WEBVTT - Routines need a purpose

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to remember that routines need a purpose.

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<v Speaker 1>They are there to accomplish something in life, not to

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<v Speaker 1>exist for their own sake. I'm taking this tip from

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<v Speaker 1>a new book called The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi.

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<v Speaker 1>She writes about various hacks for making life easier, such

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<v Speaker 1>as making the same thing for dinner every Monday, or

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<v Speaker 1>giving everything a place. She loves routines and lazy geniuses

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<v Speaker 1>that take full advantage of these energy savers, but in

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<v Speaker 1>the book she notes that routines are on ramps to

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<v Speaker 1>somewhere else, not destinations themselves. The reason to have a

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<v Speaker 1>bedtime routine is to pave the way for good sleep.

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<v Speaker 1>The reason to have a morning routine is to start

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<v Speaker 1>the day in a calm and productive place. Ironically, she writes,

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<v Speaker 1>when you let routine be in charge, you ultimately miss

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<v Speaker 1>out on what matters. Anyway. I love routines too, but

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<v Speaker 1>I also love this distinction. We all know people for

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<v Speaker 1>whom the routine becomes the end point itself. Kids must

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<v Speaker 1>be in bed at precisely seven fifty five, and if

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<v Speaker 1>there's a once in a lifetime meteor showers starting at

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<v Speaker 1>eight pm, well too bad. Or a morning exercise routine

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<v Speaker 1>becomes so set that there is zero space for compromise

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<v Speaker 1>with family members. To take advantage of the benefits of

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<v Speaker 1>routine without becoming pointlessly rigid, it helps to ask a

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<v Speaker 1>few questions as we build habits. Most importantly, what is

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<v Speaker 1>the purpose of this routine? Why am I doing this

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<v Speaker 1>With a kid's bedtime routine? We're helping them feel safe

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<v Speaker 1>and calm and loved as they go to sleep. It's

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<v Speaker 1>at least partly about connection and in many cases about

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<v Speaker 1>sharing bedtime stories that produce a sense of wonder. So

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<v Speaker 1>in fact, watching that meteor shower with them could also

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<v Speaker 1>help them feel loved and help them feel that connection

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<v Speaker 1>and sense of wonder before bed. You're not staying up

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<v Speaker 1>late just because you're still getting at the deeper purpose. Sometimes,

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<v Speaker 1>as you pursue your purposes, it helps to remember that

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<v Speaker 1>routines can actually be flexible. They don't need to be

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<v Speaker 1>precisely time bound. For example, from December sixteen to December nineteen,

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<v Speaker 1>I ran at least a mile every single day. Yep,

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<v Speaker 1>that's about days in a row. And while my family

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<v Speaker 1>members sometimes ruled their eyes at this habit, I also

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<v Speaker 1>made sure that I didn't inconvenience them too much. I

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<v Speaker 1>was willing to run it pretty much any time of

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<v Speaker 1>the day, morning, noon, night. If I had insisted on

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<v Speaker 1>running at exactly seven am every morning, that would have

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<v Speaker 1>been pretty alienating and probably something would have happened to

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<v Speaker 1>make me unable to continue. But by focusing on the

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<v Speaker 1>purpose a small daily exercise habit, I was okay with

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<v Speaker 1>being a bit more giving on the details, and that

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<v Speaker 1>ultimately made the daily running streak possible. In any case,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're trying to build a routine into your life,

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<v Speaker 1>first focus on this why, as a Dachi writes, the

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<v Speaker 1>routine itself isn't what matters. It's simply an on ramp

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<v Speaker 1>to help prepare you for what does. So make sure

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<v Speaker 1>that you begin with what matters to you, not with

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<v Speaker 1>the steps to get there. Ultimately, these wisely chosen routines

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<v Speaker 1>have more staying power than those that are more militant

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<v Speaker 1>on the details. In the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>At i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.