Daily routines help you organize your tasks efficiently to get the most done in the least amount of time. Although it may seem tedious to set a routine and stick to it (whether it’s a morning routine with toothbrushes involved or a work routine with a strict schedule), there are great benefits to sticking with a routine.

 

Benefits of Routines

IT HELPS PRODUCTIVITY

“Peak productivity’s not about luck. It’s about devotion.” – Robin Sharma

Practice and repetition are keys to improving a skill or completing a project. Establish a routine that has you working on something productive for at least 30 minutes every day and you create a foundation for creativity, insights, breakthroughs and whatever else you may be working on.

 

IT SAVES TIME

Routines are born because they are consistently the best method, or order of events, to get things done quickly and correctly. Sticking to a routine every day, especially for the things that need to get done, will help you manage your time so you don’t waste any of it.

 

IT ELIMINATES DECISION MAKING

Have you noticed that making decisions gets harder as the day goes on? Turns out, the more decisions you make, the harder it is to make subsequent decisions. Willpower is like a muscle, and it’s possible to exhaust it by using it too much. Following a routine will help you save your willpower for the important decisions throughout the day, like which press release to publish versus which toothpaste to use that morning.

So now that you believe in the power of routines, how do you start one?

 

Starting Routines

SETTING A ROUTINE

Learn to wake up early and make the most of your mornings. As Lemony Snicket says, “how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you’re going to have.” Eat a healthy breakfast, do some exercise, and reflect on what you want to accomplish during your day.

Get your biggest and most daunting tasks done early. According to Kevan Lee of Buer, you have the most willpower in the morning. By finishing as much of your serious work done early, you are freeing up the rest of your day for smaller, easier tasks. Not to mention, getting work done early is always a good thing.

Avoid emails until the afternoon. Social media, emails, browsing our phone, playing games and other distracting activities that fight for our attention are best left until after you finish work. Save the “fun” activities for later in the day as a reward for accomplishing something.

Allot at least 30 minutes for important things. If you’re a writer, write for at least 30 minutes a day. If your goal is to improve fitness, exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. A student? Study 30 minutes a day. You can increase this amount over time, but it’s good to start small with a minimum of 30 minutes.

 

What routines do you see in your life that has helped you organize your day more efficiently?

From the archives of Profiles Asia Pacific.