How do you start doing the things you want to do?

One of the answers is to develop intentional routines. 

When you read about people and their outstanding achievements or discuss with someone who looks fulfilled, you often find there’s a set of productive habits behind. And the same goes for people who have issues; they often stem from a collection of bad habits. 

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Will Durant

What is an intentional routine? 

A set of good habits put together. 

I became familiar with the concept when I first read “The 7 habits of effective people”.

But I started to implement it with the easy blueprint of “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod.

So the question is, “Why implement a routine? “

 

3 reasons to implement a routine

Consistency

As with investment, the compound effect is magic. It’s the same for your habits. Whatever you do regularly will bring you progress and results. Consistency is the best friend of anyone who wants to do something. And guess what? We all want. 

Health

We often see children bursting with energy, full of joy. Sometimes, it can be too much to take when you’re a parent😊. 

Part of it comes from being young, the other from their routines

Most children go to bed at a particular time (usually early) and wake up at the same hour. 

But have you noticed? When you break their routines, children become tired and more nervous. Do that often, and you’ll suffer as a parent.😊

As an adult, rebuilding an intentional routine brings more regularity. Often you get undirect effects. You sleep better, eat healthier, and you move more. As you’re less tired, you make better choices in your daily life. And again, small improvements every day have a tremendous effect in the long term. 

Time for you.

One of the biggest challenge in this era determined by information overload and competition is finding harmony in our lives. 

It’s not easy.

In between families, friends, work, and personal hobbies…

 “I have no time for myself” is the most common challenge we face.

We all consume information. But we rarely produce our own art. And everyone has something to create–writing, drawing, thinking, learning, moving–and so on…

Routines provide you with the personal time you’re searching for, and that’s why so many people report a drastic change in their life once they adopt them.

But I don’t have time? 

That is the beauty of the routine concept. You already have one. 

The difficulty is that we have built passive routines based on external stimuli, on all the entertainment options we are constantly bombarded with: Netflix, the internet, social network…

The question is not “Do I have the time?” but “How do I reprioritize the time I have to do things I want to do?“

It’s a pure quadrant 2 activities. It’s “not urgent but important”. When you take the 2 hours needed to build your intentional routines, you create something that has the potential to change your life forever. (if you execute it😊)

When to do your routine? 

There are many ways. Some people follow their routine in the morning, others at lunchtime or in the evening. I believe strongly it is best to do so in the morning.

100% responsible. Before the day starts, you have no excuses, there are no distractions. You are in control. It’s a great feeling of achievement. 

No matter what happens during the day, and we know that a lot could happen, you did it. 

Every day you start with more self-esteem, more confidence. You’re ready to tackle the challenges you face. (The one thing that makes or kills your day)

Integrity is something that begins with you. You keep the promise you made to yourself. 

Five years ago, under the impulsion of the miracle morning. I started my morning routine. It evolved over time, but the mindset is always around thinking, learning, and producing. 

What’s my actual personal routine? 

• Brush my teeth.
• Drink water.
• Drink a squeezed fresh lemon.
• Take some time to pause ( breathing, gratitude thoughts, reviewing my main goals mentally as if watching a movie).
• Prepare and drink my earl grey tea.
• Journaling. 
• Learning focus. This year I’m finishing a one year focus on german.
• 7 minutes work out using the 7MWC apps. 
• A quick shower, starting with warm water and ending it cold.

That’s it. I’m then ready to attack the day full of energy. 

What has it brought to my life? 

After five years of following this routine daily, the compound effects are incredible. I’m richer emotionally, intellectually, physically, spiritually, and even financially. I can’t list all the things I have achieved thanks to it, but let’s summarize part of them in 2 blocks.

Health: As I mentioned above, the concept of a set of good habits has ripple effects. For me, they are : 

• Not being injured in any competition despite a high workload training to prepare for marathons.
• Stopped drinking coffee. 
• Started the 16/8 intermittent fasting.
• Eat fruits only as the first thing to start my day. 
• Eat more vegetables. 
• And, the most important, succeeding to go to bed early and appreciate it. That’s when I can read. (see: Do you want to achieve more? Sleep better)

Emotional/intellectual

• Reading more thanks to my habit of going to bed early. (see A year in reading. My 5 books to implement new ideas in real life.)
• Reflecting every day by writing. It’s like having a personal coach next to me daily. (see: Why should we all be writers?)
• Gaining clarity and focus on my goals. (see: How to build your life plan?)
• Learning is my fuel. With this routine, I have time to dedicate to that every day. I’ve added two new languages to my portfolio by practicing 30 minutes a day. (Get instant access here to my method.)
• Launching this blog, most of the thinking process and part of the execution come from my morning routine. 

Conclusion. 

We all have dreams. We all have things that are important to us. We all need time just for ourselves. (see: How to launch and succeed in a project that is close to your heart?)

If you want to be the best version of yourselves, to be better with the people you love, you have the responsibility to make time for yourself. The morning routine is a perfect system to achieve that.   

What is your actual routine? 

What is a new one you want to intentionally design?

Have fun.