A daily routine is the key to living a healthy and happy life. If you don’t have one in place already, it’s never too late to start building good habits.
Happiness looks different to different people, so finding activities for your daily routine that brings joy to your life and help keep you healthy is the first step to creating the life of your dreams. Let’s take a look at some of the easiest ways to build a daily routine that you’ll enjoy following.
The Power of Habit
by Charles Duhigg
⏱ 14 minutes reading time
🎧 Audio version available
Focus on Building a Realistic Daily Routine
While we’d all love to dedicate an hour a day to working out and spend two hours before bed reading, this isn’t necessarily going to be realistic for everyone.
The key to building a daily routine that will make you healthier and happier is choosing activities that are realistic for the amount of time you have each day. If you know you have to start work at 9 am, don’t craft a three-hour morning routine that you’ll never have time to finish. Instead, aim to create a routine that fits into your work and family life.
Move Every Day
Not everyone has the time to head to the gym every day, but we can all find ten minutes to move our bodies. Find small pockets of time in your day to add in a short workout or walk, such as during your lunch break.
Making simple changes, such as walking instead of driving to work each day can be an easy way to sneak more movement into your routine without even trying. We all spend so much time at desks for work or relaxing on the sofa that we neglect to give our bodies the movement needed to thrive. Make this a non-negotiable addition to your routine each day, even if you only have five or ten minutes to spare.
Add Sleep To Your Daily Routine
Many of us focus on the daytime aspects of our routines but neglect to allow enough time to get seven or eight hours of sleep a night. Sleep is one of the most important factors for leading a healthy and happy life, and it gives us the energy to complete the activities we need to do each day.
If you constantly feel like you need a nap in the middle of the afternoon, it’s a clear indication that you need more sleep. Try to make the hour before bedtime a quiet time where you can relax and stay away from screens or anything else that may disrupt your sleep pattern.
Set Aside Time to Eat
We are often in such a rush that we don’t sit down and enjoy a healthy meal, and instead rely on processed foods that we can eat on the go.
If you are guilty of skipping meals or relying on takeout to feed your family, your daily routine should have space for sitting down for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day. Not only will this benefit your life and health, but it will also ensure you are feeding your family or anyone else you live with a nutritious and delicious meal.
Incorporate Rest into Your Daily Routine
As well as your sleep routine, it’s important to put aside time each day to rest and relax. Rest looks different for everyone; for some, it means crashing on the sofa in front of the TV, or it could mean reading for an hour in bed.
You don’t have to get into bed each afternoon for a long break to add more rest into your routine, but it’s important to shut yourself off from your work and being connected to your phone or laptop all day.
Spend Time Outdoors
Most of us spend too much time indoors working, and we often forget to spend time outdoors. Put aside ten to fifteen minutes a day to get some fresh air, even if that’s just sitting in your garden or on your balcony.
You’ll find that fresh air helps to boost your mood and can completely turn around your day. If you have a long lunch break, consider adding a lunchtime walk to your routine, which will add movement and nature to your routine each day.
Review Your Day Before Going to Bed
At the end of the working day or before going to bed, take five minutes to review your day. Look at anything you didn’t get done today and make this a priority the next day. Plan out your top three to five goals for the following day, so that you have some structure to keep you focused.
You can also use this time to think about what you are grateful for and consider any changes you can make tomorrow to make your life better. We so often drift through our day-to-day life that we forget to think about our goals, and this is a good way to ensure your daily actions are aligned with your long-term goals.
A daily routine is something that we encourage everyone to add to their life. It’s never too late to add a little more structure to your day, which can help you to live a healthier and happier life. You don’t have to create an extremely regimented routine to feel the benefits of this, and instead, work on a routine that’s flexible and achievable each day.
No two days are exactly the same, but a daily routine can keep you on track during even the most hectic of days.
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