Routines, both in the morning routines and at routines at night, set you up for success. Routines help you do more, think more clearly, and produce work that really matters. Routines guard you against tripping and ensure that you do the most critical tasks of the day. You had to hustle to get ready for work since you woke up an hour early. Before rushing out the door, you take a quick shower and grab an energy snack and a coffee. what differentiates is routines.  Still, you’re left feeling disoriented and overworked by the demands of your job. You know you won’t meet this week’s objectives long before the week is through. 

 

What can you do to pull yourself out of this dreadful situation? Routines are the key.

Routines, both in the morning and at night, set you up for success. They help you do more, think more clearly, and produce work that really matters.. They safeguard you from tripping and ensure that you do the most critical tasks of the day.

A little self-discipline is all that is required, combined with a series of habits that will help you succeed. Here are some morning and evening routines you may use to make your days more flawless, along with the what and why of routines.

 

Making Routines and Developing Habits: A Scientific Approach

Let’s begin by defining routine: A set of acts that you do on a regular basis constitutes a routine.

Evening rituals like brushing your teeth and putting on pyjamas are ingrained in our lives. Every morning, I get up at 6:00 a.m. and work out. Breakfast and the morning paper are two things you do every day. It’s become a habit to munch on potato chips while watching Netflix. There is a recurring pattern in your everyday routine with these behaviours.

Even if they’re routines, it doesn’t automatically suggest that they’re excellent routines. Even if a habit isn’t helpful, it’s still strong.

High-Achievers are the result of routines.
We are the sum total of the actions we do on a regular basis. An excellent person is not someone who performs well; they are someone who consistently performs well.

Aristotle and his routine 

 

Many artists, like Benjamin Franklin, Karl Marx, and Ernest Hemingway, have their own unique habits, routines, and rituals that are documented in Mason Currey’s book, “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work.” While their routines differed greatly, they all had actions they took to get themselves in the best frame of mind possible.

 

Currey came to the following conclusion after examining the great artists:

Time (the most limited resource of all), willpower, self-discipline, and optimism may all be harnessed via the use of a well-tuned routine in the proper hands. Having a well-established routine helps one avoid the tyranny of mood swings by creating a well-worn path for one’s mental energy.

To get into a productive mindset, Tim Ferris performs five-morning rituals: making his bed, meditating, exercising, sipping tea, and writing in his diary. Tony Robbins, a performance coach, begins each day with a cold shower, breathing exercises, and meditation as part of his daily ritual.

 

If you’re a successful person, you’re likely to have developed a routine that works for you and keeps to it.

 

Trying to understand the distinction between habits, routines, and rituals may be confusing. We all have habits, whether it’s opening your email first thing in the morning or placing your keys where you always do it. There are several habits and activities you do on a daily basis to keep your day in order, such as checking your email, composing a list of tasks for the day, and reviewing your team’s project management application. Routines are similar to rituals. As a result, there is a big variation in the motivation behind the actions: If you conceive of taking a stroll every day at lunch as something you must do in order to be more productive, it may be termed a habit. In this case, you may see it as part of a routine to get away from the daily grind and appreciate the natural world. Many of our habits and routines may be reframed as rituals by shifting our mindset.

 

Routines allow us to operate on autopilot, making us more efficient.

But what is it about great achievers’ habits that have such an impact? Because of our habitual nature, it turns out that we’re capable of doing everything we set out to. Throughout Charles Duhigg’s new book, The Power of Habit, he explains how habits push our brains into an automatic state where little or no effort is necessary.

 

This is how it works:

When anything triggers your brain into “automatic mode,” you know you’re on the right track. Getting out of bed is a basic example. As soon as I get out of bed, my brain knows it’s time to start the coffee maker. Over the years, this behaviour has been embedded in my mind.

Step 2: Put the programme into action. While waiting for the coffee to boil and sitting in a chair by the kitchen window to sip the beverage, I begin the process of making my morning cup of joe.

