I’ve always been pretty resistant to the idea of a routine, but I know that when I have a reasonably set schedule I also have better productivity.
When I wake up without a clear idea of what I’m going to do, it’s too easy to have a nice relaxing breakfast, read a little, and maybe if I’m lucky, I get to work by about noon. Following a routine, even a loose one sets me up for better productivity throughout the day.
The truth is, whether we want to accept it or not, we are hard-wired to have a daily routine. We like to eat at certain times, sleep at certain times, and work at certain times. When your work requires you to be creative, it’s easy to let that last one slide and have work overpower everything else in your life.
And this causes stress and overwhelm because we’re always rushing from one thing to the next. Or spending so much time on the creative part of our work, everything else falls by the wayside.
How Changing Your Routines Sets You Up for Better Productivity
Having a routine allows you to predict your day, at least to a certain extent. And if you follow it (yes, having a routine and following it are two very different things) you can definitely set yourself up for better productivity.
A daily routine lets you plan your day in a way that makes the best use of your time for you and your business. Having a schedule also makes it easier to predict income and expenses too, especially if you do client work. Setting up your schedule to have set billable hours means you know roughly what kind of income you are looking at for the month.
But even if the only “client” you have is yourself, you still have find ways to get the work done. Especially if your income relies on you creating content and products for sale. If you don’t get the buy buttons out there, it makes it hard to determine what, if any income you have.
Your Routine Doesn’t Have To Be Overly Complicated
Planning your day and creating routines gives you the space and the freedom to make good choices every day. And if what you’re doing isn’t giving you that space and freedom, you’re probably making everything harder than it has to be. And that’s the best time to make changes in order to
Your schedule doesn’t have to be overly complicated. For example, my daily schedule looks a little like this:
- Early morning – journaling, exercise
- Morning – Creative work (journal and printables production)
- Afternoon – Marketing, Content creation, and Tech stufff
- Evening – Creative play – playing with things like Repper, learning AI tools, etc.
The actual tasks that fit into those time blocks will vary depending on what I have going on.
It’s also important to remember that the actions you add into your routines should help to make a difference in your business and your life. You should always be working toward a goal of some sort so that you will know when the work you’re doing is producing results, and when it’s time to change things up again.
What Will You Get Out of Setting Up a Workday Routine?
The benefits of creating a workday routine that works for you are many. Here are just a few example of what you can do when you have a routine:
- spend more time with family
- have more time with friends
- decide which work is most important
- figure out what to outsource
- decide which tasks can be automated
- get more done each day
- understand what really matters to you
- make more money
I don’t know about you, but I kind of like the sound of all of that. Life’s too short to be chained to your computer all day every day just because you’re not working as smart as you could be.
Creating smart routines that work for you is a powerful solution for living your best life, whether you run your own business or work at a job. We are all creatures of habit and once we accept that, it gets a whole lot easier to create healthy habits that ensure better productivity and more creativity.
Do you have a workday routine that helps you be more productive? Share your favorite tips in the comments below.
