Magical Daily Routines: Starting and Ending Your Day Right OR Start and End Your Day Right with Routine Magic
Systems vs. Goals and the Magic of Routines
As we all strive to be the best versions of ourselves, I came across an important distinction between systems vs. goals. Coming from a corporate working career, SMART goals, stretch goals, and achieving an end result were always the focus. The fact of the matter is that both winners and losers have goals. Goals have been driven into us as being the way to achieve. Although I do not discount the value that goals provide, there is an over-emphasis on creating and striving to achieve goals vs. the power of implementing systems.
Growth comes from the journey, not from reaching the destination.
We have all heard the idea that growth comes from the journey and not the end destination. When we focus on the destination and fall short of achieving what we set out to accomplish, we see ourselves as failing. This way of thinking prevents us from growing or reflecting to see what we learned from the process.
By focussing on implementing systems, we are more likely to appreciate what we have learned and how we have improved. Remember, minor improvements compound over time and lead to significant progress.
“Progress equals happiness. Even if you're not where you want to be yet. If you're on the road, if you're improving, if you're making progress, you're gonna love it. You're gonna feel alive.”
Tony Robins
"The Magic of Morning and Evening Routines: Boost Your Energy and Productivity"
The most basic systems to start implementing morning and evening routines. Morning routines get you going in the morning so you have the mindset to start the day off productively as reported in Harvard Business Review. They also have the benefit of decreasing stress levels, decreasing blood pressure, and improving sleep. Furthermore, implementing a morning mindfulness routine only takes a few minutes, and can make a significant difference in your perspective. After all, we have two things we do have control of in life - our effort and our perspective.
From Chaos to Calm: The Transformative Effects of Evening Routines
Evening routines help to relax you and get your mind and body ready to process the day’s events by improving your sleep duration and quality. This acts synergistically with morning routines and the same benefits are seen with people who follow an evening routine. My evening routine consists of the following:
Putting on red light glasses to block blue light and improve my body’s endogenous production of melatonin.
Doing a 5-10 minute relaxed stretching routine.
Reading while I go on my evening potty excursion.
Taping my mouth closed to increase Nasal breathing
Taking nightly magnesium bisglycinate (talk to your pharmacist before starting)
Journalling to reflect on What I learned today, How I grew, and What I will do differently.
This literally takes 15 minutes and my deep sleep quality (tracked through my Oura ring) has improved from a nightly average of 15% to 24%. I won’t say I jump out of bed every day but I do have more energy and I do not suffer from the snooze epidemic that plagued me for years.
Incorporating systems and routines into your daily life can help you achieve your goals with more ease and efficiency. By streamlining your processes and staying consistent, you can make positive changes that stick and set yourself up for success.