Making New Routines That Stick
These days, I feel like I can barely scroll on social media without running into one of those “daily routine” videos. The video proceeds to show someone living a picture-perfect day that starts with waking up early, picking healthy meal choices, exercising, doing yoga, practicing mindfulness, spending time outside, and spending time with friends and family, all while somehow maintaining flawless work-life balance… Well, you get the point. Now, it is important to keep in mind that not everything we see on social media is real. However, I know whenever I see something like one of these videos, it makes me reflect on my own life and routine. Seeing one of these videos actually inspired me to write this post! I want to talk about a couple of things that can get in our way when it comes to creating new routines, as well as a few important things to keep in mind.
When it comes to creating our dream routine, it can be tempting to want to create one that looks like one of those influencer videos I mentioned above. We have to be realistic with the goals we are creating, and also recognize that our routines may not look like everyone else's! Someone who works a 9-5 office job will have a different routine than a stay-at-home mom, and to try to compare the two is just not fair or reasonable. We also have access to different resources and live in different environments, which may have an impact on what our routines look like. Goal creation should be a reflective process that takes many different factors into consideration.
Speaking of creating goals, a great model to use is the SMART acronym. SMART stands for: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Using this model can help us create realistic, obtainable goals that are more likely to stick. When using the model, we need to remember: it’s important to start small! It can be really tempting to go from zero to a hundred and hit the ground running, especially if there are multiple habits you are looking to change. Trying to change numerous habits at the same time can cause burnout, which in turn can lead to us reverting to our old habits and routines. Instead, we have to focus on one goal in particular and achieve that goal before moving on to the next one.
SMART is a great acronym, but it’s time for possibly the most important piece of advice: be kind to yourself. If forming routines was easy… Well, I wouldn’t have written this blog post! If you try to establish a new routine, and you find that you “mess up”, don’t be hard on yourself! It is important to remember that we are only human, and mistakes happen. Rather than beating yourself up, use this as an opportunity for reflection. Be open and curious as to why the mistake occurred. Did something get in your way? Is there something you can change to be more successful tomorrow? There’s a great quote by Nikki Giovani, who notes that “[m]istakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts.” Just because you make a mistake today does not mean that you are not making progress and that you’ve backtracked.
This blog post covered just a few thoughts that are super important to keep in mind when it comes to creating a new routine. Mental Health America has created a fantastic resource that contains both a breakdown of some of the topics this post touched on, as well as other great points to keep in mind! They also include a fillable worksheet to help you identify your routine goals and to help you plan it out.
