8 tips to create a routine and make it a habit
In this article, I will explain how to create a routine and make it a habit.
The goal is to create new habits that will help you improve your productivity, reach your goals more easily and improve the quality of your life.
If instead you want to change your unproductive habits, I invite you to read my article on how to change your negative habits.
Now, I suggest that we move on to my tips for creating a new routine.
1 – Define precisely your routine
Just as you would do for a goal, it is important to define the type of morning or evening routine you want to create and implement in your life.
So be specific by defining precisely and in great detail all aspects of this ritual.
Also set the time when this new behavior will begin and the time when it will end, i.e. the duration of this routine.
Be clear about whether this is a daily action or rather a task that you will only perform from time to time or on specific days or periods of the week.
Also specify a way to measure your effectiveness in implementing this new activity.
Basically, define what you need to do to know if you are on track or not. This will allow you to adjust your behavior more quickly.
This routine should be motivating enough, but without becoming too difficult to complete.
Therefore, always consider your energy and resources before defining a new routine.
In addition, it is important to identify all the things you will need to complete the new routine. This will allow you to prepare them in advance and make your life easier.
Finally, I suggest that you write down your routine on a piece of paper. In fact, writing is an excellent method for clarifying and developing your ideas and for enhancing your creativity.
By doing this, you will develop greater clarity and understanding of your new routine.
Now I suggest we move on to the next tip, which is to identify what motivates you to create and carry out the new behaviour.
2 – Identify your motivation for doing it
Why do you want to develop this new routine?
Answering this question is key to understanding what motivates you to commit to it.
Perhaps you want to improve a specific aspect of your life, such as your health.
If you set up a routine but don’t know why you want to follow it, sooner or later you will become unmotivated and give up.
If, on the other hand, you take the time to think about your motivations, everything will become easier for you.
But don’t be satisfied with the first motivations that come to mind because they won’t be enough to create a new routine.
Continue to find deeper and deeper motivations, as you will then be able to turn this new behavior into a habit more easily.
Now I suggest we move on to the next tip, which is to make your new routine more enjoyable.
3 – Make it more enjoyable
One effective way to create a new routine is to make it more enjoyable or at least less painful.
Now that you have defined exactly what your new routine is and what your motivation is for practicing it, you need to think about what you can do to make it more enjoyable.
There are a number of strategies you can use to do this. For example, you can define a reward that you will receive each time you perform the routine. I recommend trying different rewards until you find the one that works best for you.
You can also make the routine itself more interesting, for example by listening to music you like at the same time or by combining it with another activity that does not distract you too much from your main occupation.
This is very important to avoid negative multitasking situations that could reduce your productivity.
At the same time, do what you can to make the routine less unpleasant or difficult.
In practice, by combining more enjoyment with less “pain”, you can make it easier to perform this new habit.
Now I suggest we move on to the next tip, which is to plan it, execute it, and repeat it enough.
4 – Plan, execute and repeat your routine
Now you just need to plan your routine in your to-do list and in your agenda.
If you are having trouble organizing your schedule, I recommend you read my article on how to organize your professional or personal schedule in which I provide useful tips to better manage your time.
I invite you to schedule your routine always at the same time and ideally either in the morning before starting your professional activity or in the evening after work.
This will make it easier for you to get organized and you will be more likely to meet your commitments.
If you don’t set specific times to take care of yourself, you will be overwhelmed by the unforeseen events of the moment and you won’t meet your commitments.
As a result, you will experience dissatisfaction, stress and a feeling of not having control over your life and it is best to avoid this situation at all costs.
Now you have to take action and practice your routine long enough to make it a habit.
Some say that three weeks is a sufficient amount of time for a new habit to become sustainable.
But my experience as a coach has taught me that everyone is different and each individual needs different amounts of time to create real change.
How can you be sure that the change is permanent?
Well, it’s only when the new behavior becomes automatic and becomes second nature to you.
