Motivation often helps to get things started, but if you’re relying solely on motivation to complete tasks, you could be waiting a long time. No one is motivated all the time, and it is not always present. In such cases, routines help you keep initiating and completing tasks. Routines also bring stability and balance to everyday life.
A balanced everyday life
Relying solely on motivation can lead to tasks piling up, stress, procrastination, excuses, and a decrease in self-confidence, especially when motivation runs out. Routines can be misunderstood as strict schedules without room for flexibility, but they are not necessarily like that. Many of us have certain habits in everyday life; for example, when we wake up in the morning, we repeat the same things and follow the same pattern before going out. Certain routines and order bring stability and security to the day when simple activities do not cause extra stress.
Shift work, varied daily life, family commitments, and other factors can pose challenges, but these can also be overcome with planning. Daily routines don’t have to be exactly the same every day. For example, in shift work, the daily routine of morning shifts differs from evening shifts, but similar days may share some similarities.
Creating your own schedule
Visualizing your daily schedule allows you to create routines accordingly. Incorporating exercise into your daily routine makes going to work out easier once it becomes a habit. At some point in life, many people surely experience a burst of motivation to start training. Initial enthusiasm and motivation initiate the activity, but when motivation fades, routines help to maintain consistency. Initially, sticking to routines can be challenging, requiring time for a person to fully integrate them. For example, you don’t brush your teeth based on whether you feel motivated; it’s a habit and part of your routine.
Continuing to practice or adopt new habits persistently, even when motivation wanes, eventually makes the activity effortless. The body starts to remember how good it feels after training, making it easier to continue, even with low motivation. When planning your schedule, it makes sense to create a suitable routine from the beginning. A schedule that is too challenging or involves too many changes at once can be impossible to maintain in the long term.
What if everything falls apart?
Every day is unique, and unforeseen events can disrupt plans. The entire routine may crumble, turning the day’s schedules upside down. Such occurrences are inevitable, but basic routines can help. Even when a temporary disruption affects your fundamental routine, it is often easier to return to established habits and routines than to attempt to regain control when everything seems chaotic. Routines don’t have to be rigid, and you don’t need to schedule each day minutely identically.
Being mindful of your own resources, tasks, and the structure built upon them helps, even on days that deviate from the norm. Studies have shown that motivation and attitude contribute to making physical activity automatic. Motivation, the enjoyment of the activity, and a positive attitude all help form habits, thereby reinforcing routines. Therefore, harness motivation to initiate and strive to construct activities that are easy to maintain in the future.
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Hopkins, N, Benstead, J, Wardle, M et al. (2022) Associations between Motivation, Attitudes, and Habit Strength in Physical Activity Behaviour. Journal of Physical Activity Research, 7 (2). pp. 74-80. ISSN 2574-4437