Can a daily routine really make you more successful? Of course it wouldn’t be the only contributing factor to success, but it can definitely make a huge difference.
Why a routine helps
Since having my son, routines have been super important in our life. He was diagnosed with autism in 2011 and it soon became clear that routines were a way for him to feel safe. Because you follow the same sequence of actions every single day they become a habit. You’ll notice that these actions just happen naturally without too much thought.
So how can that make you more successful? Without the worry of thinking about your daily routine, you will have more energy to put into your goals.
Say your goal is to save money, you regularly buy breakfast on the way to work because you’re always running late. You could set yourself a new morning routine and include a homemade breakfast and save yourself some cash. Or you could get a bedtime routine where you get things ready for the morning.
The chances are you already have a kind of routine, which is why changing it can be difficult. It’s just like breaking any other habit. If you’re used to getting up at 7am but making yourself breakfast in the morning is going to mean getting up at 6.30am, it’s going to be tough for a while until you adjust to your new routine.
When to have a routine
I have a routine for every part of my day. We have the wake up and school run routine,
Ahem …
It now takes us 1 hour to wake up and leave for school! That includes showers, getting dressed, coffee, breakfast smoothies, making lunch boxes, feeding cats and watching an entire episode of The Simpsons with my son!
When the kids first started school it took us almost 3 hours! Until we had established our morning routine.
Working from home means being super strict with my time and a routine really helps, I tend to only work around school times. So I’m more or less doing a full time job in part time hours. I have some huge goals this year so I need to maximise my working time as much as possible.
Having a daily routine
I find that the more routines I have, the more I can get done, which in turn means the number of goals I’ve accomplished have risen. I’ve managed to become debt free and make an extra £500 per month with side hustles for the last few months.
When setting yourself a new routine you can either choose to change one thing at a time or change it all in one go. Personally I prefer to change everything in one go, its uncomfortable for a while but I know the sequence will soon become routine for me.
For the children having a routine has meant they’re school work is improving, they are much calmer and more organised. Which makes them happier overall. They feel more independent and that in turn improves their confidence. It also means they have more free time while still getting homework & chores done.
Do you have a daily routine? What would be your tips for a successful routine? Let me know in the comments!
Leave a Reply