The Importance of Routine

A woman lying on an exercise ball.

By Matt Mombourquette

Have you ever had a day where you had no plan of what you were going to do, and then you executed that plan perfectly? In other words, the day ‘got away from you’ and you feel like you got nothing accomplished. You spent most of the day simply ‘reacting’ to everyone and everything else. I speak from experience, it’s draining and very unfulfilling. It makes the day seem long and the nights seem restless.

I want to explore this concept with you and I can only speak from experience, I am not claiming to be an expert on the topic. That said, there is good evidence to suggest that planning our day ahead of time and developing daily routines can have the following benefits:

I am not talking about rigidity or conformity; or that we can’t have any ‘wiggle room’ in our day. Life happens, and sometimes we have to roll with it. If we have a well established routine, odds are that we will be better able to roll with the shit that pops up from time to time.

This topic is especially important in our current situation and it may be a good time to start building our new routines. So, where to start?

Start with the end in mind.

Ask yourself: “What do I want?”

“How do I want to feel?”

“What is MOST important to me?”

“What is NOT important right now?”

I recommend you write these out. Take time to think, really think, about them. It’s important work because it is what’s important to YOU that matters the most in this project.

Once you have this list, build your routine around the actions and habits that you believe will deliver what you want. Prioritize what is most important for YOU. Maybe that is self-care ie: exercise, healthy foods, yoga practice, meditation, building better sleep habits, etc. Maybe that is building better relationships with our families; building our business’; or building a fence 🙂 Whatever it is that is most important to you, put those things down first.

My personal experience with routine planning hinges around the bookends of my day. Morning and evening routines. In the morning, what I do when I first get up, will influence how I feel and what I can get accomplished throughout my day. The evening is an excellent opportunity to un-wind and reflect, maybe even journal on the day’s events. This helps me to plan next days activities. The evening is also a great time to consider what I DID accomplish that day. Then, I try to celebrate my accomplishments in a way that is empowering to me. Like having a hot bath, or playing my guitar. 

There is a difference between relaxing and vegetating. Relaxing activities are healthy, they make us feel good, they contribute to our well-being, they positively stimulate our minds. Vegetative activities only act to distract us and, in some cases can actually affect us in negative ways (see: “binge watching Netflix and pounding back a few beers”). Not that there isn’t room for that occasionally, but remember the topic of this post: Routine. Vegetating is a slippery slope that I have fallen victim to from time to time as well.

To finish up this post I will share an example of a simple daily routine. You can use this as a template and plug in your own activities and habits if that is useful to you.

Daily Routine Example

8am - Brush teeth

8:15am - Yoga / Mindfulness practice in pyjamas

9am - Coffee / breakfast

10am - Read something stimulating / Study / Learn something new (not the news)

11am - Workout

12 noon - Lunch

1pm - Facetime with grandkids

2-4pm - Free Space: Do what you love

5pm - Cook / eat supper

6pm - Go for a walk

7pm - Practice Guitar

8pm - Start bed time routine: Reflect / Journal on the day; Plan tomorrows tasks; brush teeth, read something light and relaxing; Meditate / Mindfulness; Listen to relaxing music, etc.

10pm - Bed

For more information visit our website: oneupfitness.ca or contact me directly at [email protected]