3 Ways to Establish a Routine

Many people quipped, after the announcement of lockdown and schools to be closed, “I guess I chose the wrong month to give up drinking…”

If you are still enjoying sobriety, well done. Booze or no booze you still need to establish a routine and for this I have three tips.

These are from my life experience and used and reused over the last ten years.

1. Wake up Boo! Set an alarm and get up at the same time every day. Seize the day can be replaced by seize the morning I always think. That’s the part of the day that runs away, so get up and at it.  From being a household that got up at 6.45am we are now enjoying the hugely indulgent 7.00am.

2. Engage in the Success 6. Divide your day into 3 parts with 6 tasks overall. Write your list the night before or the morning of. Do two things before 11 and have a break, two more then lunch, final two then head home, or out of your study, bedroom, or clear the kitchen table. This discipline comes from Ivy Lee often seen as an early pioneer of public relations. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits has written a great blog on this see https://jamesclear.com/ivy-lee

3. Your Reward – have your reward/s determined in advance. What do you want to give yourself and your loved ones at the end of a productive day and it doesn’t always have to be edible!
   After finishing this blog, we are setting up indoor table tennis. I was bought a fold away table tennis table some years ago and we play outdoors for a few weeks each year. I know my wife is over the moon with the fact we are bringing it indoors and taking over the living room. I am concerned about a lamp, windows and pictures too, but will do a big pep talk to my three teens in advance of our family tournament. That should cover it!