In order to get more out of a day, week or month. Our scheduling of the day cannot be random. It has to be carefully curated that optimises for happiness and productivity.
This article ponders upon “Why we should have routines?” and proposes a technique to create a sustainable routine.
1- Common misconceptions
Before jumping into the details, it is important to address some misconceptions to ensure the rest of the article is read with an unbiased perspective.
1.1-Routine is restricting
At first it may seem suffocating, the concept where we are bound by a strict schedule and there is no free will. However one must understand that this routine was curated by none other than themselves in order to get more from life. The routine is made by thinking big, ensuring we get a good balance of entertainment, leisure while also incorporating tasks that are beneficial in long runs.
1.2-Routine is hard to follow
Although having a daily routine sounds like an absurd idea that would be more applicable to robots. On the contrary the human body adapts to routine very naturally and quickly. For example, if you have a consistent sleeping pattern, the body will start to wake up on time without the alarm. The mind is able to better prioritise and estimate errands as it has a better understanding of the daily schedule.
1.3- Routine means unhappiness
One might assume that following a routine means they cannot do what they feel like doing in the moment and that would breed unhappiness and grumpiness. This is from a myopic view. In reality the routine always have leisure time allocated everyday that does not compromise on sleep or other important tasks.
2- Visualising
I am a big fan of understanding things by being able to visualise them. Here is a sample image of how a weekly routine might look like.
2.1-Definition
Activity: Something that we want to schedule in daily routine.
Free Slot: Free time in daily schedule that is not occupied by work or chore.
Morning Routine: Daily morning routine of brushing, washing or praying.
3-Benefits
3.1-Get more things done
By time boxing our activities and scheduling them over the day and week. It is possible to diversify the activities better. This allows to ensure all required tasks are fitted in schedule and nothing is being left behind.
3.2-Complete more complex tasks
There are tasks that are not simple and cannot be completed in a few hours. Such tasks include completing final year projects for undergraduates, learning to solve more complex coding problems on LeetCode, working on a thesis, and many more.
These kinds of activities have long deadlines and require a substantial amount of work hours. Since the deadlines are far away, the brain does not experience the urgency that prioritises these tasks. To address these complex tasks, individuals need to dedicate a certain number of hours each day or week.
By incorporating these tasks into a daily or weekly routine, individuals ensure that progress stays on track. While investing an hour a day might not seem impactful initially, consistent effort over a month can result in noticeable progress.
3.3-Develop persistent habits
There are certain things in life that require consistent effort. To maintain a good physical health one must repeatedly hit the gym, play sports, run and have a healthy diet. To maintain the ability to solve coding challenges in LeetCode one must never give up practice. For mindfulness one must be consistent with prayers or meditation.
As the wall outside of my gym used to say
“Fitness is not a goal. Fitness is a lifestyle”
Consistency can be very challenging to maintain. If done wrong people end up being exhausted, losing motivation or both. Plus it is hard to incorporate consistency in an everyday changing schedules.
However, for a person who follows a defined routine. They can simply assign a free slot from their calendar. Ensuring the frequency of the activity is never zero.
3.4-Increase in focus
By assigning a time box to every activity. We relief the brain from constant scheduling and planning. Our brain no longer need to think of multiple important tasks at once as each has a dedicated time box assigned.
While working on a particular task the brain is fully focused on it. For example, a person who follows routine will not get distracted at work to find entertainment. As the brain knows the leisure time is scheduled in the after work hours.
In case something important comes up that is not scheduled for, simply write it down and address it in the next time box.
3.5-Reduce daily waste
In the initial phases, it is not easy to follow the exact routine that was planned. One reason for this is that people subconsciously execute numerous ad-hoc tasks every day that are not accounted for.
By trying to stick to the routine, these surprises or ad-hoc tasks become more noticeable. Identifying them presents an opportunity to optimise for them. This could involve:
Removing them completely if they are unnecessary.
Batching them to make their execution more efficient, such as assigning a dedicated time slot to handle all ad-hoc tasks for the day.
Investing time and thought into optimising these tasks if they occur frequently.
3.6-Get your “me time” back
By following routines, individuals can ensure they have time for their hobbies. These hobbies might include playing video games, reading a book, meditating, or working on personal projects. Some hobbies require additional conditions to be met, such as an undistracted, noise-free space. By adhering to a routine, individuals can identify time slots where such conditions are met.
Prioritising activities they love gives individuals a sense of control over their lives. And they are reminded there are other things to life apart from just 9to5 work.
3.7-Increase in happiness
One of the key factors of happiness is achieving more and feeling useful. Being productive rewards individuals with a sense of accomplishment. However, more work often brings more stress, creating a dilemma: whether to work less and feel less productive or work more, risk stress, and face burnout.
To develop a healthy brain capable of consistently handling stressful work while delivering quality, it is essential to ensure that stress does not accumulate. Instead, it should be released in a healthy manner, such as through sports or other leisure activities.
A routine helps curate a balanced schedule for the day, ensuring that stressful work is interspersed with leisure activities. It also ensures that other essentials, such as sleep, are not compromised.
3.8-Have better estimation
By following a routine, we gain better self-awareness of the actual hours of productivity available in a day. This helps in estimating how long it will take to complete an errand and whether it will affect any scheduled activities for the day.
It also makes it easier to comprehend the consequences of allocating extra hours for the errand and decide where to make compromises. For example, if it is absolutely necessary to execute an errand tomorrow, we can decide whether to compromise on book-reading time or entertainment time.
