“We Are What We Repeatedly Do”

 – Aristotle

Have you ever wondered how famous people become successful? Scrolling through social media, you can find endless articles about these people: what they do, how they live, and countless tips and ways to copy them. One striking thing they all have in common is they all stick to a routine. These people are known to wake up early, work out, meditate, go to work, come home, sleep, then do it again the next day, and somehow, they still have time to party and enjoy life to the fullest. Their routine is simple enough to understand but quite tricky to follow.

Most of the population, including yours truly, have a nine-to-five job that consumes all of their time and energy or would have a family and kids to take care of and can’t afford to take a chance in changing their norms. When we hear of a good and healthy routine, our mind starts to imagine the changes we must make and all the extra hours we must sacrifice to reach that picture-perfect life, and instantly that oh-so-great routine feels like a hassle.

Having a good routine has its benefit. It helps us navigate through the day easily. It maps out the day and makes it easier for us to start, go about, and finish it without a hassle. With a routine, we won’t worry about half of our day’s problems, thus maximizing productive time and leaving us some time for relaxation and leisure.

Now here’s the sitch; as previously mentioned, due to social media, we see many making a perfect, healthy, and very productive routine seem so effortless, making us think that we can easily copy this routine and make it our own. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Sure, we might get excited and do it for a couple of days, but after a while, we give up saying that “it’s hard”, “it’s not worth it” or “this isn’t for me”. In this article, I will be giving you some tips on how to build your own routine:

• Personalize your routine. It’s easy to get some ideas from the internet, but you have to remember that your goals differ from someone else’s. So you have to remember: this is your routine that matches your life style.

• Start with what you want. Set your goals and write them on a piece of paper, it will help you visualize them and see clearly what you want to achieve.

• Create a plan that matches your goals. Match a plan with your goals, and write down steps on ways to achieve them according to your lifestyle and work.

• Don’t go overboard. It’s easy to get excited once you start planning. However, keep in mind that it’s better to start small with a few achievable goals and work your way up.

• Set a time and try to stick to it. You know your own time during the day. You know when you have to wake up, go to work, and come back, you know how your usual day goes. Match a specific time to your goals, that way, you will know when to do them according to your schedule. Add an alarm if you have to as a reminder. 

• Have fun with it. Now that’s a very important point. It’s a known fact that the more fun you have while doing something, the more likely you will do it again. Adding or changing something in your old daily day life should be fun, entertaining, and suit your taste. If you want to add exercise to your routine, make sure you find something you enjoy doing so you stick to it. Maybe try out some classes or look up some videos online.
• Track your progress and reward your success. A picture is worth a thousand words. Take a picture or write your thoughts on your small victories and accomplishments. A great way to remind you of where you are and how you started. So if you ever feel down or unmotivated, looking at your triumphs will boost your mood and make you even more determent to reach your goal.