In Honor of Routines
January 08, 17
In Honor of Routines
There is a familiar rhythm to our days. An order to the way we wake up (coffee first), the way we put smoothie ingredients in the blender (spinach first), and the way we tackle tasks at work (easy emails first).
We consciously - and even subconsciously - put order to our days and weeks because we must: our many routines provide necessary structure and help us succeed.
As Charles Duhigg, author of 'The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business', says: "Getting to relegate all those things to sort of an automatic thought process, we gain all the mental bandwidth we need to do the really important things in life."
This is often the time of year, then, when we seek to alter our routines, or make space for new ones, or make a concerted effort to let go of those that no longer serve us.
We try and make more room for those really important things.
There is something about the turning of a calendar year and that lovely looking 1/1 that makes us brave enough to reconsider the most familiar of routines.
(Let's face it, even resolutions themselves have even become a universal routine.)
It's a key time, and so rather than interrupt you, we’re cheering you on. As you pause to notice your own routines and seek to set about new habits, we thought we'd share some of our favorite insights and writing on the subject.
A little lifeline so you can keep up the important work and make the changes that allow you to focus on the important things.
Readings on Routine:
Why Routines are a Blessing
"People who are very, very successful don't forget the importance of routines. There's a huge correlation between thinking very deliberately about (creating) the right habits in your life and developing successful habits," Charles Duhigg
7 Benefits of a Solid Daily Routine (because everything is better with Gifs!)
Stop when you're on a roll, not when you are stuck. As Hemingway said, “you write until you come to a place where you still have your juice and know what will happen next and you stop and try to live through until the next day when you hit it again.”
The Habitual Brain: How Routine Action and Thought Are the Structure of Life (For the scientific perspective)
Find even more inspiration: The Daily Routines of Geniuses
