Synonyms - procedure, practice, pattern, regime...
Routine is based on the systematic repetition, day after day, of specified tasks. By having a set routine, you have created a set of habits that are inherent to your life.
In general language, we tend to use the word "routine" with some detachment, ie. "it's OK, it's just a routine check" or in a pejorative way, where routine means boredom, doing the same thing, over and over again - caught in the loop of Groundhog Day.
While all these meanings of the word are very valid, the rapid growth of self-care as a practice and an essential part of your well-being and productivity has encouraged us to view the word routine in a more positive light.
Indeed, by creating a routine, you are creating a set of positive habits that will enhance your life, your efficiency, your happiness and, most likely, that of others around you.
Creating a routine is also a great way to get rid of habits that are detrimental to these aspects of your life. You are replacing negative with positive.
Having routines in your life has scientifically been proven by many medical research projects to be beneficial to your overall health. They create stability to your life, preventing stress and overwhelm in certain aspects of your life, as well as a sense of safety; changing or creating habits and routines give you a sense of control. You can actually have influence over things you can truly control, which gives a feeling of achievement, satisfaction and order.
I'm sure we've all been there - waking up late in the morning for work, rushing through the shower, skipping breakfast... Pretty obvious you will get stressed as I'm pretty sure very few of us have a routine they feel secure and confident to follow like a breeze when you pressed the Snooze button too many times.
By creating stress this way, a state of panic, the fight or flight reaction kicks in immediately in your whole body, creating a weakening of your physical and mental abilities, as well as depleting your immune system. When you don't have a routine, you just juggle with everything you have to do and try to wing it. I can't really think of many other things more stressful than this.
The typical routines are morning routine and evening routine, but you can create a routine for pretty much anything - the way you prepare your food, the way you start and finish work, at lunchtime, in your creative process (whether you are a professional or hobbyist), when walking the dog - and you can even have routines for specific periods of the year, like Christmas (in this type of cases, you might also call them traditions), during school holidays when you have the kids home with you all day...
I have a few sets of routines - which, I guess, I could call sub-routines - that are part of other routines. I know, it sounds complicated but it really isn't. I'll give you an example.
I have a skincare routine and a hygiene routine that are both part of my morning and evening routines, with slight alterations whether I'm doing these in the morning or in the evening. For my skincare routine, in the morning, I start with washing my face, and if it's in the evening, I will wash it twice as I'll need one round to remove my make-up and another to actually wash my face. Similarly for my skincare products, I have a selection that I use both morning and evening - I keep these in the middle of my shelf, in the order I will apply them - while my morning products are kept on the far right side of my shelf and my evening products are kept on the far left of my shelf. It might sound a bit OCD (which I don't believe that I am), but organising in an easy and visual way is the best way to keep a habit or a routine, especially when you're introducing it - it's so easy to give up when things are too complicated. You need to be able to do it almost with your eyes closed.
In the evening, I have a very specific routine to help me wind down and sleep well. I have sleep issues, mostly waking up in the night and not being able to go back to sleep until - very often - half an hour before I'm due to get up. For a long time, I felt extremely depleted and lethargic because of this, as I wasn't getting a restful sleep to bring me enough energy to last all day with a smile and a dance. Again, creating that routine was a struggle - depending also on what I need to do, I don't follow it 100% of the time, but for the most part I do manage to stick to it quite regularly. A few months ago, I came across a blog article/newsletter email from The Betty Rocker (love her, she's AWESOME) where she was explaining the importance of setting an efficient evening routine in order to maximise the quality of your sleep. She showed a screen shot of her mobile phone, where she set up alarms for each activity. I have to say, since I have done this, I haven't really had too much hassle following my routine. I sincerely think that it is the main reason why I have managed to have it ingrained in me. When I skip a step, I really feel it.
Here is a screen shot of the alarms I have set up for my evening routine (and I will explain them in more details below):
Step 1: I'm not eating anything after 7:30pm. This is to ensure that I have finished (or almost finished) digesting by the time I am ready to go to sleep. When you are digesting, your body uses energy, which interrupts sleep quality and the restorative part of sleep. Sometimes, you might get a bad night's sleep only because you had heavy and/or rich foods before going to bed.
Step 2: I'm not drinking anything after 8:30pm to avoid night trips to the toilet - we've all been there, I know! This is also where I have scheduled to do my hygiene and skincare routine, but to be honest, very often, I tend to do it between these 2 steps. It gives me more time for journaling. I have 3 journals on the go - a 1-day-a-page diary, which helps me record briefly what happened in the day, a "proper journal" where I go a lot deeper - I usually write 3/4 pages on average per day - and do a daily doodle, and an affirmations journal, where I chose an affirmation and repeat it throughout the page (it gets into my system when I'm ready to sleep, conditioning you for the next day - more on this soon in an upcoming article on sleep).
Step 3: I read a proper book (not Kindle or other digital) for half an hour. This helps my brain to slow down and my body to wind down. It also makes me happy as I love reading and, especially if I've been at work all day, for me it is my precious me-time. From this moment, I also stop using any screens (mobile, ipad, laptop, TV...) to stop being exposed to blue lights, which are also a great culprit for sleep disruption. So please don't take offence if I don't text or message you back!
I have also recently taken on listening to an audiobook instead of reading. I tend to do this on days I am extremely tired or if I have a headache. It enables me to still have my bedtime story-time while resting my eyes (and arms).
Step 4: meditation for me, especially in the evening, is non-negotiable. It is what de-stresses my brain and my body and keeps me more or less sane. I am a big Ziva meditation fan, but having tried other types of meditative exercises from various methods, I am now mixing it all up, while still following the Ziva sequence. It does take me 25/30 minutes of total quiet both inside and outside. I often play relaxing music on low volume from the Insight Timer app (my favourite) as it enables me to roughly and gently time the end of my meditation, to come out of it slowly. By this time, I'm totally ready for the next step!
Step 5: Lights off, sleep tight!! ZZZ...
This routine might seem very regimented, but it actually flows very nicely to calm you down both physically and mentally throughout the evening.
Having routines does not mean however that you should only do the same thing over and over again. It is also important, as a healthy habit, to try new things (foods, styles of books/movies/TV series/games, hobbies, walking routes, new type of exercise...) to keep your brain alert. Your brain needs variety and new challenges all the time to keep growing and evolving, and new activities are equally important. It also has the merit to fight boredom for those of you who get bored easily. My most recent new thing to try is to learn and use Trello for organising and scheduling my blog/Facebook and Instagram tasks. Another great example of this can be learning a new word and definition a day/week, or learning a new language.
Whatever your interests are, with the wide accessibility to knowledge that we are now so blessed to experience, there will always be something new for you to try.
On a last note, all routines are not created equal and if a particular routine does not work for you, never hesitate to review it and change it - try new things ;-)
And if you are new to creating a routine, start small to make it easy and enjoyable, and keep adding as you go along. Only this way will you be able to maintain it. It might seem like a big undertaking but it is in your health's and well-being's best interest so it is totally worth the initial effort - YOU CAN DO THIS :-)
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