As the cliche goes, we are creatures of habit. It’s a fact that we are genetically hard-coded to gravitate towards repetitive actions. Those many little things we do the same every day, often unconsciously. How often do you brush your teeth, take a shower, even drive the whole distance to work, completely on autopilot?

We all do it. It’s our body’s way of conserving energy for more taxing situations and decisions that are less familiar.

And it’s also why it can sometimes seem so challenging to begin a new habit. It isn’t just a new physical action we’re undertaking, but also a new neurological pathway that needs to be formed in the brain. It can take weeks of repetition before our brains embed a new behaviour.

Habit = consistent action over time

So if you have areas of your life that you wish to change, or if you’ve identified personal values that you want to become recognised character traits, then the best way is to start by identifying the necessary actions that will move you in the right direction, and then repeat them until they become habits.

For me personally, over time I have learned that feeling healthy, mentally sharp, and with clear boundaries between work and private life are important to me. And so my daily habits reflect this.

After a good six or seven years of ‘self-work’, and a lot of experimentation with things like sleep pattern, exercising at different times, dedicating certain hours of the day to uninterrupted work etc, these are the routines that have stuck the longest and work best for me.

By following these steps, my head tends to hit the pillow most satisfied each day. And in periods (such as travel) when my routine gets disrupted and I find myself grouchy, foggy or uneasy, it’s usually pretty easy to pinpoint the fact that I’ve skipped some of these habits as a causal factor.

Note that this is my Monday to Friday schedule. Weekends I like to keep flexible – but of course there are certainly elements from this list that apply on Saturdays and Sundays too.

For speed, I have listed the habits in one fast list first, before providing a brief explanation for each one below:

Morning routine

1. Wake Up at 5:45ish, brush teeth etc
2. Drink a pint of water, with a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon
3. 15-30 mins Mental Exercise time – For meditation, reading positive quotes or affirmations, writing morning pages
4. Eat a banana
5. Drive to the gym – listening to a podcast or audiobook <link to podcast article>
6. Exercise (Yoga, EXOS, or an improv workout)
7. Eat breakfast

Find out more about my morning routine.

Workday habits

1. Write down 3 things that absolutely must get done today
2. Work Day Begins – I try to minimise time spent in meetings, and prioritise the 3 things listed above
3. I stand as much as possible
4. Headphones on and 40ghz Gamma Waves
5. Lunch with colleagues
6. Only respond to emails at specific times of day
7. ‘Bonus Activities’
8. Never take work home
9. Drive home – listen to podcast

Find out more about my workday habits.

Evening routine

1. Catch up with my partner
2. Eat dinner together at the dinner table
3. Set out my gym and work clothes for tomorrow
4. Offline by 8pm
5. Daily reflection / journalling
6. Go to bed by 9.45pm (ish)
7. 15mins Duolingo & Mondly language learning (currently Spanish & Dutch)

Find out more about my evening routine.

So that’s a snapshot of my average day. Obviously no day is perfect, but everything listed above is now so embedded in my routine that it happens day-in, day-out without me having to remind or motivate myself especially.

By honing and sticking to this routine over the past six or seven years, I can honestly say I feel healthier, stronger, more in control of my life, and have made such fast progress towards goals that it has surprised me and really changed my life for the better.

What works for you? I’d love to hear about your daily habits below.

For more on habits, I recommend reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and Atomic Habits by James Clear.