
Most importantly get back on track with your regular routine as soon as possible. Get back into your new habits the next day if at all possible.
Actively remind yourself to get back on track for a few days until it routine is firmly back in place. You’ll be glad you did when you start to see the results you’ve been hoping for.
There are a lot of things we can’t control in life. When daycare germs strike or water heaters give out, or tropical weather hits, we must adapt and deal with it.
We can, however, control our actions and we can motivate ourselves to stay on that track.
So keep your motivation, push through, and make new habits for yourself. It’s amazing what you can do once you set yourself up for success!