Change Your Routines, Change Your Life

It’s all too easy to think that true change has to be this huge, monumental task. But the truth is that our lives are created by what might seem like minutiae. It’s those tiny little details of day-to-day living which gradually add up to our life in a larger sense. If you understand that then it only makes sense that if you change your routines you can change your life.

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Change Your Routines, Change Your Life!

“How we spend our days is of course how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour and that one is what we are doing.” ~Annie Dillard

Many of us are evaluating our lives these days and asking questions such as:

What am I missing?

What am I enjoying?

What am I learning during this difficult time?

Are there parts of my previous life I don’t want to go back to?

This is truly an opportunity to make some life changes and despite everything, we can choose to see this otherwise challenging time as a gift.

Where do we start?

1. Begin by evaluating your current life. What does your daily routine look like? Consider keeping track of your time each day for a few days or a week.

How (and why) to Keep a Time Log

2. There are likely parts which are working well for you. Circle those. But let’s be honest – there are also going to be aspects of your current life that aren’t contributing to the life you desire. Draw a line through those. Some examples might include too much time on social media, time spent looking for lost items because your home is disorganized, picking up take-out several nights a week because you failed to plan a menu and shop for it, etc.

10 Time Wasters and How to Avoid Them

3. Make a list of everything you are responsible for and another of the things you want to do. That second list is especially important. This is where you list self care activities and all those little things that make your life satisfying and joyful.

45 Simple Self-Care Practices for a Healthy Mind, Body, and Soul

4. Create daily routines and rituals to ensure you get necessary tasks done AND make time for the activities which nourish your soul. Start with morning and evening routines. These will form the foundation of your day. Keep them short and simple to start with. You can add more later. Include at least one thing in each of these routines which is just for you. That might be as simple as a cup of coffee or tea sipped mindfully before the rest of the family is up and taking a few minutes for a skin care routine at night.

5. Look for ways you can make each day run more smoothly and add little moments of pleasure. Perhaps, like me, you’ll schedule afternoon teatime and read for 20 minutes or so. Maybe there is a long-neglected hobby you’d like to make time for. Stay mindful. Continue to smooth out the rough spots and create happy little rituals that bring you joy.

Create a Beautiful Life: Afternoon Tea Ritual

A beautiful life doesn’t just happen all by itself and it doesn’t happen overnight. However, if you work at it consistently, little by little, you can indeed change your life by changing your routines.

If you’d like some help, encouragement and accountability in your efforts to create a life you love, consider joining my Facebook group, Make Over Your Life With Dee. We talk about routines and rituals, self-development, time management and more in the group. We also do periodic group challenges. It’s a great place to learn more as well as receive encouragement as you work on your own life projects.

Click here to join: