Tuesday To-Do: Signs You Should Change Your Routine

Happy Tuesday, friends. For those who might be knew to the blog, Tuesday To-Do, a weekly column on ember + march where I share a quick tip to help you get your week back on track, even if Monday as less than productive.

Today, I want to talk about routines. Having a set routine and flow is great when it works, but detrimental when it doesn’t. I’m a huge creature of habit and work best when I have steady and consistent routines. But life happens, things and situations change.

And even when you feel completely content with how you do things, it’s important to check in and insure that your routines are truly serving you.

In short, routines should make things easy. It takes thinking out of the equation. When I wake up, I know I’m going to make the bed, make coffee (unless I’m waiting to grab it at work), have some breakfast get dressed and head out. Always in this order, I always know what’s coming next and what I have time for.

There’s room for flexibility of course, but the consistency of routine makes my mornings go effortlessly.

Your routines should change with you and continuously benefit you, not hold you back. Here are some tell tale signs that it may be time to change up your routines.

You follow the process, but get nothing done.

If the steps you take to get things done are no longer leading you to your goals or completion of your projects, it’s time to make a change. Routines should make it easier to get more done, not prevent work from happening.

You feel burned out.

If getting through the steps of your routine leaves feelings burned out, lacking energy and uninspired to move onto the next thing, it’s a good sign that it’s no longer working for you. Routines should help revitalize you by breaking things down to their simplest form, leaving only what you need.

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You dread having to do it.

Some routines we do simply because we have to in order to lead healthy lives. Like brushing your teeth, or washing your face at the end of the day. Sometimes, you’d rather go to bed with makeup on but you’ll regret it the next day. How you approach your work or optional tasks shouldn’t make you feel this way.

Take a look at your current routines, and reflect on how they’re really working for you. If they leave you feeling burned out, uninspired, unhappy and unaccomplished, it definitely time to make adjustments. Try a change of scenery –go from the office to a cafe a few times a week.

Maybe you need to stop checking emails earlier to start your night time routine and get to bed a few hours early.

Or, changing your workflow might do a world of good. Regardless of how you address it, take the time to really assess why and how you do things. Don’t get stuck in old ways that don’t work out of habit.