I know I know, the title of this article made you yawn. If you’re both bored and guilty at the same time after seeing the word “routine”, you would probably gain some interesting insights. I promise to keep this as short and simple as possible! But before that, where did I draw my inspiration from about following a routine life? My mom isn’t the best reference when it comes to routine(sorry mum), but my papa and grand-dad(who is 75 years old) still wake up at 5 am and begin their days with an early morning workout before going to work. Crazy, isn’t it?

Influenced by Simon Sinek, let’s start with why it’s important to have a routine. Beginning with the most important one, time management. Yes, you now know that you have uninterrupted and highly focused 6-7 hours of work instead of spreading that all over your day until midnight(and sometimes beyond). You would now have dedicated hours for sleeping, eating and self-care “me-time”. Additionally, it offers you emotional stability. Routine makes you feel a lot more confident and focused. With a schedule, you could also help yourself avoid procrastination. All of these sum up to a positive feeling because you have neatly divided time for both Netflix and work. And this definitely contributes to your mental wellbeing.

But the point is, what should a routine look like and how to follow one? To be honest, the only reason I am able to follow my daily routine is because it’s simple. Do not complicate it by planning every single minute of your day. Instead, assign hours for every work. I divide my day into 4 different slots :

Morning Mantra (8 am – 9 am)

Wake up at 8 am every day. (Yes, even on weekends!) Workout for 30-45 mins Breakfast @ 9 am

Work Hours (9 am – 4 pm)

Sit and work on the table (yes it’s important to move out of bed) - Dedicate those 7 or 8 hours for work, in order of decreasing priority and energy needed for tasks. Lunch @ 1 pm (It’s important to have meals at the same time every day)

Happy hours (4 pm – 11 pm)

Evening snack @ 4 pm Do whatever you love! Dinner @ 7:30pm 8 pm – 11 pm: Much deserved Netflix time

Sleep hygiene(11 pm – 12 am)

Day’s reflection or writing a journal for 5-10 mins. I prefer reading a book before sleeping instead of screen time. Sleep by @12 am.

I strongly feel about routine because this helps me maintain sleep, food and work hygiene. It’s neat because, after late evening, I am not thinking about work anymore which helps me hit reset for the next day. Also, I know I am going to stay out of my comfort zone during those work hours, everything else in my routine from sleep to workout, helps me prepare for that time.

Tip: Getting in a schedule in one-go can be challenging, so I started with building with one slot a week initially. I began with practising sleep hygiene, and slowly implemented the rest.

I would love to know how following a routine made a difference in your life. Leave a comment if you have something to share!