We're all creatures of habit but routines offer a way to promote health and mental wellness through structure and organisation. Having a routine can greatly improve your health. Many people who don’t have any type of routine suffer from:

• Stress. No routine often means having the constant worry of “when will I get it all done.”
• Poor sleep. Without a daily routine at work and/or home, you may find yourself playing catch-up with yesterday’s to-do list. If you’re always behind on what should have been done the day before, you’re likely also staying awake worrying about what didn’t.
• Poor eating. Unhealthy diets (like eating lots of fast food) become the norm if there isn’t time scheduled for grocery shopping. Quick, unhealthy substitutes become the next best food option.
• Ineffective use of time. Often, no routine means you simply run out of time, leaving things undone and not making the most of your time.

How do routines affect your mental health

Routines can be fun and don’t need to be boring. Their health benefits will make you wonder why you didn’t start one earlier. Some ways a routine can help include:

• Better stress levels lead to improved mental wellness, more time to relax and less anxiety. A lack of healthy stress management techniques can put you at greater risk for heart disease and negatively impact your overall health. We would recommend our DE-STRESS collection to help you relax and achieve an inner calm.
• Better sleep will leave you refreshed. Your daily routine influences your quality of rest. Your sleep schedule and bedtime habits affect your mental sharpness, performance, emotional well-being and energy level. It’s best if you can maintain a consistent time for waking and going to bed. We would recommend our SLEEP WELL collection to help achieve a well-rested nights sleep.
• Better health is a result of just a little extra planning. Set the alarm a little earlier and you’ll have time to exercise and eat breakfast, fuelling your body for the day. Even a quick (and healthy) breakfast will get you energised. Whether you like to just go for a run or go to the gym for a bigger workout, it’s important to make time for exercise. Explore our complete COLLECTION for improved wellbeing and overall health. 
• Good example setting will encourage others to try a routine as well. You demonstrate its importance and the positive effect it has on health, motivation and self-esteem.

Making time for what matters to you

Here’s another crucial bonus: routines allow you to carve out time to pursue your passion every single day. Once it’s a routine, there’s no more wriggling out of painting or writing or working on your business plan because you’re too tired or the muse eludes you.

Having a routine helps ensure you do things well. For example, if your routine includes a daily shower, you’ll continually get better at it. Sure, it’s harder to perfect your prose style than the way you wash your hair, but the same logic applies: daily practice is where the magic happens.

And if one of the things you happen to incorporate into your daily routine is a meditation practice, you’ll amplify all of the benefits mentioned here, since meditation boosts creativity and productivity while alleviating stress and anxiety.

How to create a great routine

Sit down with a pad of paper and write out everything you do each day over a week. See what you can cut or reduce. Then see what you can set as a normal routine, something you do at a set time each day or week. It has to work with your lifestyle. If you like to stay up late, getting up early as part of your routine may not work.

Once you have your routine, give it a little time and it’ll start to feel like second nature—but if you realise something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it. It can be worthwhile to alter routines periodically to keep things fresh and stimulating. This is another secret bonus of routines: once you’ve established one, the merest of tweaks can revitalise your day.

Kick-Start Your Life

Everyone is unique. Not everyone requires a fully scheduled day to reap the health benefits of a routine, so make the choices that work for you, knowing they’ll only make you healthier and more efficient with your time.