Routine: Think Less, Accomplish More
Routine: boring or amazing?
I always thought it was boring. Lately I think it’s amazing.
This is the perfect time of year to take an honest look at your routine. You probably have some goals for 2010. Maybe you want to lose 15 lbs, save $5,000 or pay off $3,000 in credit card debt. Our daily habits become our reality. How are your daily actions moving you towards or away from your goals?
Here are a few honest examples from my own life.
1. My money seems to run away from my wallet like a bat out of hell. Where the hell is it going? And why the hell do I still have credit card debt? I stopped carrying my credit card all together and now operate on the Grandma system: I only use cash. When it’s gone, it’s gone. I’ve been allocating cash to different envelopes, and guess what? I haven’t used my credit card and I haven’t over spent. Hmm. Apparently I needed to change my routine of carrying and swiping plastic (even if it’s my debit card) every where I go.
2. My blog posts were starting to be inconsistent and mood driven. Adding Monday Must-Reads and Tuesday book reviews has given me structure and guarantees that I start the week off right with blogging. Now it’s just part of my routine, I don’t even have to think about it. Blogging on Monday and Tuesday means I’m likely to blog on Wednesday and Thursday as well.
3. Although working out has always been part of my life, lately I cannot STAND it. I will think of any excuse to avoid it. About 6 weeks ago, I started going to a Monday night kickboxing class. I hate it. But it has become part of my routine, so I go. Entering the gym on a Monday helps me go on other days. This week I’ll be adding class two to my weekly routine. I’m working up towards going a consistent 4x per week. Baby steps, baby steps.
4. My new office has a McDonald’s in the building. FML. I never really liked McDonald’s, but then I discovered their freaking breakfast burritos. The past few weeks (OK, month+) I’ve been eating those damn burritos 2-3 times a week. Time to break this habit before it gets ugly. I like math, and math doesn’t lie. X calories times 3 visits per week + crappy processed toxins= not good. Today I brought Oatmeal with Flax seed and a bunch of yogurts to leave at work, need to change the routine up for my health.
You get the idea. We all have our weaknesses, but have we stopped to recognize them?
In the fast paced world we live in, it’s really easy to swipe your plastic, skip the gym, run to McDonald’s, and operate on a “when I feel like it” schedule.
Do you feel that our bad habits are conscious ones, or have they just become part of our routine?
Managing your routine means putting yourself in the drivers seat and driving towards your goals rather than around and around in circles. I didn’t say that routine is always fun or glamourous, but I know for a fact that it works.
What parts of your routine could you re-design in order to improve your life?