The third step is to reap the benefits of your new habit. The mouthwatering taste and jolt of caffeine have me coming back the following morning to do it all over again.

 

 

The ‘Habit loop’

Coffee-making is a simple task, yet it serves as a daily reminder to keep me going. Consider what you could achieve if other, more significant activities were as simple as brewing a cup of coffee.

A routine may be a powerful tool. The cumulative impact of even the smallest, most frequent behaviours is enormous. The best way to get the most out of each day is to establish morning and evening routines.

Morning Routines to Get You Going in the Right Direction
In order to win the day, you have to win the morning.
The morning routines of both Ferris and Robbins involve meditation, whereas the morning routines of many others include brewing a new cup of coffee to get the day started. The following are some of the greatest strategies to get your day off to a good start and set yourself up for success.

Get Up Early
Even Winston Churchill loved to stay in bed until 11:00 AM, but most high achievers get up early in the morning to prepare for the next workday. The rest of the world is still sleeping, so they can get their work done while everyone else is snoozing.

 

Take a look at the following:

 

Founder and CEO of Square, Jack Dorsey, wakes up at 5:30 every morning so he can run six miles.

Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, rises around 5:45 a.m. every day to work out and eat a healthy breakfast.

In order to speak with GE Asia, GM CEO Dan Akerson gets up between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m every day.

In order to go to the gym and write emails, Apple CEO Tim Cook rises around 4:30 a.m.

 

Numerous people have learned to get up early in order to reap the many advantages that an early start provides, regardless of their natural preference for staying up late. With fewer interruptions in the early morning, you’ll be more productive and creative, and you’ll be less stressed if you utilise that additional time to meditate or contemplate. Your mood may improve as a result of this: Those who prefer the early hours of the day reported greater levels of happiness and well-being, according to a study by researchers.

To become a morning person, you need to get up 20 minutes earlier every day and spend some time in the sun as soon as you wake up.

Make Yourself Comfortable.

To enhance your life, all you need to do is make your bed every day. According to Navy Seal Admiral William H. McCraven, at the very least, this is sound advice.

 

Making your bed in the morning is the first chore of the day if you do it every time you wake up. You’ll feel a little better about yourself, which will spur you on to do more tasks in the future. As the day progresses, the one work that has been performed will develop into several.

Also, making your bed can help you remember that the little things in life do important. Doing the little things well is essential to achieving greatness in the larger endeavours. Even if you had a bad day at work, you may come home to a freshly made bed that you made yourself. Made beds offer you hope for a brighter day ahead.

There are so many little things that make a difference.

Recite the Affirmations
With the power of positive affirmations, your outlook on life and the day ahead may be transformed. They help you overcome negative self-talk by focusing on the positive things that will happen to you that day.

Before 8 a.m., Hal Elrod writes in The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life:

In order for your affirmations to have a lasting effect on your subconscious mind, you must commit to repeating them regularly (preferably aloud) and actively craft them to reflect your goals and who you need to be to achieve them. Because of the power of affirmations, you can overcome and change the limiting ideas and habits that are keeping you from achieving your goals.

Affirmations like these are simple yet effective:

It’s going to be a terrific day for me!

This year, I expect to earn $XXX.

I’m a well-known [insert profession here].

The [major objective] I set for myself is being met.

What you’re trying to do is confirm and envision what you want to see happen. The more you concentrate on these goals, the more certain you get that you can and will accomplish them.

Affirmations are tried-and-true ways of self-improvement, even if they seem New Agey to some. Dr. Carmen Harra, a professional psychologist, states this. Feel-good hormones are released and new ‘positive thinking’ neurons are formed as a result of these activities.

Make time for physical activity.

The first workout of the day

The power of physical activity cannot be overstated. Taking a morning workout boosts blood flow, generates endorphins, and improves your muscles. It’s a great way to get your day started, boost your energy, and keep your body functioning at its best. Exercising regularly may help alleviate melancholy and anxiety, as well as improve your financial situation, according to recent Finnish research.

