The Importance of Routine

The importance of routine can't be understated especially during the time of COVID where most people are unemployed or working from home. A good schedule is great for your well being and health. Here are some of my thoughts about why a routine is important. 

1) It keeps you on schedule. 

A good routine keeps you going with forward momentum. When l was in quarantine and isolation my routine was simple; wake up, clean up, read, eat, go for walks, and play video games. It kept me busy and engaged during the entire period, leaving me with very few moments where I was watching the paint dry on the wall.  The structure in a good routine can make or break you. Use it wisely. Lose it and everything drops like dominos. 

2) It's important for your well being, health, and mental health. 

A good routine makes you feel good. The fact that I've been writing blogs at the same time every night makes me feel really good. My attitude improves every time I do it. If you're used to working all the time and then all of sudden you're at home in isolation for two months, you're going to have a hard time adjusting. I would say that my time away from work was actually bad for me in terms of mental health and well being. I'm a social person that's used to a certain amount of contact, discussion, and affirmation from others. Of course, when I don't get that, I become a much different person. Not a worse person, but definitely not a better person for that matter either. 

Here's a funny story to show how important routine is for your mental health. 

One time I was chillin' with a couple friends and one of them was wasted. I took a Lyft home that night but my drunk friend wouldn't let me go home because he said he had to sober up and give me a ride home. He said he couldn't let me go via Lyft because he had to go through the routine of giving me a ride home. It was an interesting moment because although he was pretty buzzed he knew he still had to stick to what he was used to in order to feel right and/or good. Very important.

3) It improves you and everything you do. 

This is commonsense but it should be looked into. Every routine you adhere to improves you in some way. Cleaning the dishes at a certain time every day? That's an improvement on the character of the individual. Practice the guitar every day. That's +10 guitar skill ability. Work four or five days a week? That gives you money in your bank account. Going for a walk three times a week? That reduces stress and reduces calories. The point of doing all these things is to do them often enough so that you develop a routine. Once the routine sinks in you get those much sought after number of hours. Once you develop the fabled 10,000 hours in any one skill, you've begun to climb the stairs of excellence towards mastery. Of course, you never really master anything in life, but you can get better and better even when it seems like you've plateaued. An amazing feeling.     

4) You can find out what works for you in life and change as needed and accordingly. 

A routine helps you figure out what works for you in life and allows you to change your routine as needed and accordingly. With a good routine, you can truly be yourself, find yourself, and even do soul searching. Without it, you are aimless, adrift, and hugging the shore, meaning you'll be too afraid to try new things or change up your same old, same old. Are you still the same person year after year but want to change? Change up your routine and create a new one. That is an easy way to improve and/or change your character. Remember to find out what works for you. Stick to it or change up it as needed. Rinse and repeat.