Now I suggest we move on to the next tip, which is to understand what may be getting in the way of your routine.
5 – Find out what gets in the way of your routine
Even with the best of intentions and motivation, you will encounter obstacles that will make it difficult to implement your new routine.
One of the main obstacles is resistance to change, which acts as a kind of laziness and closure to anything that is new or different.
To overcome this barrier, it is necessary to learn to deal with a sense of doubt or insecurity in order to create a new certainty about the new behavior.
Another difficulty concerns secondary benefits that you may lose if you decide to act differently than usual.
In this case, it is important to understand the need that this secondary benefit helps to satisfy.
This will allow you to find more effective ways to meet that need while reducing those mental blocks.
Cognitive-behavioral psychology also provides us with another interesting tool for reducing upstream barriers.
It is a mental contrast, which requires identifying in advance all the factors that may prevent the execution of a given behavior.
At the same time, you find solutions that can be put into practice when you are confronted with a given situation.
In this way, you save time and you quickly accomplish what you have decided to do.
Now I suggest we move on to the next tip, which is to adapt your new routine to your personal situation.
6 – Adapt the routine to your situation
You can’t incorporate a new routine into your life if it conflicts with your personal, family or work situation.
Therefore, don’t just blindly implement a routine you found by reading a book or watching a video.
Instead, create a customized routine that is beneficial to you and fits perfectly into your daily life.
Of course, it is essential to have complete control over the implementation of this new routine.
If your actions are dependent on others, you will only create more stress in your day.
Are you sure that you have chosen a routine that depends only on you and that is adapted to your situation?
If not, do your best to readjust it. If the answer is yes, when can move on to the next tip, which is to use contextual factors.
7 – Use the power of contextual factors
Sometimes our motivation is not always at its best and it becomes more difficult to find the energy to fulfill the commitments we have set for ourselves.
How can we do what is necessary even under these circumstances?
One effective way is to use contextual factors.
What are contextual factors?
They are elements that facilitate the execution of a given behavior.
Earlier, I explained that everyone is subject to a certain physical or mental inertia or laziness that allows us to maintain a certain state of balance and security.
To overcome this inactivity, we just need to implement a few changes that will guarantee excellent results.
A classic example is that of people who want to exercise but often find excuses not to work out.
If they pack their tracksuit and sneakers and keep them visible, they will be more likely to get out of the house to exercise.
The same principle applies to your routine. If you prepare everything you need for that particular activity ahead of time, you’ll be more likely to perform it.
Now you have no excuses for not doing what you have planned!
Now I suggest we move on to the next tip, which is to use implementation intentions.
8 – Use implementation intentions
Implementation intentions originate from the cognitive-behavioral approach.
They are “if… then” statements that, in practice, set the stage for your action by facilitating its execution.
These implementation intentions act as instructions to be followed and at the same time lighten your mental load.
In practice, your mind saves energy for thinking and has more resources to act in a way that is consistent with your decisions.
Here are some examples of implementation intentions:
- if it’s 6 pm, I get ready to go to the gym
- if it’s 7 am, I start my morning routine
- if I’m not sure I can do it, I do my best anyway
If you are unsure about this tool, I invite you to create your implementation intentions ahead of time and you will see that they will help you execute your routine.
Of course, these implementation intentions can also be used when you want to achieve a personal or professional goal.
Conclusion on how to create a routine
In this article, I shared with you 8 tips on how to create a routine and turn it into a new habit.
If you are interested in the topic of productivity, I invite you to discover all my articles on productivity.
If you are looking for tools to improve your time management skills, I recommend you read my article on the best time management apps.
If you want to take advantage of the expertise of a time management coach, write to us now using our contact form or call us by phone or on WhatsApp at +33 6 69 46 03 79.
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Read this article in other languages
Français : Comment créer une routine et en faire une habitude
Italiano: Come creare una routine e farla diventare un’abitudine