‘m an enormous creature of habit, almost to a fault but I do think that this weird personality trait of mine ultimately adds to my general productivity. Mark Zuckerberg wears the same thing every day because he doesn’t want to waste time or brain space on making decisions. That’s a teeny bit too drastic for me (I’d pass out from boredom if I wore the same thing every day!) but I do similar things in my life to eliminate guess work.
I have the same breakfast every day – a banana, almond milk and protein smoothie. This saves me time in the morning because I’m not dicking around trying to decide between cereal and toast and it saves me time shopping because I buy the same thing every week and I’m not wasting time and money buying generic breakfast stuff I may or may not eat. I reply to emails once in the morning and once at night. I reply to (most) of my blog comments in the evenings while I’m watching the news. Repetition and routine can be brilliant for keeping you on track and making you work almost on autopilot. It saves you making decisions and wasting time deciding when to do things. It can be a bit of a game changer so here are a few tips on how to smash your to-do list with repetition and routine.
ExerciseÂ
Pick a time of day that you exercise and stick to it. First thing in the morning, on your lunch break, after work or a quick lounge room workout after the kids have gone to bed. That way whenever that time of day rolls around, you’ll know it’s time to get your sweat on.
EmailsÂ
Pick two times during the day to check your emails and don’t check them at any other times. It will make such a huge difference if you limit yourself. It also creates a natural boundary in your day. If you know that your afternoon email check time is 4.30, you’ll be extra motivated to get everything done by then.
CleaningÂ
Allocate a time each day to do a quick 30 minute clean. If you choose after dinner at around 8pm it will force you to just get it done, rather than procrastinate on it all night. Would you rather clean for 30 minutes or hate the the thought of cleaning for 5 hours?
Meetings
Always schedule meetings at the same time of day. I like early morning or lunch time meetings so they don’t ruin the flow of my working hours. Also if you only schedule meetings at the same times each day, you’re less likely to forget them. This is also a great way to train people you regularly have meetings with so they don’t do stupid things like request meetings at 5pm on a Friday – seriously who does that?
BreaksÂ
If you schedule your breaks and what you do on your breaks, they’ll become much more efficient. For example the coffee guy at your local cafe might start to remember your order and your co-workers will know when you’re out of the office and they’ll subconsiously start to work around that schedule.
Tip: Set rolling alarms for things that you do every day. Most smart phones will allow you to set an alarm for a certain time every day so you won’t forget to do any of your task until the repetition of these actions makes them a routine. This great for things like remembering to drink water or to get up and do some office stretches.
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Do you have things that you do every single day? Are you ruled by routine? Or are you a bit more relaxed?
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P.P.S This post was first published in March 2015.
29 Comments
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Good morning, just back from my very early morning walk. Remembering several years ago reading an article on routine etc., and it was suggested one should sometimes vary the way they do things, e.g., when showering reverse and/or change the order you wash various parts of your body to give your brain another challenge. I thought simple, no probs – took a little longer to shower as I kept automatically reverting. When I finished shower I realised I had left out a couple of body parts, and turned water back on and showered as usual to make sure ! Occasionally still try it, spoils a completely mindless process as I envisage myself standing under a waterfall completely relaxed, showering is one of my Favourite “me” times.
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I don’t like to stray too far from my routine either! I like to just do things on autopilot!
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There are some routines to my days but I am trying to get into a better flow. I am currently working on waking up a little earlier (by lights out at night being earlier), I want to adjust my mornings to they flow rather than fight me.
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Oh yes that’s a big one! Getting up earlier (and going to bed earlier!) certainly help!
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Great article. Routine is everything if you’re a freelancer or self employed.
As a writer I found the best way to get around ‘writers block’ was to just write. So I set a routine…11 to 6 always at my desk, treat it like a job.
Procrastination comes in so many justifiable forms….answering emails, research, cleaning…all these things I try to get done before 11am.
And ‘all work and no play’ is no fun so I always have the weekends off…no one likes a martyr!-
Definitely! I never get anything done unless I make sure to stick strictly to my work hours. I work so hard during the week to have my weekends off!
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Another timely post for me. I need to make more routine in my life and be strict about it. I am a more in the moment person and get things done but not everything I should be achieving. V x
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Being in the moment can be great! It’s just good to inject a little bit of routine so you get used to doing essential things every day!
