When you think about it, life is really made up of a bunch of routines. We get up, we go to school/work, we eat, we socialize, we sleep. Granted, there are numerous variations one could have within a day – enough obviously to make every day just a little different. But in essence, humans are creatures of habit.
While searching for images on google for “routine” I saw something that made me pause.
I thought about this statement for a while. I think it’s all too easy to nod and say, yes, that’s true. But I actually don’t believe it is completely. Just because you have a routine doesn’t make you uncreative. As I said earlier, there are millions of variations of things people do that can in essence, be broken into categories/routines. And it also makes routine sound negative when in fact, I believe routines can be a positive aspect of life.
Take for instance this routine I’m trying to set in my life now. I want to be living a healthy life by eating healthy, whole foods, exercising to keep my body in shape and keeping balance so that my sanity is always intact. Sounds easy enough, but there are so many variables that can take you away from keeping this routine. I think about other routines in my life; waking up, eating breakfast, going to work. So easy, they have become no-brainers. I just do them without thinking about it. So how do I get these other things that I find important, into a routine?
It’s made me think a lot about how we as humans, create routine. I think first and foremost, it has to be something you feel strongly about and believe in. *check* Then, you must find ways in which you can make it real for you. Don’t just say you’re going to run 30 miles a week without having built up to it. Make it realistic. Too often I think we set a goal (that we’d like to be a routine) that is unrealistic and that just sets us up for failure. *check* Then…well, then you just have to keep forcing yourself to do it until it becomes a routine. This is the stage I’m at right now…and some days I’m motivated while other moments I am not. So I have to find little things that will help me along the way…in hopes that I won’t just want to be living a healthy, full life…IÂ will be.
How do you create routines in your life? What are the things you struggle most in accomplishing them?