All too often I hear people say routines are boring, regimented, and stick in the mud.
They claim routines don’t work for them because they’re too limiting or constricting.
They’re rebels who want to be FREE to do what they want, when they want.
But my FAVORITE excuse for why routines won’t work for someone is because of their personality type or enneagram number.
Hold onto your coffee cups, friends. Because that’s just NOT true.
9 REAL REASONS ROUTINES HAVEN’T BEEN WORKING FOR YOU
There is a REASON (an actual bonafide reason—actually one of NINE reasons) routines haven’t worked for you in the past or aren’t working for you now.
(And it’s not because you’re a certain personality type or enneagram number, so you can take that excuse and throw it down the garbage disposal.)
I know routines have got a pretty bad reputation, but I’m here to fix that!!
In this post, we’ll dive into the 9 reasons WHY routines haven’t been or aren’t working for you AND then I’ll share a little something that I think will make all the difference in creating, implementing, and sticking to routines for you.
1 | YOUR ROUTINE WAS BORING
If you’ve ever found yourself saying you don’t like routines because they’re boring… I hate to break it to you, but that’s on YOU!!
Your routine should NEVER be a snooze-fest.
But if it is putting you to sleep or you feel like you’re just going through the motions with little to no effort or emotion, it’s time to change things up!!
👉🏻 You want to actively be involved and enjoying each and every step of your routine.
2 | YOUR ROUTINE WAS TOO LONG / YOU WERE TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH
No matter the season of life you’re in, you’ve probably got a lot going on. A family to care for, a business to run, work to get to, things to do, people to see, and places to go.
You don’t have ALL DAY to spend on your routines, let alone one routine.
Bottom line, long routines are hard to maintain and consistently do.
👉🏻 You’ve got to figure out how much time you can realistically give to a routine and then make the most of that time for you.
3 | YOUR ROUTINE WAS TOO COMPLICATED
Whether it was hard to follow, hard to remember, or just plain hard to do, complicated routines are no good for you.
Honestly, if your routine is complicated, you will not (or will find it very hard) to follow through.
You need to remember The KISS Principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid (or, as I like to say: Keep it Super Simple because I’m a lady that way)!!
👉🏻 There is beauty in simplicity, after all.
4 | YOU DIDN’T MAKE TIME FOR YOUR ROUTINE
You will never just FIND the time to do your routines (or anything for that matter). You have to MAKE the time!!
And by make the time, I mean actually set aside time in your day by putting it on your digital calendar or writing it in your paper planner.
👉🏻 Think of your routines as non-negotiable appointments with yourself!!
5 | YOU DIDN’T SET THE INTENTION OR COMMIT TO YOUR ROUTINE
Setting an intention is the same as knowing WHERE you want to go.
In the case of routines, setting an intention is the same as knowing WHAT you want your end result to be—which is pretty important.
Committing to those routines is ALSO really important because it tells you HOW you’re going to get to that end result.
You can’t do one without the other.
👉🏻 But as long as you set the intention, commit and stick, you’ll be good to go!!
6 | YOUR ROUTINE DIDN’T RESULT IN ANYTHING OR BENEFIT YOU
If your routine doesn’t benefit you, help you get somewhere, help you do something, or give you a result you want, you won’t (and shouldn’t) do it.
Every single one of your routines should be benefitting you in some way, shape, or form.
👉🏻 If you’re not seeing results from your routines, it’s time to rethink or tweak them.
7 | YOUR ROUTINE WASN’T MADE FOR YOU
It’s really easy to see someone you admire talk about their routine and think:
“If it works for them and they’re [insert desired result] then I’ll be [insert desired result] if I do exactly the same thing.”
But that’s not always the case.
What works for one person may not work for you.
👉🏻 Routines are as personal as your underwear preference (ok, maybe not *that* personal, but you get the idea) and should be made to work for YOU and YOUR lifestyle/season of life.
8 | YOUR ROUTINE WAS FULL OF FLUFF
There is NO ROOM for routines that don’t make your day-to-day life better, easier, or funner.
Fluffy routines that don’t benefit you, get you anywhere, or help you do anything are just keeping you busy. (And you already know busy is not the same as productive!!)
👉🏻 You should be concentrating on routines that are useful to you!!
Related Post: How I’m Breaking Up With Busy
9 | YOU DIDN’T LOVE YOUR ROUTINE ENOUGH
If you’re one of those people who say routines don’t work for you, it’s because you’ve never had a routine that gave you heart eyes. (Yes, like the emoji 😍)
If you run on routines you love, you won’t mind doing them. In fact, you’ll look FORWARD to them!!
👉🏻 It may take a little time and effort to figure out what works best for you, but once you nail your routines, you’ll notice a huge life change.
HOW TO START RUNNING ON ROUTINES YOU LOVE
If you’re someone who longs for some structure in your day-to-day life, but has had trouble creating, implementing, or sticking to routines in the past, I invite you to check out my signature course: Running on Routines!!
Whether you work full-time or part-time, are a business of one, managing a team, doing the mompreneur juggle, or side-hustle thing, I know that keeping up with your life, your home, your family, and yourself can be hard.
But you can’t just copy and paste someone else’s routine into your life and hope for the best. Routines need to be made for YOU and YOUR lifestyle/season of life!! With my signature step-by-step processes, you’ll be up and running on routines you love in no time!! 😍
CHECK OUT RUNNING ON ROUTINES TODAY
(Don’t forget to use the code ROUTINESBLOG at checkout to get 10% off!!)
Routines really can change your life if you let them. Hit the comment section (or send me an email if you’d like some privacy) and tell me why you think you struggle with them. I’d love to be the person that helps you get going with them!! 😘
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