Routine

That word, routine, conjures up different emotions and thoughts for me. On one hand I hate routine. It's boring, predictable, uninspired and lacks any sort of spontaneity that one would seek. Even the dictionary lists synonyms as ordinary and typical. Who wants that? Yuck!

On the other hand, it makes me think of very positive things such as habits and habits in my mind lead to success. I need to create these routines and habits in order to maximize my time and my chances of success. It allows me to plan better and be more efficient. There's a cadence to my day, like the bass line in a good EDM song, it keeps me going. As much as we may want to fight it, we are creatures of habit, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. When you create a habit, it becomes second nature. You don't have to think about it as much. You can focus your energy on other things. For instance, the more you practice your sales pitch and the more natural it becomes for you to deliver it, that allows you to pay attention to how the prospect or client is responding to it. What are their non-verbal cues telling you? You may never be able to pick up on that if you were struggling to think of what comes next in your presentation.

For me, I enjoy certain routines. The habit of waking up early and going to the gym or going for a run. It starts my day off on the right foot and gives me a chance to mentally plan for the day. There are other routines that are not so second nature for me yet, like writing these little articles. But my goal is to make that a habit as well so it becomes easier and I become better at it.

I encourage you to think of some things that you could turn into good routines, that if they became second nature for you it would free up much needed mental energy and allow you to become more efficient.