10 Steps To Establishing A Routine

Ten Steps To Establishing A Routine:

1. Decide on Sleep- choose realistic wake-up time and bed-time seven days a week (and stick to them).  Hint: You are more productive if you protect your sleep time as a "must do."
2. List Tasks that must, might, and you would like be done each day, week, month.* 
3. Prioritize activities in #2 above.  (It is likely it all can not be done as you would like).
4. Assign times to daily tasks; days to weekly task;  days and weeks to monthly tasks.
5. Assemble all in a written schedule. Include "blank spaces" for things forgotten or unexpected.
6. Adjust list if it is clear there is not enough hours in the day:  **
7. Start Smaller if entire routine seems impossible to fit in waking hours. Do #1, and pick 3 other tasks.
8. Practice routine for 1st week.  Adjust what is not working.
9. Be Flexible.  Remember- you are creating a routine to serve you- not so that you can serve your routine.
10. Do 30 days- your flexible and disciplined routine according to schedule - Reevaluate, Adjust, Repeat.

 Eventually, your routine will simply be a part of how you interact with the world- it will not be a chore in and of itself.  It will be a tool that, used appropriately, serves you.

*   (Don't include backlog of stuff to catch up on*).  This will be addressed in organizing.

** Temporarily drop the things you can.  This is in order to begin practicing the routine in a realistic way.  You can add back in later.

For more on routines, click: The Joy of Routines .

 Do you have something that works for you?  Click 'comments' below to post!