The One Exciting Power Of Routines

Do you think, daily, weekly or monthly routines are boring? You might want to think again. Because routines can be very powerful in helping with your career and “work-life-balance”. There is one exciting power of routines, that I would like to explore with you today.

I will admit, that the word “routine” or even the explanation in the dictionary do not sound super sexy.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/routine?s=t

Who likes “commonplace tasks, chores, or duties as must be done regularly or at specified intervals”. Not many, I would assume. But I strongly believe, there is more to routines, than “chores or duties”. In short, if used the right way, routines can actually help you to stay flexible.

You think that’s a stretch? That the habit of routines is something that inflexible people do and not so much the flexible and “free spirited” folks among us? Let’s have a look at potential routines and their benefits, shall we?

Imagine you are usually having a super busy work week. Furthermore, you are also having a family to take care of. Sounds stressful as is. But now imagine, an unplanned project pops up and will consume you even more. Now what? Something will have to give, won’t it?

If you have a weekly routine of using some of your “free time” on the weekend or in the evenings, to plan and prepare your main meals for the week, than that would be one thing less to sweat about, wouldn’t it?

You prefer to keep your meals flexible and not eat the same thing every day? Sure, you can prepare “flexible” ingredients that you can easily combine to make different meals. It can be done! Even if you are not a cook or do not like to cut veggies for an hour straight, there is short cuts that can be bought. You just need to have a routine of planning.

And the biggest benefit is, it will give you enough peace of mind to be able to really focus on your “short notice” project and be successful as you know, the rest is covered.

Are your work days morphing into your time off lately as you are working from home? Does it start to feel, like work never really ends? For example your thoughts are circulating around work telated topics 24/7 now? Well, that does not sound too great, does it?

But it’s not really important how it sounds. It is a lot more important, what this does to your mental health, fitness and ultimately ability to continue performing and delivering at your best. Because working longer and more and not really taking (mental) breaks, does usually not make you successful. It might short term. It’s not sustainable though.

And yet again, a routine can be very powerful in keeping you at your best which will ultimately again help you maintain flexibility. Actually, it’s two routines to be precise.

Firstly find a routine to officially start your work day. If you are working in an office, your commute to the office automatically provides this routine. You have to do it daily and it provides that “start” of your working day. Working from home, this routine can be replaced by several activities. Here some ideas:

• If you are working in a dedicated office space, going there, closing the door and getting settled, starting the computer / laptop can replace this.

• You would have started your day in the office with a coffee? Do that at home, too. Prepare your coffee, start thinking about your day, while you are starting your laptop / computer.
• Prepare your work place with all you will need such as your note book, a pen, water, a snack (all things you would have brought to your desk in the office, too).
• Let your family know, you are starting to work now and until your break (which should be another routine) you can’t be disturbed. Kiss them “goodbye” as you would, if you would go into the office for them to have that same feeling of routine you are looking for

etc.

This routine will help you have an official start to your working day. It will help you to focus on the work ahead. Because as much as you do not want your work morph into your leisure activities, you do not want it the other way around, either. The ability to focus is important and routines can help with that.

Secondly, you will need another routine to officially end your working day. If not, you are risking to not be present in your “personal life” and for your family. And you will not get to (mentally) rest. Everyone needs some R&R in their life. Because being a “high-performer” does not mean being a permanent and constant performer. The opposite is the case. True high performer certainly know, how important rest and recreation are.

So again when working in the office, the commute back home is usually at least part of the “ending your working day” routine. Unless you are arriving home just to start your computer / laptop again and continue with your work right away.

In absence of a commute home, we need to find a new “kick-off” for EOB (end of business). Even if you are not working in a store, closing your “shop” can still be a good ritual or routine. Here some EOB routine ideas:

• Firstly, shut down your computer / laptop. Turn it off entirely, do not just shut the lid or put it in the power saving mode. This way it’s more effort to continue on, you can’t just reopen and keep going.
• Secondly clean up your work area and prepare everything for the next day right away (put your work utensils away if you are not working in a dedicated office area etc.), put your laptop and headset on their chargers etc.
• Then, make a conscious effort to transition from work to family life / leisure time by going for a walk (helps if you have a pup, but you can walk without too), having some playtime with the kids before dinner, go run some errands (non-work-related of course), cook a meal etc. – anything that keeps your mind off work will do.
• etc.

Having an EOB routine is really critical to be able to get your mind off work. And that will make you more successful, as you will be (mentally) rested when you start your next working day. If you are well rested, you will respond a lot less stressed-out to stressful work situations. You know you can rely on your routines and even if the working day takes a little longer than it usually does, if you keep your “EOB routine”, just at a later time, it will give you the same benefit.

