Effective Routines & Habits

Humans and most animals really, are creatures of habit. We like to do the same things over and over again. Habits are things that we build into our lives that we barely even think about. This can be a good thing, because it allows the brain to take a break and allow you to think about other things. However, you need to be careful and make sure that your habits are good for you and help you achieve your goals.

I learned how to create effective habits through “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. Here is my interpreting of his strategy along with how you can create good habits. In order to begin creating a habit, you first need to create a cue. You need to find something that you can relate to the habit, so that when the cue comes up you go into the habit. Second you need to find the motivation for the habit. Why do you want to do the habit? Then you need to make the response easy. The thing that you want to do shouldn’t be too complex. Follow that with a reward that’s fulfilling. And lastly the response should be something that makes you feel good or feel happy.

For an example we can use my workout habit. In the morning I get up, brush my teeth, and let my dogs out. Then when I let my dogs back in, I go downstairs to work out. Letting the dogs back inside is my cue to go workout. In this example you can also see something called habit stacking which is something I encourage all of you to do as well since it can make very effective routines. I stack my habits of brushing my teeth, letting my dogs out, and doing my workout together. I also combine those with my affirmations and meditating coming right after the workout. My reason why for doing these things is it gives me more energy, my response to the cue is working out and meditating, and the reward is more energy and confidence in myself.

Take a look at your habits and routines that you do throughout the day and see how you can make them work for you. If you need to change them to make them effective, do it. There’s no better time than right now. Stack your habits if you can to make a large routine that works for you. That way, you won’t need constant reminders to complete those tasks. You can also fit your habits together so that you can do more than one at the same time. For example, if you make coffee and you journal every morning as a habit, you can journal while waiting for your coffee to finish brewing. By doing these things you are putting yourself in control of your life instead of just going on autopilot and not making the most out of your time.

I have four suggestions for you to help you make a successful routine. The first one is start by writing down what you want or need to do. Physically write them down, and be specific about them as well. When you complete the task, you can cross it off. This will keep you focused, and crossing it off can make you feel good about yourself. Second, schedule the routines and habits into your day. It will help you to make sure that you complete what you want to do. Again be specific about the time you are going to do it, and how you’re going to do it. It doesn’t need to be an exact time, you can be general by saying something like “after I eat breakfast, I’m going to do this...” Thirdly, you may need to be flexible and adjust the order you do things. Make things work for your time and be flexible when you fit in your habits to best serve yourself. Lastly, give it a try! Once you build up a routine and a schedule, give it a test drive. A routine and schedule are no good if you never use them. You may find you need to adjust it, and that’s totally fine. By having effective routines and habits you can drastically improve your life!

I would love to hear what you think about Habits and Routines and some of the effective routines that you have! Please send me a message on social media at @Jonesinfor or email me at spencer@spencermjones.com. Thanks!