Getting into a Routine- Weekly, Daily & Morning Routines

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Do you struggle to get things done and stay on task? Overwhelmed by all there is to get done? Can’t find the time to get your workout in, meal plan or meal prep? Sounds like you need to develop a few routines. Learn why getting into a routine is important and how to create weekly, daily and morning routines to help you get it all done and develop healthy habits. Plus grab my free morning routine template to get every day off to a great start.

Getting into a Routine- Weekly, Daily & Morning Routines

Why is Routine Important

Routines are important in helping you develop healthy habits. A routine is a way of doing things in a certain order. The more regularly you do something the more automatic it becomes and turns into a habit. A habit is something you do regularly that requires little thought.

There are a number of things you probably do that you don’t even have to think about. Taking a shower for example. I don’t know about you but I shower pretty much the same way every day. Wash my hair, soap up, shave, wash my face, rinse and dry off. I usually come up with great ideas in the shower because I don’t have to think about what I’m doing.

Routines can help you alleviate anxiety and stress. Knowing you’ve set aside time for everything that needs to be done can help you relax and do the things instead of worry about everything that needs to be done.

In a headspace article clinical psychologist Dr. Steve Orma, says routine helps with stress. He suggests you, “create a set schedule for doing chores, work tasks, meetings, exercise, paying bills, and all the usual things you need to do. Put these into your schedule. Once this becomes your normal routine, it’s easier to accomplish everything, because it becomes habit.”

That’s exactly what I do and I can tell you it has helped me a whole lot. I used to try to cram everything I needed to do for the week into one day. It was exhausting. Now I spread my chores out over the week. I even break my meal planning into 3 different days.

Breaking down your routines into weekly and daily segments will make life much more manageable. A morning routine will help you start every day off in the best possible way.

Weekly Routine

Your weekly routine should be made up of all those things that you have to do every single week.

Some examples of weekly tasks:

Laundry
Meal Planning
Making a Grocery List
Grocery Shopping
Going through Mail
Balancing the Checkbook
Paying Bills
Dry Cleaning
Cleaning House (floors, bathrooms, etc.)

Weekly Routine Example

Here’s my actual weekly routine. I’ve broken down the tasks I need to get done each week and assigned them each a day.

Monday is mail & bills day. I go through the mail, balance the checkbook and pay bills. Yes, I still balance my checkbook. I have a spreadsheet I use to keep track of it all. I like to tell my money where to go instead of watching where it goes.

Tuesday is the first half of the laundry. I do my son’s laundry and our towels. (Check out my Easy Laundry System here) I don’t really have a time for doing the laundry. When I wake up I put a load in and then change it out when I have breaks during the day.

Wednesday I finish the rest of the laundry & plan next week’s menu. I go live every Wednesday night on Facebook to show you how I make my meal plan.

Thursday I write my grocery list and “clip” digital coupons.

Friday I do the grocery shopping.

How To Make A Weekly Routine

To create your own weekly routine make a list of all the things you need to get done every week. Then decide which days those tasks need to be done. Be sure to spread your tasks out throughout the week. Loading everything up on one day will lead to stress & overwhelm. Try to give yourself a day or two off if possible.

Once you’ve decided which tasks will get done on what day you’ll plug them into your daily routine time blocks (see below).

Daily Routine

Your daily routine is going to determine how productive you are every day. I like to start my day with a strong morning routine (more on that below).

Try to be consistent with how you move through your day. This will make your daily routine second nature, something you don’t even have to think about, you just automatically do it.

Wake up at the same time, workout at the same time, eat meals at the same times.

I use time blocks to map out everything I need to get done during the day. The time blocks help me focus on the task at hand instead of worrying about everything I need to get done.

Daily Routine Example

Here’s an example of my daily time blocks. As you can see many parts of my day are the same every day. I get up at the same time every morning, eat breakfast, workout, get ready and start my work day the same time every day. My work tasks throughout the day may differ a little but I try to keep them pretty consistent as well. I eat lunch, snacks and dinner the same time every day. When I first started Timed Nutrition I put each meal on my calendar with a reminder. Now, I can tell you what time it is without looking at a clock because I’ve trained my body to be ready for a meal at certain times of the day.

