If you’re time-poor, this post is for you. The ultimate solution to making more time may be to simply rethink and tweak your existing routines, or to create new routines. Many things in life are totally beyond our control; a routine, by contrast, is something that we can control.
Exploiting my most valuable resource: time
Time is the most valuable resource at my disposal, so I endeavour to take optimal advantage of it. Routines help me stay focused and productive throughout my workday. They help minimise any inner resistance which I tend to encounter in getting things done. Needless to say, this naturally increases my level of feel-good hormones, too!
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| Personal routines prime us for success and make it easier for us to hit our professional and personal goals (Image by EskYew on Pixabay) |
A routine can be defined as a sequence of actions which you perform repeatedly. It may involve just tiny steps at a time; these, however, will have an exponential effect over time! Personal routines prime us for success and make it easier for us to hit our professional and personal goals.
From a solid morning routine to regular runs: routines that work well for me
The routines appropriate for each one of us will be wildly different. For me the following routines work really well at the moment:
- Getting up early on weekdays and following a solid morning routine (which I blogged about here) helps me enter my “work state of mind” ahead of starting my workday.
- Going for a short walk or on a run at 10am when I’ve already got a fair amount of work done feels satisfying.
- Checking non-work-related email just once per day in the evening means I can prioritise work emails during the day.
- Adhering to a minimal to-do list every day (which I blogged about here) provides me with a sense of accomplishment at the end of each and every day.
- Reading one short chapter in a computer programming book every day and doing my best to get my head around its content helps me build up a specialism required in my translation job.
- Implementing a one-a-day declutter approach (which I blogged about here) has worked its magic over time in that I’ve been able to rid myself gradually of many unnecessary items.
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| For many of us, time is the most valuable resource at our disposal, so it seems wise to resort to techniques enabling us take optimal advantage of it |
I admit with some of these routines I found it difficult initially to muster the discipline and willpower to follow through on them. However, they’ve since become ingrained in me as habits: I no longer think twice about whether I feel up to them or not.
Countering decision fatigue with the help of routines
The beauty of routines is that they not only are great for countering decision fatigue in that we simply automate certain decisions, but also add rhythm to our days. Our days will flow much more smoothly as a result! In the end, routines are neither boring nor stifling: they’re necessary.
For many of us, time is the most valuable resource at our disposal, so it seems wise to resort to techniques enabling us take optimal advantage of it. In this post I explain how routines can help us hit our work and personal goals.
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8 March 2020: My (unusual) approach to minimising social media time
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4 April 2019: Reducing office time by prioritising and batching
19 March 2019: 5 simple techniques for making time
2 July 2018: The 5-step guide to switching into minimalist work mode
5 September 2017: Super-easy decluttering for busy people
22 June 2016: The minimal to-do list
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| Adhering to a minimal to-do list provides me with a sense of accomplishment at the end of each and every day |
