How to Create (And Keep To) A Routine
Welcome back to Diary of a Small-Town Girl! Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about routines. I’ve been struggling with finding and maintaining a routine. While I’m definitely not someone who sticks to a routine all of the time, as I really value variety in my days, I do need a routine to feel stable, and when I work things into my routine, I am so much more likely to continue doing them. So, today, we’re talking about how to create, and keep to a routine!
First things first: I’m definitely not perfect with this. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been struggling with keeping to a routine recently. I feel like there’s always so much going on being at college, and since my days are so varied, it’s hard to make a routine that works for every day. So, while I am going to be sharing some of my favorite tips for creating a routine, many of them are tips that I’m still figuring out how to implement in my own life! And a lot of creating a routine is trial and error, so the most important thing is that your routine works for you.
Ok, now let’s get into it!
How to Create (And Keep To) A Routine
Tip #1: Write Down Everything You Usually Have in a Day (Or Week)
Tip #1 is to write down everything that you usually have going on in a day or week! For me, this is actually something I do on a weekly basis, as what I have going on changes a fair bit every week. But when starting to figure out a routine, this is the first thing you need to do. If you don’t know what you already have going on (and approximately how much time these things take), there’s no way you can create a sustainable routine for yourself. So, grab a pen and some paper or a calendar and get to writing down your schedule!
Tip #2: Write Down Everything You Want to Get Done in a Day (Or Week)
Step #2 is to then write down everything you want to get done in a day or in a week. For the purposes of creating a routine, I usually stick to just things I want to do every day or almost every day in a week, but I get much more specific in my weekly planning sessions.
Some of the things that I try to get done every week include going to the gym 4-5 times a week, doing a Sunday reset, laundry and cleaning my room, and doing at least a little bit of homework every day. Plus, something I’m trying to figure out how to incorporate into my week is building in specific times to work on the blog! A lot of these activities only happen once a week, which makes them easier to do, but it can definitely still be challenging to find time for everything!
Tip #3: Be Realistic About What You Can Achieve (aka Set Priorities)
This is probably the most important step in creating a routine. The fact of the matter is that you just can’t do it all. I definitely struggle with this sometimes, especially when I have a week that’s super busy and I can’t fit everything that I want to get done in. But don’t beat yourself up over this! Setting priorities is one of the best ways to help with when things get busy.
For me, my biggest priorities are laundry and room cleaning once a week and going to the gym (or at least getting some physical activity in). This way, I make sure that I get these things done, and to not beat myself up when I can’t fit everything in. While my goal is always to get all the aspects of my routine in, I also realize that sometimes this just isn’t possible, and in that case, I just do the best I can.
Tip #4: Try Your Routine in Different Ways
One of the funnest and most frustrating things about creating and keeping a routine is that a lot of it is trial and error. It’s nearly impossible to see how a routine will work for you without just trying it. For me, I am still in this stage, where I’m trying out a lot of different ways of implementing my routine. Especially because my schedule is different every day, it’s pretty hard to settle on one way of running my routine. For me, this means that every day has to look a little different. For example, one day I’ll go to the gym at 8:00am, and another day I won’t go until 5:00pm, because that’s just what works in my schedule. While this may not work for everyone, it’s what works for me, and it allows me to fit everything in.
Tip #5: Build In Some Variety
This is one of my favorite tips on the list! For me, I kind of hate getting caught up in doing the same things every day, so having variety in my routine is essential. Luckily, I do kind of have this built in with my classes, work study, and other college obligations, so I don’t have to build in a lot of variety right now. However, if I had a more stationary routine, I’d definitely like to add some variety to my days. One of my favorite ways to do this is to plan little adventures, such as going to study at a coffee shop, or getting off campus and going to a museum or event on the weekend.
Building in variety is different for everyone but find what works for you and make sure to make time for it! While routines are super helpful (and necessary for me), we still need fun and variety in our days, and building that in can help make it easier to stick to!
Tip #6: Don’t Be Afraid of “Messing Up”
This is a big one: don’t be afraid to “mess up” your routine. First off, there’s literally no such thing as messing up your routine, so I think we can all achieve this one pretty easily. You may be a bit confused though, so let me explain. While routines are really helpful tools, they’re just that: tools. If you aren’t able to stick to your routine one day or one week or even for a month, that’s ok. Things change, come up, and it’s not always possible to stick to a routine, and that’s ok. I know that I can’t always stick to a routine.
When I can’t stick to a routine, this usually means one of two things: I’m super crazy busy and just don’t have time to stick to my routine, or that my routine isn’t working as it is. For the first situation, I make sure to give myself some grace and to try to get back into my routine as soon as I’m able to. For the second situation, it’s a little more complicated. When I notice this happening, I go back to square one and evaluate why my routine isn’t working for me and figure out what I can do differently going forward.
It’s literally impossible to stick to a routine 100% of the time, so when it’s not working for you, that means it’s time for a change, and that’s totally ok!
Tip #7: Make Your Routine Work for You!
Finally, you have to make your routine work for you! My routine isn’t going to work for everyone, and that’s ok! I have different time constraints, priorities, and goals than you do. The most important thing about a routine is making it work for you, not trying to follow some “perfect routine” just because someone else is doing it. While I often share my goals and how I work those into my routine, it’s meant to be more of an inspiration, and if you do take parts of my routine and work it into your own, that’s awesome! But it’s definitely not a requirement for a happy and successful routine.
So, now it’s time to go out there and make your routine and make it work for you!
How to Create (And Keep To) A Routine
Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end! I hope that these tips helped you – I know they’ve helped me. Let me know in the comments what your biggest priorities for your routine are. I’d love to hear from you all and I respond to every comment! Also, make sure to follow DSTG on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to keep up to date on all the latest content. See you next week!
