Routines and habits allow you to get the most important things done without any effort or worry.

It's the main secret why I am able to do many things in a day without breaking a sweat, for a long period of time. From the 20-year long meditation practice of 2 hours a day, to the writing routines in the morning, to exercise, food, sleep, language learning, Pokemon Go (in previous years) and social interactions. After all, what people normally call discipline is most often routines that work wonders.

However, it can be tricky to install new routines. Here are some helpful tips that have worked wonders for me:

Schedule the routine in your calendar

Your calendar should reflect all the planned events you have throughout the day. Routines are planned events.

Therefore, if you want to create a new routine for yourself, put it as a recurring event with a specific start and end time. If you want to meditate 20 minutes, make sure to put these 20 minutes where it suits you. For some days, you can adjust the specific calendar block.

The main benefit is the extra freedom of not worrying if it will get done. As long as you check your calendar very often on your homescreen (using the calendar widget), you will be remembered when it is time. Learn more about using your calendar effectively here.

Create a chain of routines

Habit stacking is when you create a chain of behaviours following one another, with specific start signals. Examples are doing 10 push-ups directly before lunch. Or visiting a certain app directly after breakfast. When it is clearly tied and visualized following another activity, the routine will be set

On the calendar, you can group many routines in the same block. I have a recurring calendar event in the morning which says "Writing, Walk, Breakfast (Quizkampen & Tinder), Product Development". It means that I will perform each activity in sequence, and visiting two apps when finishing breakfast.

If thrown off, go back and adjust/make it smaller

Let's be honest, life happens. If there is a particularly busy day and the routine did not get done, look back in your calendar and check what went sideways. If it was a temporary occurence, you do not need to adjust the routine, but if it is a permanent pattern, you might want to change the routine.

The most important aspect is the regularity. You can make the routine very small as long as you stick to it.

In the classic Atomic Habits (affiliate link), author James Clear tells the story of one person who wanted to exercise. For the first month, he only went to the gym for five minutes and then back. He was practicing the art of showing up, no matter the circumstances, and improved gradually with time. He lost over 100 pounds in body fat.

Lastly, you can also modify the activity itself to achieve the same intended outcome. As long as you make it easy and accept yourself in the process, the routine will be a part of you.

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