These are the 5 ways to implement a new routine in your life

Looking for an inspirational quote to start your new routine? Here it is: “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going”

Legendary athlete Jim Ryun said these famous words. But where do you get the motivation to start a new routine in the first place? We all want to fill our lives with more positive, healthy activities - from exercising and meditation to getting enough sleep and filling up on whole foods.

Implementing a new routine in your life can help you establish what’s important, track goals, stop procrastinating, make you healthier, and even help you live longer. Here are some ways to upgrade your daily routine and start grabbing those goals.

Find out what you care about

What do you care about? Start your day with an intention or mantra to put your mind in a positive state right away and help you achieve that laser-like focus. Ask yourself: ‘What would I stop focusing on to do this?’. Once you discover what’s important and what’s not - nailing down the new habits will take care of itself.

Track your time

We’re all guilty of frittering our days away, whether it’s wasting half an hour in the morning or whole weeks at a time. If you’re losing track of how you spend your time, start a diary for a couple of weeks, noting down what you’re doing every hour. Be honest, then categorise it into sections such as exercise, work, study and watching TV. See how much time you spend on each category, where you want to spend less time, and what you want to spend more time doing.

Eat the frog

Not literally - before you go and order a trolley full of French delicacies. The saying goes that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day. Put simply, if there’s something you’re putting off and avoiding through procrastination - such as that morning run or important phone call - do it first thing in the morning and the rest of your day will be a breeze.

Make it easy

If your new routine involves heading to the gym three times a week, make sure your workout gear is packed the day before ready to go. If you want to meditate every evening, set up a quiet place when you get in. If you want to eat healthier at work, prepare your meals in bulk on a Sunday ready for the week ahead.

Tell a friend

By sharing your intentions for a new routine or goal publicly, you’re more likely to stick to it. You can even go one step further and involve them in your new habit, especially if the goal is to get fit. Scheduling a workout with a buddy holds you accountable if you cancel - it’s one thing to ditch the workout yourself, but another to ditch a friend who’s counting on you.

In our blog, you can find tips and suggestions to help you Enjoy the Journey.