What are the first things that come to mind when you hear the words consistency and routine? We wouldn’t be surprised if you said some version to the effect of running in the opposite direction. It’s very common to link these words with boring, dull, no room for spontaneity, fear of missing out. You get the idea. We’re here to tell you that couldn’t be more untrue and, in fact, working on consistency and your daily routine could be the key to supercharging your life.
Now, an important point to mention here because you may have concerns about being flawlessly consistent: that’s not what this is about. This is about using our daily habits to create a routine and inherent consistency that we can meet most of the time. It’s not about being perfect because that really is not fun at all. It’s also about starting with smaller manageable habits so that, over time, we have a solid routine and foundation to build on and where we find being consistent is easy.
We’ve been reflecting on our own routines lately to understand what has helped us the most. There are some in here that you will have heard before, but for good reason because they do really work and are accessible to everyone.
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Making the bed - so easy to put off and so quick to do. There are many good reasons to add this to your morning routine. For us, it’s about signalling to our brain that we’re ready to start the day.
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Washing your face before bed - not just for the makeup wearers out there! We need to cleanse our faces of things like pollution too before our head hits the pillow.
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Drinking 8 glasses of water each day - this helps us to think more clearly, does wonders for our skin and generally keeps our whole physical selves in good working order.
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Switching off screens at least an hour before bed and not looking at them for the first hour after waking - if you’ve not done this yet, please do give it a try. We are surrounded by screens and information all day, every day. We guarantee that you’ll pretty much immediately feel the benefits from intentionally taking a break from them.
- Having a reset route one day a week - clean, do washing, put things away and generally tidy up. We usually do this on a Sunday to start the new week organised and with clarity.
Yes, ok I can see how these would be helpful for me too and would be good to add to my routine. But how will my life improve overall, you ask? Simply by completing a task that we set our mind to gives us a little boost. However, in our opinion, the superpower lies in the knock on effects being consistent with habits and routine can have. Take the example of getting a good night’s sleep. If you consistently get enough sleep you are more likely to have the energy to go for that walk before starting work, or you’ll wake up with enough time to have a slow breakfast. Before you know it you’ll have established that solid foundation we spoke about, be adding to it with lots more helpful habits and, over time, be en route to the life you want for yourself.
Try and find some time this week to reflect on your own routine and habits. Think about what is holding you back and what would help you to be more consistent. If you’re a bit stuck and not sure where to start, give the ones above a go. We’d love to know how you get on or if you have any habits you’d recommend.
