Essentially all of my posts so far have been about/ mentioned the routines I follow every day SO I thought it only made sense to give a kind of guide for starting a healthy routine! Here are 3 do’s and don’ts to create your perfect routine:
DO (:
Start with something basic and work up from there
When you think about starting any routine, first think about the intention of the routine. Do you want to feel more energized in the morning? More calm at night? Or maybe just make time for things you enjoy like reading or going on walks? Once you know that intention, start incorporating practices that align with it. For example, if the intention of your new routine is to have better sleep at night so you can wake up feeling more rested, start with setting a bed time you will follow every night. Then, you can think of ways to stick to that time. It may be helpful to put your phone away an hour before your bedtime so your mind can relax; you could meditate or read instead, make hot tea, etc. The great thing about routines are that there is no “right” and “wrong” way to do it! Find your intention and then be flexible and try new things while you figure out how to achieve that.
Include things you will look forward to and enjoy
Making sure you enjoy your routine is crucial in ensuring you will be able to stick with it. Over time, it will be easier to find little joys in your routines, but at first, it’s hard work! If you’re acting with the intention of your routine in mind, it is easy to find ways to enjoy your routine! So, some examples again- if you want to create a morning routine but hate waking up early, have one of your first steps be making a fun coffee or breakfast. This way, you can look forward to that, rather than spend your energy dreading how early it is or how hard it feels to get out of bed. If you’re wanting to create a nighttime routine, try to add something like a new tea or book. I’m still working on perfecting my nighttime routine, I struggle because most of the time I am just so tired all I want to do is get into bed! I started using Aveda’s stress-fix lotion in my routine because it smells SO good and is so calming and it has totally helped me to remember the other steps of my routine because I look forward to it.
Keep it reasonable
An easy way to give up on your routine early is by making it too difficult and unrealistic. Especially in the beginning, remember to be patient and try new things. Like I said before, there is no wrong way to create your routine, so don’t stress yourself out by trying to fit too much in at once. You can always gradually add practices once you are comfortable with a few others. I recently added a short yoga flow to my routine in the morning. I do this right after I make my bed because somedays I need more of an energy boost before I go into anything else. To make your routine as beneficial as possible, you want every step to really be intentional.
Don’t 🙁
Be too hard on yourself
If you’re anything like me you know it is so hard not to put a ton of pressure on yourself while even tackling small tasks like creating a routine. I’ve been working on a morning routine for over a year and I am just now recognizing the importance of meeting yourself half way with these. What I mean by that is, your routine should be something that adds to your life in multiple ways. It should help you stay organized, productive, energized, healthy, etc. So, you should do it every day because in theory… it will make you organized, productive, energized, all the things. BUT!! If your day is a little different than usual or you’re feeling a little down or have had a long week. It is okay to take a day, two days, a week, etc. off. Routines are to better you. SO, if it actually betters you to sleep in and ignore your routine for a day. Then that is what you should do. You are the best judge of what you need, act that way!
Make it too complicated
This tip ties back to keeping your routine reasonable. You want this to be simple, enjoyable and (sorry I’m going to keep saying it) intentional. If your routine is full of practices that are just there to take up space and/or time, then they have no room in your routine! I think it’s super easy to add a ton of elements into a routine just because you see what other people are doing. But remember, your routine is for you! Stay focused on what works best and don’t judge yourself for not having a nighttime skincare routine with 34 products! (Unless that’s exactly the goal of your routine, and in that case, pop off and pls teach me.)
Let your phone get in your way
This is something I still struggle with SO much during the day. Although I would never say I’m addicted to or too dependent on my phone, there are so many times during the day that I find myself making my phone my first priority. I recognize my phone gets in my way when I end up on Instagram despite going on my phone to look at my schedule or the weather, or when I stop what I‘m doing the second I get a notification. At a basic level it doesn’t hurt anyone for me to be on TikTok for way too long, but, my phone is not my priority when I am following my routine. You create your routine to be specific and concise, so when you let yourself get distracted by your phone, you aren’t getting all the benefits from that routine. I think its beneficial to think of your phone as “getting in your way” because most of the time, that’s what it is doing to us. We have our phones 24/7, take the time during your routine to go without it!
Creating an intentional daily routine can really change your outlook on any day and the endless potential a week can hold. Whatever your routine looks like, remember small victories are still victories, don’t let your mind diminish all you work for (: