The benefits of having a routine

“You only need motivation until a habit is formed. After that, the routine will take care of itself” 

 - Mel Robbins 2018 

Being prepared and having a daily routine helps you to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and helps your body to relax and develop a comfortable and predictable rhythm. The effect of this on your wellbeing is amazing.

Having a routine provides structure and familiarity

The structure is a way of organising your life so that it makes sense to you. When you have established a routine for yourself, you wake up with a sense of ownership, order, and organisation in your life which is empowering and gives you what you need to get everything done. Things may not go as planned every day but certain elements of your routine will keep you grounded in the unexpected times. 

Having a routine reduces anxiety

With the many forms of anxiety and mental health issues in the world today, the best way to counter some of them in life is to get organised with some very practical steps. Having a routine every day removes the guessing game of what to do or what not to do when to do it etc. All of these can take up a lot of headspace that you could be using for connection with family or creating something awesome. 

Remember, life is not meant to just happen to you and then you respond without any sense of authority over it. You have the authority to make decisions for your life and then make changes that will create spaces of nurturing, growth and safety. Jesus paid the prices so that we could choose and live a life of blessing and fullness. 

A routine becomes a habit

A routine is something that you do over and over again, eventually making it a habit. Once it is a habit, you do not need to think about it to act. The act of automation increases efficiency in your life, by enabling you to do things without consciously thinking about it. This makes life less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. 

A routine negates the act of having to will or motivates yourself to do something. Willpower is finite and motivation is not constant. That is why relying on routine to accomplish a task is a lot easier than relying on willpower and motivation.

Take a look at the examples of a morning and evening routine below. Life is about rhythms. Start to create a rhythm for each day that suits your lifestyle and promotes well-being.

Morning routine:

• Wake up a little earlier than normal and exercise if that's best for you 
• Enjoy a warm glass of lemon water before your morning coffee or tea
• Sit somewhere quiet to read and journal for 20 minutes
• Make a delicious, wholesome, and nutritious breakfast (always include some form of protein) 
• If you exercised, then shower and then get dressed, and off you go to start your day 

Evening routine:

• Turn all screens off an hour before bedtime, including the TV
• Decide on what you will wear tomorrow 
• Bath, shower, and relax with a cup of herbal tea
• Get ready for bed and read for a while if you like to read
• Lights out by 9 pm

For more helpful tools, check out our online courses. They are self-study and have a lot of great practical tools in there to live the life your heart desires. You can find them on our home page!