Fixing Broken Routines
Planning

Broken Routines: A Solution

You’ve read all the articles about the value of daily routines. You’ve made routines. You’ve tried them. You just can’t get the hang of it.

Should you give up?

No.

The problem is a broken routine.

Broken Routines are not Personal Failure

I want to start this article by pointing out that being unable to complete a routine regularly is not a sign of personal failure. I believe all people are capable of doing a routine; after all we all do some of the same things in the same order (think putting clothes on…you put socks on before shoes after all).

So being unable to stick to a daily routine, whether it be morning or evening, is not a sign of personal failure. It is simply a matter of a broken routine.

Signs of Broken Daily Routines

How do you know if your routine is broken? There are a few signs:

  • You can’t get it all done. No matter how hard you try, or adjustments you make, you simply can’t get the routine done.
  • You aren’t motivated to do it. You avoid doing the routine and sleep in instead.
  • You leave out steps. Somehow you start the routine, but every day you leave something out. Without a list in front of you, you can’t complete the routine…or sometimes with a list you can’t either.

All of these signs are symptoms of broken routines.

Are your routines broken?

Think about any routine that doesn’t seem to run smoothly and figure out if it is broken.

3 Steps To Fix A Broken Routine

Once you know a routine is broken, it is fairly easy to get it back on track.

1. Determine the Problem

Why is your routine broken? Which one of the sign(s) is it meeting?

  • Can’t get it all done? You have too many steps in your routine for the time you are allotting to it.
  • Not motivated? You are probably running up against a natural clock issue – a timing issue.
  • Leaving out steps? Something is illogical in your flow.

2. Find the Culprit

Once you know the problem, you can figure out exactly what the culprit is.

It is essential that you don’t overhaul the routine willy-nilly at this point, because you may end up changing the things that work, and make everything worse in the long run. You have to know exactly what part of the routine is giving issue and fix that particular thing.

  • Can’t get it all done? Look for the parts of the routine that are either too complicated, unnecessary or shouldn’t be part of a routine.
  • Not motivated? Look at the timing of each task. Figure out if moving the task to another part of your day would be more effective. If you’re not motivated because the list seems impossible, look for things that are too complicated.
  • Leaving out steps? Examine the flow of your routine. See if there is an issue with order, either place your are doing tasks (running all over the house) or timing (doing things out of order)

3. Fix the Problem

So you have determined the problem and identified the culprit. Next you have to apply the steps to fix it.

Is something too complicated? Make it simpler. Take it down to the bare bones. Make it into a mini-habit – something too small to fail at (think walk to the corner, do 1 push up, write 1 sentence, read 1 sentence)

Is something unnecessary? Remove it.

Should something not be part of a routine? Move it to where it should be in your day. Maybe you need more time to complete it, or you want to take your time on it. Move it somewhere where you can meet those qualifications.

Wrong timing? Night owls do not function well in the mornings. Morning people flag in the evening. Put the bulk of your tasks where you can do them. That might mean things like putting out clothes or showering in the evening or doing meditation in the morning.

Wrong place? Think about the place you do your tasks. If you are already in the bathroom doing personal hygiene stuff, it doesn’t make sense to stop in the middle of that and go and start the crockpot for dinner.

Wrong order? Figure out what the optimal order is. You wouldn’t put shoes on after your socks. Make sure you make things logical.


Your assignment: Look at your morning or evening routine and see if there are problems…and then fix them. Email me your results at laura@lauraearnest.com

Image by TalAtlas. Licensed under Creative Commons. Text added.