Most people benefit from the safety and predictability of a daily routine. Whilst spontaneity is necessary to keep life interesting, it’s an element far suited to the weekend, when the trials and tribulations of ‘adulting’ aren’t resting on our weary shoulders.
It has been said that routines help us to organise our days in such a way that taking care of tasks, ourselves and our families becomes a habitual pattern. Ultimately this routine makes it almost automated to get through the tasks in a day, without too much thought being given to each and every one.
As the first month of 2022 passes, here are eight steps to aid you in setting up a healthy and achievable routine:
- Choose a routine that’s right for you
Not everyone is suited to a 5am wake up followed by a yoga session. Similarly, not of all us have the same roles and responsibilities in life. A healthy, achievable routine should always include 6-8 hours of sleep a night, a nutritious diet, a healthy amount of movement and exercise suitable down time to ‘switch off’ from the stressors of the day. Routines also don’t have to be the same every day.
- Baby steps
As with all new year’s resolutions, making dramatic changes to your routine in one go is definitely not a sustainable decision. Habits are unlikely to last and more often than not, people revert back to old ways relatively soon. As a start, pick one or two small things each week to work on. You could also cut out one or two bad habits each week.
In the book Atomic Habits, author James Clear speaks about the impact of tiny changes of behaviour on your overall life. He says that real change is possible from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions like doing just two push-ups a day or walking for just five minutes.
- Leverage existing habits
As a matter of course, you will already have defined habits in your life. One of these might be taking a walk each morning. If one of your new goals is to learn something new each month, then add a set of headphones to your morning routine and listen to a podcast whilst walking. A simple adjustment to an already established habit – all moving in a more positive direction.
- Fail to plan, plan to fail
The key to sticking to new habits is the planning that takes place in the lead up to commencing with the change. If cooking for your family each night is important, then ensure that your fridge is stocked with the correct ingredients each Sunday – prior to the start of the week.
Alternatively, choose ‘solutions’ that match your end goal. Local providers like UCOOK take the thinking out of a nutritious diet with their pre-portioned meal-kit delivery service. Not only will you get all the correct ingredients, but you’ll also get a recipe card telling you how to prepare the meal. It’s an easy solution to establishing a more wholesome approach to meals – and easily supplemented by one or two of their healthy frozen options too, for the nights that you don’t feel like the prep work.
- Self-care is important
Along with all the obvious routines, comes a not-so-obvious one. Whether it’s just ten minutes a day, or only an hour a week – setting up time for whatever brings you joy and relaxation is of critical importance. Read for 30 minutes before bed. Wake 10 minutes earlier than your family for a cup of tea in silence. Find what fills your cup and implement it, daily.
- More is nog n dag
You will fail some days, this is a certainty. The good news is that tomorrow is a fresh chance to try it all over again. Soon you’ll find the ‘failed’ days are far outweighed by the healthy routine-established days – but persistence and positivity are key.
