Routine
What success have you ever had that didn’t come from consistently doing the same thing?
What success have you ever had that didn’t come from consistently doing the same thing? Think about the things you’ve accomplished that you are proud of, now think about the process it took to get there. Whether you are trying to lose weight, get, stronger, improve a skill, or build your business, the process to get there is the same. Hard work, done consistently. This can be done through pure grit and determination. Grinding through each day with no clue what needs to get done, just constantly pushing in the direction of the desired outcome. While this method will eventually get you there, it can be done much more efficiently. This is where a routine comes in.
I’ve been on both sides of this. On one side where I felt as if I was fighting through each day to keep moving toward the desired outcome. This approach left me exhausted and constantly falling off track after the outcome was reached and having to constantly restart. This all grit and no brain approach compared to an approach where a routine is planned out and followed is like comparing running in the sand to running a concrete. The effort required to move the same distance is drastically different. So all the quotes about routine being the enemy are potentially leading you down a much longer and harder road than is necessary.
Routine is defined as; a sequence of actions regularly followed. We can look at a routine as a way to set out some guiding principles that will help to structure your life in a way that supports and aligns your life with the outcome you desire. Routine is a way to remove the excess energy of having to think through what needs to get done and when it can get done. Setting a routine is not a rule, just another tool to allow you to spend your energy on what matters. Most people tend to fail and fall off track when the effort to get started becomes too great. To combat this, you create a routine. Something that works for you rather than against you.
If you want to start running, find a time each day that you can run without any chance of something interfering. Then everyday at that time go run. After 21 days of following that routine you will create a new habit. That habit will make the routine that much easier to stick to. I’ll leave you with this. Life will happen, it always does figure out a way to follow through despite the obstacles that get thrown at you. You were supposed to go run at 4:30am but you got stung by a stingray so you can’t run. Who cares it’s not the run that’s important it’s the routine so get on a bike, do some yoga. When you set your routine in place or you add something new to your existing routine, know why it’s there, know why it’s important and when an obstacle comes at you full speed threatening your routine, you will be able to sidestep the obstacle and keep your routine in place.
