On the 23rd of January, my first son Jonah was born. He was 8.6 lbs and 54 cm (tall like his dad — I’m 6”4’).
One of the biggest things that I’ve discovered with having a newborn is that your own personal routines get thrown out of whack. I’ve had very little sleep and I’ve found that all of my normal priorities have started to shift so I can look after him. However, one of the most important foundations that I’ve been learning about for a newborn is to create routines for their life. Right at the start of his life, as a parent, I’m presented by the challenge of setting up Jonah’s routines.
Routines are the things that drive our lives. Really, the sum total of your life is the sum total of your routines. Just like newborns need routines to be established, I believe that if us adults are to be successful, we must establish the correct routines in our life.
Routines are like a railway track. Whichever railway track you are running on, that is where you will end up. Routines are the conscious and unconscious patterns that shape our destiny.
So what are some positive and negative routines in our lives?
Bad routines:
- The late-night alcoholic drink
- Waking up late in the morning
- Not exercising
- Procrastination
What you will notice is that with your negative routines, they usually feel good at the time, but they end up having negative consequences. For example, when we have that late-night alcoholic beverage, which feels nice at the time while we’re drinking it, we usually feel a bit more drowsy in the morning. If this has been a regular routine for you, you may not even notice the difference of not having that late nightcap in the evening and the clarity you could be feeling in the morning without it.
Some of my good routines:
- Half a grapefruit plus lemon in a big glass of water each morning
- Reading over my beliefs before the day starts
- A 30-minute workout or run
- 5-minute planning time before emails each day
- Attending workshops and reading books regularly
So I’m curious, what positive routines keep you on the right track?
Please share your thoughts!
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