Progress Report 1.0

  Ok all my free-spirited friends out there.  Say this with me... "Routines are my friend."  Yes, I know, just the thought of a routine makes me cringe a little bit.  After all, routines are dull and boring right?  But truth be told.  The way to take your game to the next level is to get into a routine.  Routines are essential for everything in life, from personal growth to good skin care.  Why?  Because routines create habits, and habits, over time, create lifestyle.  I don't know about you, but I have a whole lot of lifestyle I want to create, and that means I've got a whole lot of routines I need to adjust to, and I'll be honest.  This is one I'm still progressing on myself.  I haven't mastered sticking to routines, but I do have a handle on the basics of creating and implementing them, and there are two things you need to know to generate effective routines in your life.

1.  Routines must be simple.
  When I get up in the morning I have a very simple routine.  Let out the dog; start the coffee; let out the other dog; read and pray; let out another dog.  Now, admittedly, the most complicated part of this routine is walking to the door multiple times to let out multiple dogs, but, the point is that, every morning I basically do three things to start my day:  drink coffee, let out dogs, and read and pray.  I rarely ever miss a morning of reading my Bible and spending time in prayer, because it's part of my routine.  It's how I start my morning.  I've built this into my life as an essential component, and starting my day without it just seems wrong.  I have a habit which I've created by making my reading and praying time a part of my routine.  Additionally, I don't make my reading and praying time overcomplicated.  I read a few chapters of my Bible and a daily devotional.  I usually spend a few minutes in prayer and journaling, and I move on with my day.  I keep it simple.  There have been times in the past when I attempted to add multiple extra steps to my Reading and Praying routine such as memorizing a verse, praying specific prayers, or reading multiple books, and although all these are good things, they overcomplicated my routine, and pretty soon I was skipping over it because it was too overwhelming.

2.  Routines must be repeatable.
  If you plan to create a routine that you can stick with on a regular basis, you must make sure it is something you can do over and over.  For example, I might be able to go out and run ten miles one day a week, but I do not have the time or the muscle strength to do ten miles every day.  I would be exhausting myself, fatiguing my muscles, and neglecting other things which need done.  This would eventually cause me to skip or give up this routine all together.  However, it's much more repeatable for me to do a ten minute workout daily.  By picking something within my range of achievement, and choosing a time which is manageable, I give myself the ability to easily repeat this action day after day.  Similarly, if you want to start a reading habit, do not set a goal for yourself to read one book every day.  Try starting with ten minutes.  This is a habit you can repeat daily without too much trouble.  Once you have gotten the hang of this, and it is an established routine in your life, then you can begin to increase your reading time from there.

  Not only will routines save you time, but Michael Gerber goes as far as to say that, "systems permit ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results predictably.  However, without a system, even extraordinary people find it difficult to predictably achieve even ordinary results."  (As taken from The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell)  Start today to create simple, repeatable routines in your life.  These will form the basis of your habits and help you create a life full of achievement.  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.W.