The Benefits of Routine

Have you ever wondered why some people can accomplish so much more than others in a typical workday? It's not necessarily that one person is exponentially more intelligent or experienced than other team members. It may have more to do with Aritstole's observation of, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit." 

Chris Winfield writes in Inc. magazine, "Establishing a positive daily routine is both a self-investment and a way to do your best for the rest of the world. It also provides additional benefits like giving you structure, building forward-moving habits and creating momentum that will carry you on days when you feel like you don't have the strength to carry yourself."

Winfield identifies the following keys to establishing a more productive daily routine.

1. Be positive. The Mayo Clinic reports that positive thinking reduces stress and can improve your health. Consider adopting a daily positive mantra that you start each day with, such as, "Today, I am going to be at my best."
2. Be proactive instead of reactive. Don't look at emails or social media the very first thing when you wake up or arrive at the office. Instead, pick one task that you want to accomplish and focus on that goal since that is being proactive, while responding to emails and social media posts are reactive.
3. Visualize success. Professional golfers and other athletes use visualization to their advantage. Hockey great Wayne Gretsky said, "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." Visualize how you want your day to go, focusing on specific achievements with a positive mindset.
4. Read more.  Reading exercises your brain, makes you a better leader and expands your worldview and knowledge base, even if you only read a couple of pages each day in a book, blog or magazine. Famed marketing guru Seth Godin rightfully points out that every time you finish a book, you feel smarter.
5. Be accountable. Have someone, such as a mentor, hold you accountable for reaching goals.
6. Write something every day. Write a blog that answers the questions your customers ask every day. Write down 10 ideas that you would like to try, from really small ones (like walking an additional block with your pet) to large ones (such as growing your business 20%).
7. Make a daily to-do list that is realistic. Don't place too many goals or tasks on the list. Your daily to-do list needs to be manageable and achievable.
8. Take frequent breaks throughout the day to recharge your batteries.
9. Break up your day. Divide your day into chunks and then specify the tasks that you will undertake at specific times.
10. Theme your workdays and weeks. Winfield writes that Jack Dorsey ran both Twitter and Square simultaneously without getting overwhelmed by specifying different tasks for different days of the week. On Monday he focused on management. Tuesday was for products. Wednesday was dedicated to marketing and growth. Thursday he concentrated on developers and partnerships, and on Fridays the theme was company culture and recruiting. Saturday he took off and he spent Sunday reflecting and developing strategy. It may not be realistic for you to assign full days to a specific task, but you may be able to dedicate chunks of time during the day to focus on specific issues.