You’ll be better prepared for the rest of the day if you include exercise in your regular routine. To gain the advantages, it doesn’t even have to be a complete gym exercise. Get your blood pumping with a short stroll around the block, a 7-minute exercise, or a few poses in the yoga poses of your choice.

Do you need a little more push to start moving? Use Day By Day, Journal Template and community platform, to keep tabs on your activities. You may keep track of your improvement by keeping a journal of your runs or exercises.

 

 

Make time to have a healthy breakfast.

Your morning fuel has a huge impact on your whole performance, therefore it should be the greatest fuel you can get.

Lisa De Fazio, a nutritionist, advises people to avoid high-sugar, high-fat breakfasts in favour of a more nutritious option:

 

Oatmeal is a low-fat sandwich for breakfast

Smoothie parfait with ripe fruit and yoghurt

 

Good carbohydrates, fibre, and protein are all you need. Those meals will offer you the energy you need to get through the day, as well as fulfil any food cravings you may have.

 

Shower with ice water.

Some may find this excessive, yet many swear by the benefits of a cold shower first thing in the morning. Athletes who take ice baths are comparable, although the water is a little less chilly in this case.

Why take a cold shower? The release of dopamine and an increase in blood flow and fat burning are all benefits of this exercise. In the same way that exercise does, it jump-starts your system.

As a result, every morning, Tony Robbins jumps into 57-degree water to get his blood flowing. It’s his belief that it’s crucial to achieving optimum efficiency.

Getting up early, making your bed, repeating your affirmations, working out, eating a healthy meal, and having a cold shower may seem little, but when done consistently each day, they help you prepare for whatever comes next. When you wake up in the morning, you’re already on top of your game and ready to face the day.

You should, of course, personalise your morning routine to suit your tastes. The acronym SAVERS stands for quiet, visualising, reading, and scribbling, all of which may be included in your daily routine according to James Altucher’s essay and podcast with Hal Elrod. My Morning Routine has over 200 examples of morning routines that you may alter and implement for yourself if you need additional inspiration in this area.

Routines for the Night that Set the Stage for the Next Day’s Activities
Evenings spent in bed reading
Every day’s end is just as significant as its beginning. Evening rituals help you prepare for the following day, ensure a good night’s sleep, and reduce the amount of resistance you face while trying to get things done.

 

Preparation for the following day’s tasks

Identifying your day’s goals does two things. To begin with, it helps you to prioritise your most critical duties before the day’s stresses arise. At the beginning of each day, it is ideal to tackle your most difficult duty. This concept has been referred to as “eating the frog” or “slaying the dragon,” among other things.

The second benefit is that it permits your mind to begin working on those projects while you go off to sleep. Authors Jason Selk, Tom Bartow, and Rudy Matthew write in Organize Tomorrow Today: 8 Ways to Retrain Your Mind to Optimize Performance at Work and in Life:

When you write down your most critical chores for the day the night before, your subconscious mind is freed up and you don’t have to worry about being ill-prepared the next day. A lot of the time, you’ll wake up with wonderful new ideas about the activities or discussions you were working on.

It’s time to reflect on the day’s successes.
After a long day, it’s easy to forget the wins. After each day, take a few minutes to reflect on and enjoy the things that went well and give yourself some hope for the next one. In the face of setbacks, it might be difficult to keep going when you’re discouraged.

 

Benjamin Franklin also questioned himself at the end of each day, “What good have I done today?” in addition to “What good should I do this day? “.

Benjamin Franklin was a founding father of the United States.

 

Leo Babauta, the author of Zen Habits, sums it up thusly:

 

When you take a step back and look at your accomplishments, you’ll be able to relish each little triumph. Seeing how much you’ve done correctly in your life helps you appreciate all the positive things you’ve accomplished.

A thankfulness diary, a blank Moleskine notebook, or an app on your phone are all good options for keeping track of your blessings. RescueTime and 

Get your mind off of things.

