Routines are a collection of habits and they are the foundation of our lives each day. We all have routines we follow naturally without realizing and these routines are either a collection of good habits or bad habits. In order to increase productivity in our lives, we must build new routines that show improvement in our day. Routines are proven to reduce stress levels and increase the amount of tasks you complete per day. Routines also improve cognitive function and increase creativity. Lack of productivity often derives from boredom and distraction. Building Routines can help reduce the probability of distractions or boredom. Below we’ll cover some great routines that can help increase your daily productivity. Building habits is a process and should be done one step at a time to ensure that each habit becomes permanent.
Routines as simple as placing your car keys in the same spot every time you use them will also increase your productivity without you even noticing. You will spend less time searching for lost keys if you are placing them in the same spot each time. Making minimal changes have a huge impact on our lives but we often forget the importance of these routines and habits. When the pandemic completely knocked us all off of our daily routines, we all learned the importance of our routines and their effect on our lives. Routines were completely lost during the pandemic and most noticed a rapid decline in our productivity.
There are many effective routines to increase productivity in your life. One of the most efficient routines is keeping a daily planner that time blocks different tasks at specific times. Daily planners help you keep track of your routines and seeing them in writing is often more helpful. This routine is proven to be effective as it assigns times to each task and does not allow for distractions or boredom to throw you off track. Daily routines start with small habits like setting a time that you wake up each day and keeping time consistent each day. It is important to remember that the key to turning a habit into a routine is to stay consistent until it becomes natural.
Some people find developing routines like meditation or stretching to their morning routine increases productivity throughout the day. Journaling is also another morning routine that people have testified improves their productivity. This is because these routines allow you to clear your mind giving you a clearer perspective the rest of the day. Having a consistent morning routine can set order to your day. One very simple and effective morning routine is setting your bed in the morning. Studies show that people that set their bed every morning are more likely to be better problem solvers and complete more tasks within a day. The concept is that setting your bed everyday is the first task you complete each day and if you are fulfilling that task daily, then you are likely to complete other tasks you have planned.
It is important to manage your time each day and assign specific tasks to an exact time of the day. When you map out your day in your daily planner you are less likely to fall off track because each task is designated to a specific part of your day. An effective method for managing time is called time blocking. For example, if you have multiple meetings in a day but also have assignments to work on. You can manage time by spacing out a time for each assignment in between meetings or time blocking all the meetings back to back and completing all other tasks before or after the meetings.
" Once you have been consistent in a habit for an amount of time, the habit will come naturally without having to remind yourself of it. "
One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is distractions in a day. If you are able to identify what the primary distractions are throughout your day, it may be effective to set some time for those distractions in your day. For example, if you find yourself on social media several times a day. Instead, set a specific amount of time per day to explore social media. That way you avoid the temptation of tapping in several times a day.
If you are struggling with productivity, try the routines discussed above to help build effective routines from simple habits. Routines have been proven to be the most effective method to productivity. Simple routines like setting your bed, drinking water as soon as you wake up, and placing your car keys in the same place every night can completely change your life. Routines organize your life and help you avoid falling off track which is why routines are the most important to being productive.