We want to help you to LOVE your routines. If they’re used well, they will give you a boost every day. So if you’ve been struggling with no structure, no routines, lots of stuff “everywhere” and consistent frustration as you try to get organized, listen in to the podcast (linked above!) or review the brief outline below. You can do this…even if you’ve been flying by the seat of your pants for most of your life. So glad you’re here! (And a special thanks to our team member, Taryn Wood, who helped gather questions from the community and outlined this podcast!)
First, let’s define a routine.
Routines and projects are different. AND routines and one-time tasks are different. Here’s a little summary:
- Routines are things that are never “done.” You do them over and over again, and ideally, they are on auto-pilot, humming along in the background. They support your life as you do them consistently. Some of them are time-specific (meeting at 10am Thursdays), but most of them are flexible (brush teeth).
- Projects, on the other hand, are one-time, multi-step events. They can actually be checked off and fully completed. (Like renovating a bathroom.)
- One-time tasks are things you can do in a single step–like move the bookcase to the office or call to check on the dental insurance.
Does that series of definitions feel good? You can put additional questions in the “Comments” area, if needed.
Second, let’s start small.
We’re pretty sure you already have some routines working for you. There are things you do every day like wake up, go to sleep, eat, walk into the bathroom, etc. If you’re looking to start somewhere, we recommend starting small and then adding something new to one of these things that you’re already doing. (Just don’t add new routines too fast or you’ll feel overwhelmed.)
For example, you might say, “Each day, I will wake up, look at my calendar, and make a short list of things I want to accomplish with the time I have available.” THAT is a daily routine.
Then you might want to start with something like tracking your spending. “Each time I buy something, I will write it down on this sheet of paper in my planner—or put it into this specific app. Then once a week, I will review my spending and my budget.” Adding some calendar triggers can help support new routines!
Then you may want to tidy the entry way and set up a family routine where everyone takes off their coats and shoes, hangs keys on a holder, and puts mail or papers in a specific spot. You identify something simple that will make an impact, you get the family/roommates on board (if you live with others!), and then once that routine has become a habit, you can add more.
We add routines really slowly in our family and in our business. Unless there is some urgent need, slow and steady typically wins the race!
Third, expect resistance.
Your brain wants to keep you safe–and a new routine may not feel “safe” yet. It likely feels like a failed attempt waiting to happen, based on past results. You can trick your brain by taking TINY steps. For example, if you want to get better at flossing your teeth, you could just set the floss next to your toothbrush and aim to just touch the floss each time you brush your teeth. BJ Fogg of TinyHabits.com and the book “Atomic Habits” have tons of great ideas (linked in the resources below)!
If you’re involving a family or a team from work into your routines, it also takes awhile for those new routines to become smooth. (In the podcast, Jill and I share several examples!)
And sometimes the resistance is deeper—like, “I am not the kind of person who should have a clean, beautiful home…” That’s why it’s important to have time for introspection. This podcast episode on “Beliefs We NEED to Change” may be helpful. There’s a worksheet there for you, too! (This is also linked below!)
To close up, here are just a few more ideas:
It’s helpful to proceed through a lens of curiosity–looking for data, rather than expecting perfection. This is an experiment! When something doesn’t work, take a step back and ask why. Maybe you had some extra interruptions throughout the day. Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep and you’re not at full capacity. Maybe you’re doing it at the wrong time of day, or on the wrong day. This doesn’t mean you’ve failed and you’re bad at it, it only means that you’re human and you need to give yourself grace.
You may also want to consider your schedule/routine/Command Central in “draft mode.” This mindset helps you to see that it’s an evolving process that can change rather than an “all or nothing” perfectionistic mindset.
The fact of the matter is that there are people in this world (most likely in a situation similar to yours) who have figured out how to harness the power of routines. It’s not always easy. There will be resistance–and maybe some backsliding. But when your mental energy can rest because your routines are solid, you then have the freedom and creativity to work toward your most important goals. That’s where the real fun comes in!
LearnDoBecome Challenge: Pick one routine you could implement this week that will make an impact on the overall flow and happiness of your life! (Feel free to share it in the comments!)
Related Resources
- BJ Fogg at TinyHabits.com has some great ideas on breaking a new routine into tiny steps for better success!
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Beliefs We NEED to Change
- [VIDEO]: Clean Laundry and a Stocked Fridge: Our Family’s Routines
And if you want to learn more about creating a STEP Command Central, we’d love to have you join our free class, How to Stop Drowning in Piles.
I can do this!!!
Thanks. Needed the refresher. Liked the ‘curious experimental’ attitude, start small, start next one when previously started becomes “routine” automatic.
This was posted when I really needed it !! Thank you ! Are there any examples ? Or where do you write these ?
