Power of Routine

Since you have decided to read this blog, let me ask you a question, when was the last time you had trouble in tying your shoelaces? Sounds funny? Let me ask you another one, when was the last time you had trouble in brushing your teeth?

I know that you might be laughing at the silliness of these questions, but now, I want to you to go back in time and try to remember the first time when you tried to perform the above activities. You would have faced some problems, right? It is because you did the above tasks daily without fail, which led to you doing them effortlessly today. This is the power of routine.

We all know how important is discipline in one’s life, may it be academics, sports, or life in general, it always helps one to achieve greater heights in their lives. Routine is something which helps an individual to become more disciplined. It is when you start doing a particular thing regularly without fail. It is very tough in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it, it will become a part of your daily life, just like brushing your teeth.

All the things that you have dreamt of, may it be getting good marks, getting in shape, building a hobby, learning a skill, lie on the other side of forming and following a routine. You won’t achieve any of these overnight as they require your daily commitment and devotion. Sooner or later, you will have to put in your time and efforts to achieve your goals. You can’t expect a different result if you keep doing the same thing again and again. If you start following a routine but are unable to be consistent, then don’t hope to see positive results.

Even famous personalities like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Barack Obama and many more owe their success to discipline, consistency and routine. Feel free to read more about them and how they made the best use of a routine.

You can find tons of articles out there which can tell you how to build a routine, but we often forget about some crucial things and that is what we are going to talk about.

Be realistic

You might get all motivated before an exam and make a schedule that even God knows you aren’t going to follow. Similarly, don’t be unrealistic while making a routine as it is not something which you are going to follow for only a few days. Try to break down the goal into small tasks and then start to complete them so that it does not seem like a burden and hence, you will be able to be more consistent.

Take short breaks

It is better to take planned breaks and enjoy rather than taking unplanned ones and regretting it later. Try to include some breaks in your routine as it gives your mind some time to refresh. If you don’t take any breaks, then you might get all worked up and ultimately give up on your routine as you won’t be able to do your daily tasks.

Consistency is the key

A routine won’t work unless you do. The best way to use a routine to its full potential is to be consistent. Not only routine, but the key to achieving any goal is just to be consistent throughout your journey. It’s okay to have a few setbacks, but what is important is that you brush those setbacks aside and continue with your journey.

Flexibility

Making a rigid routine might help some, but is a recipe for disaster for many. If you are a person who constantly tries to find excuses to avoid work, then please do not make a routine because you are not going to follow it. But if you do make one, try to keep it a bit flexible if possible so that if any unexpected situation occurs, you will be prepared for it.

Write it down

We all love to get lost in our vast realm of imagination about how would our perfect life look like, right? But guess what, just by thinking about it, you won’t be able to do anything.

While visualising your goals is good, but if you only keep visualising and don’t take any action, it won’t do any good. To be clear about what you are doing, it is better to write down your daily tasks as well as the plan of action on a piece of paper so that you can see what is that thing that you want to achieve and how are you going to achieve it.

Get an accountable partner

One of the best ways to ensure that you stick to your routine is to get an accountable partner to start with you. It can be a friend, a cousin or anybody whom you find to be trustworthy and credible. It is just like group studies, just with a more credible person this time. This way, you both will be able to check on each other and this will ensure that you don’t get distracted.

Test your routine

You will not get your perfect routine in the first go, so before you start following your routine blindly only to get disheartened soon, do test your routine for some days and see if it needs any changes before you start following it.

These are some of the things that you must keep in mind while making a routine which is suitable for you. Routine has a power that you will realise once you start this journey. You will find a positive change in yourself and will also find yourself closer to the goals that you wanted to achieve. All it requires is the first step and you will be thankful to yourself for taking the same.

If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine!

~By Rishi Raniwala for Young Engine