WHAT I LEARNT ABOUT THE RIGHT ROUTINES

By

Briggs Deborah Okorite

 

Welcome on board new followers! So sorry I’ve been away.

Thank you for those who find my posts worth reading, it means a lot. This post was shared on my Whatsapp status about a month ago and I thought to share on here too.

Let’s be factual, routines can be really dreadful especially when you’re naturally like me; a very spontaneous person. I’m the kind that didn’t naturally need to plan or follow through plans.

Most times, it happened by chance and when I couldn’t carry it through, that was all. This past one year, I’ve been able to achieve much more because of the right routines.

Disclaimer: This post isn’t about how you can achieve what I achieved neither is it about following a trend but to let you know what I learnt about the right routines and how you can incorporate it into your daily lifestyle. 

That said, I did read/study before now(i mean didn’t we all?) but that was whenever I felt like and along the line in secondary school, we were always encouraged to create a personal reading time table. I tried it, I got better at it in my first year in the University but I wasn’t able to follow through most of the times.

The thing is I didn’t know most of the things I do now. But reading quite a lot, learning from mentors and being intentional about the things I do have opened my understanding to the power of not just routines but the right ones.

Another truth is routines are not as dreadful as some paint it to be. Are they dreadful at first? Yes but not for long.

A good number of us find routines so burdensome because we’re either doing the wrong routines or we’ve not mastered the art of doing the right ones. Yes, there are wrong routines. The kinds you know engage in that doesn’t help you achieve your goals.

 

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

Learn the right routines and stay consistent with them till you gain mastery of them in line with a skill or dream you want to achieve.

It’s one of the reasons why the world’s bests seem to do what they do effortlessly. I doubt they’re the smartest ones but they only learnt to do one thing repeatedly.

The truth is routines are very difficult to maintain at first glance/trial but they become easier to adopt as the brain tends to store what you keep doing(the same series of event) repeatedly over a period of time till it becomes a part of you!

 

STAY FOCUSED

You might not get it right for a while at first, there would be days you may forget to carry out your plan either due to internal or external forces(beyond your control), don’t panic. Focus on each day like it’s a whole new slate.

 

Greg McKEOWN, in his book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less emphasizes the power of the right routine:

According to researchers at Duke University, nearly 40 percent of our choices are deeply unconscious. We don’t think about them in the usual sense. There is both danger and opportunity in this. The opportunity is that we can develop new abilities that eventually become instinctive. Without being fully aware, we can get caught in nonessential habits – like checking our email the second we get out of bed every morning, or picking up a doughnut on the way home from work each day, or spending our lunch hour trolling the Internet instead of having the time to think, reflect, recharge, or connect with friends and colleagues.  

I find the above statement very true.

 

But how do we discard the routines that keep us locked in nonessential habits and replace them with routines that make executing essentials almost effortless?(paraphrased)

Create new measures to achieve the routine rather than changing the routine entirely. For example, you could set an alarm to carry out an activity at work. If you plan to read a book during the day, you should carry the book along with you. Plan to pray? Set measures to do so.

 

Also, you can mix up your routines like Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and founder of Square who has a weekly routine he divided into themes. Monday is for management meetings and “running the company” work. Tuesday is for product development. Wednesday is for marketing and on and on. Although mine is a daily routine but the idea is mixing up your routines in the best way it suits you.

I realised routines are beautiful when incorporated in the right areas with the goal in mind.

Like planning for the next day the previous day, writing out your daily expenses, reading(learning something new), setting an hour aside each day to improve on a skill you’re learning, or even going to church every week is a good example of a routine that profitable. You notice that once it’s Sunday morning, your brain is wired to dress up and fellowship even if you feel lazy that morning.

 

To get big results we start small. So start with one change in your daily or weekly routine and then build on your progress from there.

None of this is easy, I know but the idea is that we become stronger and gain mastery of the skills we’re seeking to learn.

Routine;
I realised, is one thing which is synonymous to successful people which “when in place are gifts that keep on giving.”

 

What have you learnt about routines? Do you have routines you put in place?

Share your thoughts.

I’d love to hear from you🤗