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I am a stickler for a routine too. Every day I wake at 5:30am and head to the gym before work. I try and be in bed each night by 9:30pm, but am trying to get better at improving my daily workflow and screen time after dinner!
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Wow that is so disciplined and EARLY! I try to exercise most mornings but sometimes I’m on deadlines and have to be up until midnight. I definitely do my 10,000 steps every day though!
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Yes! I guess I’m lucky I’ve always been a morning person so it’s not too hard for me. If I’m up past 10pm I’m yawning like a nanna! Well done on doing your 10,000 steps each day! I recently got a Fitbit Charge HR and I love it. A bit obsessed with the old step count too.
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Love routine! I tried to shake off my need for routine, but ultimately I know that is how I work best in every aspect of my life. Sure it’s great to spice it up a little now and then but routine and habit are my best friends!
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I’m the exact same. HAVE to have my same breakfast, same coffee, oftne the same lunch. Just works for me!
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I absolutely love routine! However, this week my routine has gone out the window – which has left me feeling a little out of sorts. Looking forward to getting back into the swing of things next week! x
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Being casual/freelance/business owner type working I’ve been out of routine for ten years but that’s why I need these other routines to keep me sane!
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I think I could be so much better if I had routine in my life like this – I really go with the flow and think I could get so much more done with these tips, so am going to try them! I don’t know if I could do the same breakfast all the time though…
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Ha! I go through cycles… I used to have tomato on toast for breakfast, then it changed to smoothies. In winter I switch to porridge! 🙂
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Some areas I have routines, but not enough. I do think I need to introduce more – and I think that, strangely, it will add more flexibility into the day (open up the times when my kids need me without feeling frazzled that I haven’t completed what I need to do). Good suggestions.
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I like routine… Which is why I’m slightly nervous about the fact that I just quit my job to go off travelling indefinitely. The last time I travelled long term I was a student, so routine wasn’t a big part of my life. I think I’m going to have to do something every day (or as often as I can manage) at a certain time so that I don’t freak out completely. Like run, reply to emails or mediate?!
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Great tips Carly. Having taken leave this year from work I am feeling a little out of sorts with the loss of routine. I feel like I’m not getting much done as there doesn’t seem to be any deadlines. I must try your tips, thanks.
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I stick to routine fairly religiously even though I basically loathe routine. Every time I veer back into my natural ‘by the seat of my pants’ style, chaos reigns. x
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Oh gosh. I used to be and I miss it! By the time baby number 4 rocked around I had lost all sense of routine and a little sense of myself with it. I have just bought myself a Kikki K organiser to organise myself so that I can schedule, write it in the diary (otherwise known as mums book. If it’s not in mums book it doesn’t happen) and do. Can’t. Wait
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I am definitely a fan of routine! I can be flexible (i.e. I won’t freak out if I can’t follow it to a T because shit happens), but I do enjoy how much better I feel for it. I find it weirdly motivating. I’m trying a modified routine at the moment because the school holidays have started and the Little Mister is responding well, after a crazy few weeks where everyone just felt like they were scrambling to survive!
I like having a bit of a self imposed schedule on ‘at home’ days the most, because otherwise I’m the kind of person who gets lazy or I can get anxious ABOUT being lazy.-
Oh my god me too! I’ve been trying to have Sundays off but I just get too stressed out about not doing enough so I just do some work so my brain will shut up. I hate myself. 🙂
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So true. Routine has always worked well for me except for get out of bed early to exercise!
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I try so hard to do this but I suck at it a bit because I like to stay up late too. It’s my biggest issue in life really.
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Without routines I would not be able to manage it all. I’m a clean freak, so I need my home to be a clean and calm environment or I can’t think! I’m getting older, so I want to make sure I’m eating well to stay young, thin, healthy, and full of energy. I work full time, blog, and write ebooks helping others manage it all too. You just can’t do it all without routines. Except I call them habits.
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Carly I’m interested to know what times you check your emails in the morning and evening. Do you have emails come through to your phone or just on the computer? Also what kind of step counter do you use?
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[…] little ones and even more especially the decisions you have to make every day like what to eat and what to wear. These decisions do not and should not take up half the morning. Routines can help if you struggle […]
[…] little ones and even more especially the decisions you have to make every day like what to eat and what to wear. These decisions do not and should not take up half the morning. Routines can help if you struggle […]
