ROUTINE:
Definition: a sequence of actions regularly followed.
Example: Awaking after a lengthy sleep.

RUT:
Definition: Habit of behavior that has become dull and unproductive, but is hard to change.
Example: “You’re in a rut.” No one ever says: “You’re in a routine.”

In fact, the word rut is almost never said with a positive connotation unless we’re talking about standardizing ruts on dirt roads.

The word routine, on the other hand, is often given a positive spin. Mike Murdock’s phrase, “The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine,” makes a daily routine sound almost mystical.

It’s hard to find an illustration for routine, but this caricature of a woman with a clip board comes close if you imagine that every morning she sets out her task list before tackling the day.

ROUTINE CAN BE A POSITIVE FORCE

The positive reasons to have a routine are similar to the reasons we should practice time management and keep schedules. We establish a routine so we can plan ahead whether it be for five minutes, five days, or five years.

Routines establish good habits that can override bad ones, such as procrastination or rewarding yourself with a cookie after you eat fresh fruits and vegetables. If you make it routine to get up and wash the dishes instead of eating the cookie, you might forget about the cookie. I never do, but you might.

Routine activities don’t require thinking. My morning routine is to get up, drink coffee, read email and on-line newspapers, and give the cat his insulin injection. Experts say this sequence of habits saves me bags of time I might have spent thinking about what I need to do.

RICHARD BRANSON’S MORNING ROUTINE

Routines start in the morning. Branson’s routine is simple. He starts his day at 5:00 a.m. With that time he exercises to clear his mind, enjoy the endorphins, and keep himself fit. Then spends time with his family and dog. This puts him in a good mood and grounds him for the day ahead.

Branson once said, “The spirit of adventure motivates us to set goals, push ourselves, thrive in the face of hardship, and achieve epic feats.”

Routines are essentially about setting goals and pushing ourselves to achieve them. Brianna Wiest, author of The Truth About Everything, observes that routine gives us purpose, the happiness of accomplishment, and a state of mental flow.

We can set as many goals as we like,

but without a routine to support them, they’ll remain out of reach.

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Illustrations from Wikimedia Commons with Creative Commons Attribution.

Busy Cartoon Businesswoman by Victor Toons.

Richard Branson by Land Rover MENA.

Anne Cain. “A day in the Life of Billionaire Richard Branson.” Business Insider. Feb. 5, 2018.

Brianna Wiest. “The Psychology of Daily Routine.” Thought Catalog. Oct. 27, 2015.

Chris Winfield. “What Everyone Can Learn from Richard Branson’s Morning Routine. Business Insider. Oct. 2, 2015.

The post The Positive Benefits of Routine first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Some lists relate directly to productivity. Richard Branson once confessed, “I have always lived my life by making lists. These vary from lists of people to call, lists of ideas, lists of companies to set up, lists of people who can make things happen. I also have lists of topics to blog about, lists of tweets to send, and lists of upcoming plans.”

Branson offers several pieces of advice for making your own lists from practical (Always carry a notebook.) to fanciful (What do you want to have achieved by 2020? How about 2050?) Um, not sure I’ll still be on the planet in 2050. Anyway.

Branson, by the way, not only pilots a high altitude hot air balloon, but expects to board the first Virgin Galactic space flight later this year. Where does that go on his list?

My lists are mundane and based on the motto: “If you didn’t see me write it down, your request has disappeared.” I keep a calendar – because otherwise I have no idea what’s going on – actually, I keep two calendars. One for planning major projects, one for keeping appointments. And, if there’s going to be more than one event for the day, I scribble everything down in pencil on a piece of scrap paper, usually crumpled.

You may be wondering if there’s even the slightest relationship between the kind of lists Richard Branson makes and my hapless jottings. Actually, yes.

Lists, according to an NPR story by Linton Weeks,
• Keep us from being overwhelmed.
• Help us remember things
• Relieve stress and focus the mind
• Keep us from procrastinating as long as we remember we actually have to do the items on the list.

Lists can be made anywhere on anything – pencil and paper, computer, smart phone apps, or (my personal favorite) Post-It Notes. Arthur Fry revolutionized lists when he invented those yellow squares with the sticky strip across the back. Now available in all shapes and sizes, lined or unlined, and in a rainbow of colors, Post-It Notes stick on anything. Plus you can rearrange your color-coded collage of tasks any time you like. In fact, rearranging Post-Its can give procrastination the illusion of productivity.

“What did you accomplish this morning?”
“I reprioritized the company’s biggest revenue project”
“Good Job – I wish everyone was so productive.”

And the second best thing about keeping a To-Do List is that you get to cross things off. Richard Branson recommends: “Mark off every completed task. You’ll find making each tick very satisfying.”

Better yet, crumple up the bits of paper, and toss them in the bin.

Acknowledgements:

Featured Image: Portrait of a Writing Monk, Anton Laupheimer, US Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.

Richard Branson, “Top 10 Tips for Making Lists,” 2013,

http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/top-10-tips-for-making-lists

Nicole Yorio Jurick, “How to Make the Most of Your To-Do List,” Real Simple,

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/to-do-list-00100000077788/

Peter Walker and Jon Ronson, “Richard Branson Insists He Will Board First Virgin Galactic Space Flight,” The Guardian, Feb. 21, 1014.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/feb/21/richard-branson-first-virgin-galactic-space-flight

Linton Weeks, “10 Reasons Why We Love Making Lists,” NPR, Feb. 24, 2009. 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101056819

The post MAKE A LIST – CHECK IT TWICE – DO IT ANYWAY first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.