Make Your Routine Work for You
Written By : Grace Weidenhamer
Ask yourself this: are you building a routine to chase the “next big thing” (aka your next dopamine hit), or are you building a routine that is centered around self love and building genuine, lasting happiness?
Take an audit of your current daily routine. I’m talking how you choose to fill your time on the most basic of days. Write out a physical “agenda” of your day and all of your habitual behaviors. Then, take a moment to reflect on each step and ask yourself this question: “Am I doing this because I’m honoring myself, or because I think it’s what I should be doing?”
For some habits, this line may be thin, and it’s easy to trick yourself into thinking this serves you. Our society is obsessed with optimization and productivity. Just a 5-minute scroll on your phone will leave you with a list of even more you need to chalk into your daily routine. When that’s all we see, that’s all we think. You say, random influencer who makes a living off of our self loathing, that I need to walk four miles and go to a pilates class and eat an egg white omelet and meditate in red light, all before my morning coffee?
Whatever you say!
There’s no shortage of information on what we should be doing, but after hours upon hours of watching, reading, and listening to self-improvement content, do we ever stop to ask ourselves if this is actually serving us? Or is it causing more stress?
Of course, when I talk about ditching these routines and habits I’m not suggesting we throw out our vegetables and stop exercising all together. I’m just suggesting that maybe this lifestyle is causing more harm than good. Everyone is different. You may thrive on a rigid schedule and a non-fat diet. Just as I am suggesting to take parts of your routine that serve you and disregard what doesn’t, do the same with my words.
As we head in to the new year, I encourage all of us to take a step back, strip our lives down to the studs and figure out what is it you are actually after. Do your personal values and the vision you have for your life align with how you are spending your time? If not, make it serve you.
Health and enjoyment - it doesn’t have to be one or the other. In turn, focusing solely on one won’t improve the other. Not every week or every day needs to be the same. You should be okay with skipping your scheduled Monday workout to grab dinner with a friend. You should also make peace with the possibility you’ll miss out on some plans while aligning with your dream life. No one can tell you the “right” way to do this. You must audit and take ownership of your own life.
At the end of the day, make your routine work for you. It’s good to challenge yourself, as long as you are also creating space to recharge. It’s good to follow enjoyable experience, as long as you don’t forget about your goals.