Why routine is part of the winning formula.

I’ve been sat here for a little while just staring at my screen, wondering what on earth I’m going to write about.

Some weeks I know what I’m going to write about as it’s been buzzing around my head all week so when I sit down on a Sunday evening to write, I can get straight into it but I’ve definitely struggled over the last couple of weeks. I guess it’s in part to do with the lockdown and not leaving the house much.

A lot of my inspiration for the things I write about comes from observing society and the things people do but when everyone is stuck at home, there’s not much society to be observed…

I guess the one thing I have been thinking about a lot over the last week is the importance of routine, especially in my own life.

Routine is the key to success.

Ask any person who has had any form of success in their life and I can guarantee you that they will have a routine and stick to it.

Lockdown has thrown me off my routine a little bit but a lot of that is to do with the fact that a lot of my routine was based on going to certain locations and they’re all now shut.

The majority of my week looked something like this —

Up early to go to the gym, then work, home to eat and then out to more meetings for the business I’ve been building on the side.

I’ve definitely struggled to adapt to it but I’m slowly getting there. I know I’m not the only one either. Everyone’s lives have been completely flipped so it’s no surprise.

One thing I think is important to remember is not to be too hard on yourself if your routine has slipped a little. Everyone has to remember that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic. It’s a case of adapting and doing what you can with the situation in front of you.

There is definitely an argument to be had for keeping your routine as similar as possible to what it would normally look like though, especially for your mental wellbeing.

It might seem like a great idea to stay up til stupid o’clock watching Netflix because you’ve got nothing to do the next day but I can guarantee your mind and body won’t like you for it. Keeping the routine will also make it easier for when life returns to normal as well.

There’s one thing I’ve found really useful to help me keep a routine and make me feel like I’ve had a productive day and that’s the ‘5 things to-do list’

It’s simple stuff really, at the start of each day or the night before list 5 things you want to get done that day. 5. No more, no less.

They can be big goals (Not too big, make them achievable) or even small goals like ‘Go out for a walk for 1 hour’

Slowly work through these goals during the day but give yourself a time to get them done by. Doing this lets you hold yourself accountable. I would suggest starting off with small tasks and once you’ve got the hang of them, make slightly bigger ones and so on. This helps build confidence and motivation. 5 targets is a push but not too many that it isn’t achievable.

For example, this blog post is task 5 of 5 for me for today.

Life is crazy right now so all you can do is do your best. Doing something is better than doing nothing.

My favourite piece of advice is pretty simple “One foot in front of the other, time after time.” and I think it’s the best way through this crazy situation, just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other and build from there.

I hope you’re all keeping safe. Look after yourselves and your loved ones.

See you next week.