A Beginner's Guide to Creating Routines that Actually Work

Maybe you can relate to this anecdote on routines. It’s been a long day and all you want to do is flop down in front of some mindless entertainment in you pajamas. You really should put on the laundry, set out tomorrows necessities and look at your upcoming todo list. But instead, you figure you’ll set your alarm for a little earlier than usual and do it in the morning.

Except, when the alarm goes off you snooze it, because it’s just a little too early, you only need a few more minutes. Now you wake up and you’re running late! You’re scrambling for clean clothes only to discover that the laundry is not done. You hunt through the house looking for keys, shoes and paperwork, wasting more time. There’s no lunch made, so now you’ll be buying it. Finally you get yourself out the door, only to realize you’ve arrived at work or school without important documents for an assignment or meeting you have forgotten about. And the day just keeps going this way, sound familiar?

I’m going to admit, this was me. For so long this was my everyday life, never on time or prepared. No latest or greatest new method of time organization ever lasted. I tried repeatedly to change my life, in an all or nothing mentality. I was defeated, exhausted and depressed.

Then, when I finally came across a method that not only worked but was sustainable as well, it was like I’d been struck by lightning. How could I have not seen this simple method sooner? I’ve used this method of creating routines the last several years and it has drastically improved my life. So now I’m gonna show you this method, so you can create a routine that actually works for you.

What is a Routine?

By definition a routine is,

“a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program.”

A preset and predictable set of actions can be a major asset, if those actions are conducive to positive goals and changes. It can also be a hinderance to you if the actions are poor choices or habits. The goal is to make a routine that is positive and goal oriented, so that you are achieving your necessary day-to-day life tasks and long term life improvement tasks, with as little added stress as possible.

Why are routines important?

As I stated before routines are important because, without a sustainable routine, you’ll constantly feel like you’re chasing after your day. Feeling like you’re never accomplishing anything and always feeling behind. Having a sustainable routine that you can follow every single day also allows you to set goals for growth and it gives you a measurement of how far you’ve come.

How to get started with creating a routine

Now here’s the secret sauce to creating a routine you can stick to. Ready?

The best routine is one that you already use!

Now I know what you’re thinking, “Jamie, I’m here because none of my routines have actually worked! I’ve never been able to stick to them! What do you mean use the one I’ve already got?”

What I mean is, look at what you use to remember appointments. Where do you make notes of important invents? These are the tools that you use every day and these are the tools that will help you create a sustainable routine.

Play with your phone settings, you usually have it on you, now is the time to figure out all those little tips and tools and tricks. That may help you improve upon the methods you already use for scheduling appointments, project deadlines and kids activities. If you’re a visual person add colour to your calendar or scheduler. If you prefer using audio use voice to text or text to voice. The most effective way to execute you planed routine is to use a combination of these methods.

For example, I use my phones alarms for daily routine transitions. Both my phone calendar and wall calendar for Appointments, Deadlines and activities, plus the addition of colours and stickers serve as visual cues. My to do list is also both digital and hardcopy and it’s divided in to daily, weekly and monthly tasks. This may seem like a lot to, but once your systems are setup, it takes almost no time to use and maintain.

A visual of a colour coded calendar for a routine

Visual example of labeled alarms for routine

These are examples of my alarms and calendar on my phone. Notice how my alarms are named and calendar is colour coded, this is because I am a visual person.

Key Point

Using the methods that already work for you will make a growing and changing routine more likely to be sustainable.

Tips for success in making a routine sustainable

Ok, so how to make this process as successful as possible? There is a phycological part to it too. Our brains and nervous systems are designed to keep us safe and comfortable. That’s great for recognizing and avoiding unsafe situations and places, but not so great for changing familiar routines. Your whole body may want to fight against new and different schedules, this may also trigger the feeling of anxiety or panic. So, what to do?

After years of trial and error, and money spent, I found the most effective way to move through the nervous system block is 5 seconds. That’s right 5 seconds. This is something that Mel Robbins is an authority on. When you are hesitating to do something, count backwards from 5 to 1 and then move your body. This takes your thoughts out of an emotional state and in to a logical state, and allows for doing something new without traumatizing your system.

So when your alarms or reminders go off, and you hesitate to do it, count backwards from 5 AND move your body. This stops the engagement of the nervous system and puts your brain in to a mode to learn instead.

My first tip is the 5 second system,
The next tip is only choosing one or two new things to add to your routine. It will be less likely to overwhelm you.
I also recommend developing a strong evening routine as one of your first tasks. I believe it’s not enough to have a “millionaire morning” routine, because the best mornings start the night before.
Also have both a bed time and wake up time that you stick every single day. It doesn’t matter what time that is, as long as it’s consistent.
My last tip is, don’t worry about removing habits from your routines. Unless they are harmful, the habits you create and add to your current routines will push out the old habits

Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely not! This is a very beginner friendly thing to learn and, most likely, you already posses the necessary skills to create a sustainable routine.

That’s fantastic! You can get started for free by looking at the methods you already use for remembering appointments, kids activities and project dead lines. Alarms, reminders and calendars on your phone are perfect beginner friendly, free tools.

The 2 most common mistakes are, adding too many new things to do all at once while trying to use new and unfamiliar methods of scheduling.

Remember, stick to methods of scheduling that work for you now and improve upon that. And only add 2-3 new items to your routine at a time. That way you’re less likely to be overwhelmed and more likely to sustain the new habits in your daily routine.

The last thing you need to know about Routines

Routines are not set in stone. Routines are things that should change and grow with you and your goals. If you add something to your routine and, after a couple of months, it’s just not working for you, remove it! Don’t keep doing something that no longer serves you.

Have you tried any of these tips? Do you have any tips of your own you could share? I would love to hear from you, leave a comment and this share with someone who wants to create a new routine.