I just got back from a week of solitude at the lake. Wonderful! Peaceful, serene and nothing about it resembled my normal routine.
As thoughts begin to swirl around in my mind about Monday and getting back to “normal”, I’m questioning if my routine has become too stagnant. Getting out of my routine provided a nice mental break and ended up giving me more inspiration for those things I needed.
But I’m left wondering if I should “shake it up a bit.”
As I was having coffee on the dock one morning, I recalled the words of Wayne Dyer who said, “Have you really lived ten thousand or more days, or have you lived one day ten thousand or more times?” Every time I think of that, it bothers me. I don’t know about anyone else but I don’t want to live the same day over and over. It is the experiences that build us. It is the experiences that challenge us. Living the same day over and over only provides us comfort. It doesn’t provide growth.
Do We Need a Routine?
Research seems to suggest that routines are good for us. A routine is a set of actions you repeat every day, week, or month, etc. It’s a set of tasks that have some sort of consistent structure. Maybe you wake up at 5:00 a.m., do yoga, or go for a run. Or maybe you always stay in on Friday night and order pizza and watch a movie. I guess you could say that it simplifies life or you could say that it can also bring some boredom to life.
There are some great things that happen with a routine:
- Productivity – You get things done with nominal thinking. You don’t waste time.
- Progress – Potent routines help you meet your goals. If you consistently follow your routine, you’ll meet your goals much quicker.
- Better Sleep – A study by Reuters, shows that keeping a consistent daily schedule is associated with better sleep.
But…
On the other hand, a lackluster routine can be stagnating. If that’s the kind of routine you have, you can’t rely on that routine to help you achieve your goals and dreams. Those routines don’t serve you well. If your weekly schedule is filled with tasks that keep you busy, but you don’t have anything to show for it at the end of the week, you may not have a great routine. Continuing in this cycle will only lead to increased discontentment.
Signs it May Be Time to Change Your Schedule
How do you know when it’s time to change your routine?
- You feel stuck in a rut
- You feel uninspired
- You feel a lack of satisfaction / fulfillment with life
- Your daily tasks feel like an obligation or chore rather than fun
- You are busy but have no forward progress
- Your daily activities are not what want to do
- You feel tired easily and have no energy
Kick off the week right
Maybe your routine is working for you or maybe it’s not. If it’s not, why don’t you make it a goal to switch it up a bit this week? If your routine isn’t serving you well, admit it, recognize it, and change it.
Take a critical look at your routine and keep what’s working and healthy and think about losing what doesn’t serve a good purpose. And, remember – Always align your routine with your goals.
I already know what I’m going to do differently this week and it starts tomorrow! What about you? How will you switch up your routine this week? We’ll compare notes next week.
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