Two things that affect our lives every day – daily routine and habits. For one they are made consciously, for another, they do not even think about them. For someone, they are a burden, but for others – a way to being the best entrepreneur. If we live a conscious life, these are great things, the identification, control and creation of which can bring pleasant changes in the daily rhythm.
Mostly, we seek solutions to our problems with new information and advice. Maybe it’s easier to find the cause of this habit and the negative emotions will disappear on their own than to look for the effects of “medicine”.
Routine and habits are often seen as the same. But in reality, only a few routine can become habits.
What is a habit?
A habit is an activity, a thought, and a statement that a person repeats periodically in certain situations, or during a certain day, week, or month. Habits can come from one bright event or experience.
Habit examples:
- Every time you see a rich person, think, “All the rich are thieves!”
- When you wake up every morning, drink a glass of warm lemon water
- Say “thank you” every time after a meal
- Celebrate Christmas with your family every year.
What is the routine?
A routine is a purposeful action, deliberately repeating the same action.
Routine examples:
- Get up every morning at 5:00 to read a book
- Think positive things every morning: “I am successful, rich, etc.”
- Every night write down things for which you are grateful – something you experienced during the day.
How does routine affect our lives?
We all have habits that we keep repeating. Imagine the following circuit.
- The routine is repeated every day for months and years.
- It is becoming a habit and we are already doing it unconsciously.
- Habit puts it into our character after years.
- Our character forms our personality.
- Our personality determines the meaning and purpose of our lives.
Science of routine
The one thing that needs to be changed in this circuit is a daily routine. Imagine if you grew up in a family where every day it is said that women are weak and it is their duty to clean the house and look after the children. What will be the result after 18 years of driving such daily information into your thinking? That’s why it’s worth thinking very carefully about this in your routine and daily activities.
A scientific study published in the journal Abnormal Child Psychology concludes that children’s daily routine helps them cope with impulsive nature and anger attacks. This is due to the fact that a child can live his or her life more peacefully and feel safer if he or she knows what events are planned for the near and distant future.
In a Harvard study, the professor surveyed students about their daily habits and amount of energy during the day, concluding that those students who had more energy were more motivated to face various challenges during the day. An energizing routine is a prerequisite for success in life.
What to do with your routine?
First, look at your life. Every day you do some kind of routine, repetitive tasks. How many of them are positive and how many are negative? What is your life like – positive or not so much? List the things you want to change. Start with the simplest – identify the things you do, as well as group the things that help you, but which have a negative effect.
Then think and write down what are the things that once made you happier but don’t do it anymore? Group it all in one list and figure out what you will gradually implement from it, change in your life.
Some examples of a healthy routine
The power of habit: why we do what we do in life provides a simple diagram of how to introduce habits and routines into your life.
Power of habit
- Cause – usually something that causes a desire to do something.
- Routine – an action we take because it is caused by a cause.
- The prize – the feeling that we have completed the action.
For instance
- The cause – there is a lot of stress.
- Routine – eat something tasty.
- The prize – a quick feeling when we have eaten a food saturated with salt, fat or sugar!
Final thoughts
Be aware of the cause of your negative habits and think what could be a healthier way to deal with stress. All actions will be better than the above.
This is a work for your attention, capture the actions of the daily rhythm that affect you positively and strengthen them. However, if we are talking about negatively influential actions – be aware of their cause and replace them with other, less negative ones! I hope this article helped you to understand what routine are you stuck in.
If you feel burnt out or depressed, I recommend you read other articles on burnout and coping methods.