Hi Jaime! I’m so glad this is helpful to you! Inside our Steps To Everyday Productivity (STEP) program we encourage you to keep your routines in a single place. This place could be a digital or a paper list. Of course we dive deeper into this in our STEP Program and we share examples there as well, but you can learn a bit more about routines here as well, https://learndobecome.com/episode48/. Thanks for being with us!
Thank you! Just the definitions you provided have inspired me. It’s really clarified for me the difference between a project, a routine, and a task. I feel empowered where, before this podcast, I felt overwhelmed and was spinning my wheels trying to figure out what a routine really was vs what a project was. I also really appreciate that you emphasized making one small change to your routines at a time. It made me realize that I have failed in the past most likely because I always try to change everything at once. I guess I’m an all-or-nothing type of person, but I’m changing that mindset because I can see that it’s holding me back. Thank you!
Jaime, I’m so glad this has been helpful to you! Small steps are definitely the way to go when adding something new into your routine. Wishing you all the best as you move forward! You’ve got this!!
Wow! I think routines are like my vitamins for the new day – each day! thanks for this share that I am FINALLY able to tune into today! Learndobecome is such a Godsend to me!
I’m so glad, Kathryn!! We’re grateful to have you with us. 🙂
Thank you for the reminder to identify routines and that they don’t have to keep to a strict schedule. We eat dinner very late, around 8:30/9:00 pm and by the time I’m done eating, I don’t feel like doing dishes. I try to do them early the next day asap, but at least before I start preparing the meal for that day. I’m the dishwasher (we don’t have a dishwashing machine). If I don’t get them done the next day, I tend to let them accumulate for 3 or 4 days and then have to spend hours washing/drying/putting away. I listened to this podcast last night while I got about half the dishes done and still have more to do today. The habit I would like to develop is to wash the dishes after I wake and eat breakfast. The podcast helped me to see that I don’t have to do this at a specific time and can be flexible.
GREAT insight, Laurie! Way to apply these ideas to your life! A good dish routine makes such a difference. It sounds funny, but seriously, a clean sink and dishes ready when you need them brings a huge lift! When we didn’t have a dishwasher, we just washed with hot water and soap as we took things to the sink and then put them right into the drainer–adding extra towels on the counters for drying space, if needed. That way, nothing ever sat in the sink, and we taught the children to do the same thing. It’s one more step right after dinner/a snack, but it keeps the system going so no one has to do lots of dishes at the end of the day. (But when our children were under 4, I did do all the dishes at the end of the day because they weren’t able to help yet…) Wishing you the best!!
This is what I needed.
Thank you so much.
I had made my “perfect routines”, meaning a.m., afternoon, and evening.
The whole day was planned.
But I couldnt bring myself to even look at them !
I thought “It’s perfect…I won’t need to start slowly. I won’t be like others.
But over 10 months, I only did the routines about 5 times.
I understand, now.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Narda, I can SO relate!! The fact that you WANT to make perfect routines shows that you are super responsible, that you care, and that you want to do a great job with all of the things on your plate. Learning to revise the way you approach routines will give you such a lift–and a huge break! 🙂 So proud of you! Thanks for being here with us!
My privilege !
Good Morning!
Just a quick thank you for everything you do daily, weekly, monthly, etc. and the fact that you share your incredible plethora of knowledge with us.
I smile, in a great way, to you, April, because the more I listen to your Podcasts and read your emails, have and will continue to take your free course until I have my own money coming in to purchase the STEP’s program, you inspire me endlessly. You remind me of myself, including things that you’ve experienced in life such as loss and being a Mom and wanting the best for yourself, your kids and your entire family and I feel so blessed to have stumbled across Learn.Do.Become. I crave the close relationship you and Eric share and as opposed to being jealous of you, I am over joyed for you that you both found such an incredible partner in life that want similar goals.
You both are truly inspiring and I can only pray that my hard work and determination allow me to be where you are, sooner than later too, in helping others succeed and to reaching my goals of helping others better themselves and/or bettering their businesses too.
I can never Thank you, April & Eric Perry and your teammates, such as Taryn (beautiful, unique name btw – I love it) and many more I’ve yet to encounter but will, for the inspiration to take the steps I need to better myself and help my kids reach their true potential, as well as my own.
I truly hope this made sense and sorry I don’t have a question in here, I just wanted to share how much I adore what you’re doing and what you continue to do. Your efforts are commendable and I can honestly say you’re impacting so many people in such an incredible way.
Bless y’all and cheers to your continued inspiration.
Melissa, this totally made our day!! Wow–what a kind note to receive. Thank you so much for your comment here. Our team puts their hearts and souls into building this community, and we are grateful for the chance to have an impact in your life. We are cheering you on, and we are so grateful you are here with us at LearnDoBecome! xoxo