Making sleep difficult because you’re thinking about work might be a simple thing to do. Before going to bed, try to get your thoughts organised so that you can put the day’s events behind you and prepare your brain for sleep. It is possible to do this in several ways, including:

 

• Meditation
• Just a little something to occupy your time
• To boost productivity, I’m playing Tetris.
• It’s probably not the greatest idea to watch a violent television programme (like The Walking Dead).
• Writing down all of your ideas in a diary before going to sleep

 

A disengaged Joel Gascoigne explains it this way:

 

Every night at 9:30 p.m., I take a 20-minute stroll around the block. After a long day of work, this is a time to reflect on what I’ve accomplished, consider the bigger picture, and eventually come to a state of fatigue.

Your purpose is to divert your attention from your job duties.

Prepare yourself for the following day’s activities.
Preparation is key to reducing the amount of time you spend thinking in the morning. Pick out the clothing you’ll be wearing, prepare the food you’ll eat, set up the coffeemaker, and gather any necessary work tools. If you plan on working out at the gym, have your gear and water ready the night before.

Your time and energy will be better spent if you spend less time and energy on things that don’t important.

Make everything seem presentable.
When you wake up in an untidy house, it’s hard to be motivated for the day. Without frequent cleaning and putting away activities, you’ll rapidly discover that your space is disorganised.

Just 10 to 20 minutes of tidying each night can help alleviate morning jitters and prevent weekend cleaning marathons. If you just do one thing each day, make it sanitise and shine your sink. You’ll get a feeling of satisfaction just by doing this one activity, similar to making your bed each morning. 

 

FlyLady, the housekeeping expert, says:

 

1. The following is your first task as a housewife. Many of you don’t understand why I’m asking you to clean and shine your sink after you’ve emptied it of dirty dishes when there are so many other things to accomplish. I want you to feel accomplished since it’s so easy! […] When you wake up the following morning, your sink will be waiting for you, and a grin will spread over your face. The feeling of seeing oneself in your kitchen sink is something I can’t express to you in person, but I know how nice it feels. […]
2. Clean out your sink!
3. If you’re a parent, you’re well aware of the necessity of establishing consistent routines with your children. They are also able to contribute!
4. Maintain a healthy sleeping routine.

 

Sleep 

 

The quality of people’s sleep declines as a consequence of a lack of good sleep hygiene practices. As a rule of thumb, you should:

 

• Try to maintain a consistent sleep and waking pattern.
• Reduce the amount of blue light emitted by electronic devices, such as computers and smartphones (this can be done using F.lux on your computer and “Night Mode” on your mobile device).
• You should keep the temperature in your room between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit (15 and 18 degrees Celsius).
• Make your place as dimmer as you can.
• The significance of sleep is often overlooked, yet it is very necessary if you want to function at your best. In fact, sleep is so important that Arianna Huffington gave a Ted Talk on it.
• Routines might be difficult to establish in your daily life. It requires dedication and focus. After a hard day at work, it’s easier to simply get things started and then drop into bed.
• Routines and habits, on the other hand, grow easy the more you perform them. The more you do things, the more difficult it is to break the habit.
• So, don’t give up. Your days will go more easily if you’ve established good morning and evening habits. It may seem tiresome at first.

 

You may use a checklist or a calendar to design your morning and nighttime routines, or you can just write them down and follow them every day until they become second nature to you. As an example, consider the following:

 

• Time to get up and get the coffee going at six o’clock
• Read the news and have a cup of coffee at 6:15.
• At 6:30 a.m., I begin my workout.
• 7: Eat breakfast
• 7:15 a.m.: take a shower
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: working
• A meal is served at 6.
• 7:15 am: clean up
• 8: time spent with loved ones, watching television, or engaging in other forms of amusement and relaxation.
• writing or meditation at 9:30 a.m.
• 10 p.m. is the official bedtime.

 

What’s your typical day like for you?