If you struggle to maintain a routine, this is for you.
This is something I've long struggled with. There have been times when I've had no structure at all. And then I've overcorrected and tried to structure everything.
Neither approach is likely to lead to a consistent routine (at least long-term).
The solution that I've found actually works: STREAKS.
Pick three or four important activities that you want to make into a habit. These could be professional, personal, or health-focused. It should probably be all three.
Here are my four priorities:
1. Run
2. Meditate
3. Read
4. Publish a Video
Every day, I want to do these things. Most importantly, I track whether I do them.
Then, it becomes a competition. I don't want to break my streak!
Running is a good example. For the past eight years, I've set an annual running goal. Until the past few years or so, I'd run into a patch when I'd simply stop running. I'd then need to start running every day to catch up.
But now, I just make it part of my routine that I expect to run every day. I'm also tracking how long my streak is, and I'm aiming to break my record streaks from past years.
I'm now applying this approach to other things.
I plan to publish a video every day of 2023. That's a big goal! To accomplish it, I need to make video production a part of my daily routine.
Of course, recording a video every day may not be realistic. But the beauty of this goal is that I don't technically need to record every day. I just need to publish a video every day.
Because it's a priority in my routine, I will plan ahead and record multiple videos when I want to take days off (like weekends and holidays) so that I can schedule those videos to publish.
I use the HabitBull app to track this stuff. This was a tip I read from Joe Pulizzi -- both here on LinkedIn and in his book Content Inc.
How do you maintain your own routine?
