3 Must Have Routines to Design a Purpose-Driven Life
“If you cram a new task in anywhere, hoping you will still get everything else done, you will soon find yourself running late again and feeling like you’re not getting to the important things. ”
I’ve always been great at creating to-do lists and setting my purposeful priorities but routines? Ehh, not so much. I would write them down but would fail when it came to implementing them. For a while, I actually gave up on routines. I thought, “Well as long as I get to my goals and to-dos, it doesn’t really matter.” Yet, I was scrambling week to week trying to find time to make my goals happen. That’s when I realized that I could set the goals, but I needed a routine in place so I could make them happen.
While your purpose and goals are the main stars of the show, routines and schedules are the supporting characters that contribute to your success. They move the story forward by forming boundaries and structures around your goals and purposeful priorities to give you focus and flexibility. Yes, your goals and priorities alone are great, but your routines are what make them happen. But you can’t just have any routines, you need the right routines that are going to support and hold you accountable. Here are the three routines you must have to design a life that you and God love.
A Morning Routine
A morning routine is the best way to set the tone for your day. Research shows that you can actually increase the chances of your success by embracing a morning routine. The key is to design one that works best for you. And the great thing is that you don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn to do it. I personally enjoy getting up between 5 and 6 am because I’m most productive in the morning. But if you’re not a morning person, you can adjust your routine to fit whenever you wake up. My morning routine is designed to inspire, encourage, and motivate me to make the most of my day. I start off by having my quiet time, reading personal, business, or spiritual development books, and moving my body so that I’m ready to tackle my day. What activities can you do to create a motivating and encouraging morning routine?
Your Daily Flow
Your daily flow is how you design your day. It is the routine that you establish to keep on top of your purposeful priorities, responsibilities, and goals. You can do this by choosing themed days for your week or simply assigning your tasks, appointments, and priorities to a specific time each day. This ensures that you’re making time each day for your purpose and goals. Here is an example of what your daily flow may look like:
5:00-6:30 am - Quiet Time/Personal Development
6:30-7:30 am - Workout
7:30-8:30 am - Get Ready
8:30am- 5:00 pm - Work
5:30-6:30 pm - Cook Dinner
7:30-8:30 pm - Goal Action Steps
9:00-10:00 pm - Daily wind down
10:00 pm - Bed
Now this daily flow may vary based on the day or appointments you may have but it allows you to be intentional and proactive. It gives you the freedom and flexibility to make time for what matters most to you.
Personal and spiritual development
One of our values here at Life Designer University is to always be growing and in pursuit of purpose. That means constantly challenging yourself to grow and uplevel every area of your life. Every day I read or listen to something that is challenging the way I currently think, live my life, and run my business. Create a routine that gives you time to grow yourself. Read a book. Listen to a podcast. Enroll in a course. Hire a coach, or simply just try something new. As long as you’re living there is always an opportunity for learning and growth.
As you create these routines, remember to give yourself grace. You don’t have to go and reinvent the wheel to make things work. Try one or two routines at a time. Remember you can always reassess and readjust as needed. These routines aren’t meant to be perfect and they won’t always go as planned. As you grow and the season changes, you can always tweak these routines to fit what works best for you. The key is to be intentional in making sure that these systems and routines support and encourage you and set you up to pursue your purpose and achieve your goals.