Yet another routine, that will help you stay flexible and be able to respond to unplanned situations calmly, collected and in control.

Sold on routines yet? Not fully? Well there is more. And one of the following routines will actually literally make you flexible. Physically flexible, that is.

In order to be at your best performance, being healthy and fit is super helpful. Now not everyone is a huge fan of sports and fitness. I personally am not a big fan of exercise at all. So anything that feels like “exercising” is nothing that I will be doing habitually. But even though that’s the case, I do have routines that help me stay fit and physically flexible.

My family and I are living in Florida and it is hot. In addition to being super hot in summer, it is also humid. Staying hydrated is actually important for everyone, but especially in hot regions. Most importantly, not being well hydrated can actually highly impact your ability to think. Aside from the fact, that it can make you feel dizzy and have serious health consequences.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-of-water

So a routine of consuming sufficient water, will keep your brain flexible and help you perform better. Make sure you incorporate water provision into your “start of business day” routine. Have sufficient water ready, until you can take your first break to fill up. And then fill up your bottle regularly throughout the day. Some folks are having a super huge bottle and fill it up once. You can do that, but it will deprive you of another benefit of hydration – the getting up to fill up your bottle.

Why is getting up a good thing? Because moving your body is super important and one of the other routines, I was referencing on top. While I am not a huge fan of anything that feels like exercise, I am a strong believer in moving my body. So I am doing things I am enjoying. And I can’t even believe I am saying this, because I have not always enjoyed moving at all. Not anymore! How come? You can read more about my story here

https://mykindofsuccess.net/where-to-start/

When you are getting up once in a while during your day, to move your body, it will help you to also change your “perspective” and allow for new thoughts in case you are stuck on a topic. But most importantly, moving your body regularly, will keep your body flexible and that is definitely a good thing.

It has a positive impact on your health, your body weight (even though you can’t outrun the scale) and it will definitely help keep your muscles active so they can do, what they are supposed to do.

I recently made a wrong step in our yard. Thought I was stepping on our pavement (walking backwards) but instead, I had stepped with one foot into our pool. I was definitely not prepared for that and it could have been a pretty bad fall. But it ended up being not as bad, because my muscles and my body are flexible and I was able to somewhat catch myself and not hit my head on the pavement. Don’t get me wrong, I was bruised up and all. But not seriously injured. Because I am fit and hence did not tear a muscle or pull a string.

These were all routine ideas that allow me to be “there” at my job and with my family. Let’s talk about routines while doing your job. I do have a few, that help me especially when times are getting stressful with stuff I can’t control.

I do for instance have a routine where I am replying first to emails, that I would prefer to push out and also do the tasks I like the least first thing. That way I am having those out of my way, I can’t drop a ball here (it happens especially if dealing with a problem is delayed). Instead I can now enjoy the work, I actually like.

I also am planning me-time in my work days. Time to think about problems, strategies and ideas. And last but not least, I am having a routine where I am trying to have lunch and dinner at the same time each day.

To make all of these routines work, I am actually booking the time for all of these as a meeting in my calendar. And I am trying to be as firm as possible with not moving these. Unless I want to.

And the last point is very important. You are in charge of your routines, not the other way around. In order to maintain true flexibility, you can’t be owned and consumed by your routines. Yes lunch is supposed to be at a certain time, but if I have to move it, I can. My other routines (i.e. meal prepping) has set me up for success here. Food can be prepared quickly, so a change in plans, is not a big deal.

Or I have prepared dinner for the week but on a certain day I am craving something else? Sure, why not. If it is what I want, I will go for it. Take this as a word of warning. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Routines are helpful, if they allow you to stay flexible. If they don’t, they can be dangerous and constricting. You might want to mix up your routines ones in a while just to train your flexibility muscle.

And of course, if your routines start to control your life, you need to dive deeper and see if there is some kind of anxiety, that is driving this. Especially if a routine becomes something obsessive. If you are i.e. usually routinely checking whether or not your door is locked, before going to bed and now you have to go 2-3 times to be sure. That’s when your routine(s) might have turned into OCD (obsessive-compulsive-disorder).

That would be the moment, when routines and their underlying causes are not healthy and you should seek professional help asap.

However, I hope I have been able to give routines a little less boring flavor. They can be your friend and help you stay sane in uncertain or stressful situations. Mine definitely helped me to maintain a sense of normalcy and during this weird 2020 with pandemic and all.

That’s the one exciting power of routines for me.

What’s your favorite routine?