Staying on Task

Save going through email for the end of the day because it can be distracting and get you off task. I glance at my inbox between tasks throughout the day in case something important that needs attention comes through but most email can wait.

Also, turn all notifications off to keep from getting distracted. No email or social media dings or flags popping up to take attention away from the task at hand.

Another time management method I use to keep me focused is the Pomodoro Technique. The technique uses a timer to breakdown work into intervals of 25 minutes followed by a short break. There are two reasons I really like using this method.

One, it helps me get up and move more throughout the day. I’m usually sitting at my computer working. If you’ve ever sat for a long period and then gotten up you know how uncomfortable that can be. Instead I set a timer on my phone for 25 minutes and when the timer goes off I get up and walk a bit or do a quick stretch.

Two, it helps me get started and stay focused. Sometimes it’s hard to get started on something, especially projects or things that are overwhelming. But if I know I only need to give it 25 minutes then I can take a break it helps me get going. And usually after I get started the ideas start flowing and the task becomes easier and less overwhelming. I also use the timer to minimize interruptions. If my son or husband needs me to do something I’ll let them know I can help them as soon as I’m done with this time block.

How to Time Block Your Day

You can use a digital or paper calendar or even just a piece of paper. I use a Google calendar to block out my day.

Include everything you do in your time blocks. It may seem like overkill but you want to account for every bit of your time. This will help you relax knowing you’ve got time to get everything done. It may take a few weeks to figure out how long it takes you to do certain things. I usually underestimate the amount of time tasks take. Pay attention and make adjustments as necessary.

Time blocking will help you see ahead of time if your tasks for the day are not realistic. On Fridays I set aside time to block my time out for the next week.

Here are some examples of what to include in your daily time blocks:

Wake-Up
Eat Breakfast
Meditation
Journaling
Workout
Get Ready
Drive to Work
Meetings
Work Tasks
Lunch
Drive Home
Weekly Home Tasks
Emails
Dinner
Bed time

Morning Routine

Your morning routine sets the tone for the rest of your day. It should uplift and motivate you.

I established my morning routine a few years ago after reading Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning. He researched how successful, high-achieving people start their days and turned what he found into what he calls a Miracle Morning Routine.

The miracle morning includes the following:

Silence (meditation, prayer)
Affirmations
Visualization
Exercise
Reading
Scribing (journaling)

You can do these in any order you’d like and spend as much time as you’d like on each.

Morning Routine Example

I pretty much do the same exact thing every morning. Saturday & Sunday included.

Here’s my morning routine:

6:00 am Wake-up, put on my workout clothes, brush my teeth & brush my hair, eat 1/2 a banana

6:30 am Miracle Morning- head to the chair in my sunroom.

First, I put on my noise-cancelling headphones , open the Headspace app and do a 5-10 minute guided meditation. I love that the app has a variety of guided meditations to help you focus on different areas like stress, productivity, focus, and personal growth.

Next, I open my Simple Elephant Journal, read my affirmations, look over my vision board and journal about the day before.

Then, I read the daily verse in the Bible App and whatever devotional book I’m currently reading. Right now that’s 100 Days to Brave.

7:00 am Exercise time. I head to my home gym and press play on whatever workout I’m currently doing through Beachbody On Demand.

After my workout I make my Shakeology to drink while I get ready.

8:00 am Shower time. I shower and get ready for the day. Even though I work from home I still get dressed (usually workout clothes), do my hair and put on a little makeup. I also make the bed before I head into my office.

9:00 am Time for Work. I sit down at my computer, set my 25 minute timer and start going through my time blocks.

How to Make a Morning Routine

To create your own morning routine, first decide how you would like to start your day every morning. What things are important to you?

Write your morning routine out so you don’t forget to do anything. You can use the Morning Routine Template in my resource library.

Create a space to do your morning routine in. Gather all the items you’ll need: journals, pens, reading material, yoga mat, weights, etc.

Creating routines will help you get everything done with less stress and help you create healthy habits. If you need help creating or tweaking your routines please reach out to me. I’m happy to help. You can send me a message by clicking here.