Feeling Scattered? Routines Can Keep You Grounded

Did you ever feel like you were being pulled in so many directions at once? You feel so scattered, and you don’t know which task you should work on first? We’ve all been in this situation. Today’s world is so fast-paced that it seems like keeping up with it is almost impossible. Nevertheless, don’t stress yourself out because there are things we can do to keep ourselves grounded, and that is by creating and establishing routines.

Building a Daily Routine

It’s time to ask yourself, “what’s my daily routine?” and “what are my daily activities?” It’s important that you know this so that you’ll know what to improve on. Each of us has our own set of routines already. But what’s crucial to know is whether those routines are helping you stay grounded or are they making you feel more scattered. 

For example, some routines are not helpful at all. If you’re a smoker, maybe smoking a cigarette or two in the morning while you’re drinking coffee is part of your morning routine. But that’s a bad habit. What you need to establish are good habits that you can work on every single day. 

So, the first step of this process is to write about your daily routine. Observe yourself on how you go about your day. When you write about your home routines as well as work routine, you’ll be able to recognize what’s a daily good habit and what isn’t. 

The second step is to write down the good habits that you’d want to incorporate into your daily routine. You don’t have to start doing them all at the same time. For example, this month, you’d want to practice the daily habit of reading. Focus on that first until you get used to it. When it’s been established into your routine, you can then take running or exercising the next month or so. What’s important is for the process to be gradual. 

Benefits of Having a Routine

It’s easy to think that having a routine is stifling, and it makes your life boring, predictable, and unexciting. But there are actually plenty of benefits to having a routine such as being able to take control of your day. While there are many things in life that are out of our control, you can make an attempt to do the best that you can so that you can make the most out of your day. Here are some of the great benefits that having a routine can bring you. 

It Can Make You More Efficient

Having a set of habits that you can follow each day will reduce the number of decisions you need to make. Routines can enable you to know the tasks that you have to do and not have to think so hard about it. After finishing one task, you can proceed to the next. Imagine going through your morning routines smoothly. It will put you in such a good mood every day. 

No Need to Plan as Much

Since you’ve designed the flow of your day, you know how much time you need to allocate for each task. Even the simple things in the morning like waking up, brushing your teeth, taking a shower, having breakfast, and so on are essential parts of your day that you can transform into a routine. When all these have been laid out, you’re never going to miss breakfast or wake up late again. 

You’ll Have a More Structured Life

Routines can give you the structure that you need for your daily life. By having a framework where you can live your life and conduct your daily activities, you will become more comfortable and familiar with the tasks that you need to accomplish each day. 

Imagine if your life was unstructured and you’re a workaholic. You’d probably bring your work home and continue working even when the office hours have long been over. Having a structure gives you the chance to determine what’s work and what’s fun and all else in between. 

Habits You Can Add for Your Daily Routine

• Workout - Many of us feel that there’s not enough time in the day to squeeze in a workout. Well, you don’t have to do it every day at first. You can start by doing it on weekends when you have more time. Even if you start with a once a week workout routine, that’s still better than not having any. You can then adjust the frequency of your workouts as you go along. 

• Meditate - Meditation is a lot like working out because you’re exercising a part of yourself, which is the mind. You can enjoy plenty of benefits from meditating. It can help you relax and be more aware of the present moment. You can definitely meditate after a long day at work. Like exercising, you don’t have to push yourself to meditate for an hour on your first session. Try 3 minutes first and increase the duration when you’re more comfortable. 

• Eating Healthy - A good diet is something that many people have to sacrifice because they think they don’t have the time. However, if you’ve established a good routine, you can definitely find the time to do groceries once or twice a week so you can buy good food like fruits and vegetables. You’ll also be able to set a schedule on when to prepare meals so that you can be sure that you’ll eat delicious and healthy foods. 

Final Thoughts

There are going to be times when emergencies come up, or you have to adjust your routines. What’s great about routines is that they’re flexible. You don’t have to beat yourself up if you miss a task for the day, or you weren’t able to check off all the items on your to-do list. 

What’s most important is that your days have a structure. Having that alone will make you feel less scattered and more grounded. Try the steps we’ve shared here on how to establish a routine. Don’t forget to enjoy the process!