3.9-Stability through routine
By following a consistent routine, our mood also becomes more stable. We experience fewer fluctuations and can better predict our state of mind at a given time of day. For example, people with morning routines tend to feel energetic and focused in the morning, stressed or tired after work, and relaxed in the evening as they spend time on leisure activities.
Unpredictable moods lead to unpredictable performance. A relaxed brain and an agitated brain do not function the same way.
For a morning person, it is preferable to schedule focus-heavy tasks in the morning slots and leave chores for the evening.
Routines also help in identifying the root causes of undesirable moods. They make it easier to quickly trace what happened differently that day, leading to the unexpected mood.
3.10-Guardrail
As discussed in the previous paragraph, human emotions are not consistent, and they affect the brain's thinking ability. For example, a person who is sad or angry will not make the same decisions as they would when happy and relaxed.
Routines are designed in a comparatively healthy state of mind. They then act as guardrails, protecting us from the pitfalls of poor decision-making.
There are multiple examples of this:
Resisting the urge to consume caffeine (tea, coffee, or energy drinks) later in the day to avoid compromising sleep quality, which could affect the next day.
Avoiding distractions like reels, YouTube shorts, or other time-wasting activities in the morning when time can be better utilised for focus-intensive tasks.
Avoiding distractions during work hours to maintain productivity and quality. And saving leisure activities for dedicated leisure slots.
Choosing not to engage in stressful activities in the evening to ensure full recovery for the next day and maintain consistency.
These smart choices are not always easy to make, especially when external factors compromise the brain's decision-making. During such times, routines become our advocate, guiding us to make better choices.
3.11-Easier to time box activities
Time boxing an activity means allocating a fixed block of time to focus on a specific task or activity, regardless of whether it is completed within that timeframe. This prevents overcommitting to one task and compromising other activities.
A routine makes it easier to time box activities. The daily schedule provides guidance on what the next activity should be and offers reassurance that there is another slot scheduled for the current activity later in the week.
4-How to create routines
Creating a routine is a process in itself. It requires patience and strong will, especially in the early weeks. Below, I have tried to break it down into small steps.
4.1-Understand the process
Creating a routine is not like flipping a switch that can be toggled on instantly. Getting into a routine is a gradual process. The body and mind slowly adapt to it, while our surroundings, family, and friends adjust to the changes in our behaviour.
Always start with small changes, and gradually optimise the daily schedule to get more out of it.
4.2-Be practical
The most important attribute of a routine is its sustainability. A routine should be designed to be followed consistently without causing stress, fatigue, sleep deprivation, unhappiness, or reduced productivity. A successful routine ensures that today’s stress does not carry over into tomorrow.
If any of these symptoms are observed, the routine should be revised and adjusted accordingly.
One effective strategy is to schedule cognitively demanding tasks in the morning and reserve leisure activities for the evening.
4.3-Define sleep schedule
Sleep is the most important factor in predicting performance for the rest of the day. A well-rested brain performs significantly better throughout the day than a sleep-deprived one. Additionally, the time an individual gets out of bed in the morning determines how many hours (or time slots) are available before work begins.
Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule guarantees the following:
Each morning starts at the same time.
Eight hours of sleep are achieved.
A few tactics can help improve sleep cycles:
Avoid caffeine after 11:30 AM. Caffeine has a half life of 3 to 5 hours. It takes time to get it out of the system. Therefore, consuming tea or coffee later in the day affects sleep quality.
While it is not possible to force oneself to sleep, it is possible to force waking up at a specific time. A consistent sleep schedule is established by waking up at the right time and going to bed earlier.
Falling asleep is easier when stress levels are low.
4.4-Identify free time
Identify the times in a daily schedule that are not occupied by work, chores, or sleep. These are the free time slots. They can be divided into 30-minute or 60-minute segments. It is important to predict these free slots in advance when curating a routine, as this helps in scheduling activities for the day.
It is also important to understand the characteristics of free slots. Not all free slots are equal. A free slot in the morning is not the same as one just before sleep. It is also useful to predict whether an individual will be focused and full of energy at that time or stressed and exhausted from work.
Types of Free Slots:
This may not be applicable to everyone, as some people may have nocturnal schedules.
Energetic and focused: These slots usually occur in the morning before work when the brain is calm and fresh. These are ideal for scheduling mentally intensive tasks, such as LeetCode.
Stressed and tired: These slots typically occur after work when the brain may be fatigued. These are better suited for entertainment activities, such as watching movies, playing games, attending social gatherings, or engaging in sports.
4.5-Exhaust list of activities
Ideally, you should have a long list of activities, and you should be struggling to fit all of them into the weekly routine. In this scenario, the activities should be sorted based on essentialism. Only the essential activities should be prioritized more frequently.
However if you are having trouble understanding what kind of activities should fill the time slots, this can be fixed with a "working backwards" approach. First, picture the person you want to become. Then, identify what kind of abilities that person might have. Next, determine what hobbies or activities will enable you to develop those abilities. This process will help generate a list of activities.
4.6-Be patience & reiterate
Patience is the key to a successful routine. A good routine can be hard to establish and may require many iterations at the start before it becomes sustainable and brings happiness.
The initial weeks are for self-discovery. They are more prone to unforeseen chores and the realisation of our capacity. It also takes time to understand ourselves. When are we most performant? How do we handle stress? What makes us happy? Once we have answers to such questions, we can curate our routine accordingly.
4.7-Never compromise
Once the routine is in place and we are happy, we often forget that what truly enabled us to be happy was the consistent routine.
This is when we start compromising the routine. We are waking up late or staying up late.
Remember, the routine is the guardrail that protects us from poor decision-making.
Let me know in the comment what you think about Routines.