When I was young, I thought people who had a routine were boring. How could life be interesting if I woke up and did the same exact stuff every single day?
I can relate to those off days, and what’s helped me is having a gentle plan B for the 25% of the time things go sideways. Switch to a brain-calming herbal tea like brahmi or tulsi-ashwagandha. Simply switching my daily tea(I love tea more) to a herbal one, made me more alert & alive while keeping all of my other routine intact.
Caffeine can temporarily improve alertness and focus and boosts dopamine & norepinephrine levels in our system but there is a catch ...it overstimulates, leading to racing thoughts, restlessness, and jitters, gives only short bursts of focus before a crash that fuels a start-stop work pattern, can disrupt deep sleep even if you drink it in the morning, and over time makes your brain rely on it for dopamine just to feel normal because it resets your baseline dopamine level in the brain.
Mine moved to 3 cups when I swapped out N American coffee to Colombian. Did you know they dry their beans in the sun? Takes out the aggressive jolt: leaves in the good stuff. 😁
Ahhh, Justin: always singing my song.
I've never felt more boring than I've chosen to be this last year. Moved from a business that took me on global travel adventures and required constant lift to fund everything, to a year of figuring out wtf i was going to do with the rest of my life. To finally settle on it, and put myself in a routine that I mostly keep. Because it mostly works to keep it.
This "system" conversation was one I thought I was averse to. In my jet-setting, I 'm-40-and-can-do-what-I-want years, you guys were the boring ones. In this era, I'm studying the minutiae of your every move.
HA.
We change and realize new things. Can see things of value in things we thought were basic.
Many solopreneurs have trouble deciding what to work on when they sit down to work. Having some form of habit, as in when I sit down to work I start with this list, helps get things started.
Always enjoy looking for the J-Welsh punchline: "But I keep showing up because I've learned something pretty interesting. Routines give you permission to be good to yourself."
From this one, I self-define what "being good to myself" means and proceed...
And now I shoplift this one and share it with someone else in my travels today - Thanks Justin
I admire you. I'm almost 50 and I absolutely hate routine. My husband gets up about 6 am and has a morning routine. I get up between 830/9 am and struggle to get through the day with extreme boredom. I love to read, but I don't have full days to dedicate to reading. I write, but my stories sit untouched until the evening. I lack motivation to have a routine because I find routine utterly boring. I also have ADHD, PTSD, and high functioning autism. 🤷🏻♀️. So I definitely admire you for finding something that works for you, and go easy on yourself for days you get off track. Machines should be 100%, not humans. It's what makes us human.
I feel like this often, but I also have realized that they times when I don't follow my routine, something new often arises in the aftermath. There's always something brewing up there if you are able to listen to act on it, and sometimes it's even more powerful when it comes from a hiccup in the expected!
I make my deep work a habit. I used to put blocks of time to do work & more work, & study, & social, & exercise. It was draining. Now, I just block off 3 to 4 hours of work for clients. The rest of the time I am at the gym, walking on the beach, or playing basketball. This is definitely working better for me! Lol
I love my routine....especially on content creation day, which is Tuesday for me. By having a set routine I'm able to limit decision fatigue and I feel like my creative mojo is much stronger!
I enjoyed this read. I’ve gotten off my routine in recent months & my life reveals it. This serves as reminder that routines can make a huge impact on your life, while at the same time you want always do them 100% of the time.
I hear you -there’s something strangely liberating about accepting that routines don’t have to be perfect to be powerful. That 75% “win rate” is actually impressive when you think about how much life throws at us.
I can relate to those off days, and what’s helped me is having a gentle plan B for the 25% of the time things go sideways. Switch to a brain-calming herbal tea like brahmi or tulsi-ashwagandha. Simply switching my daily tea(I love tea more) to a herbal one, made me more alert & alive while keeping all of my other routine intact.
I like that approach, Pawan. Thanks for sharing, man.
Caffeine can temporarily improve alertness and focus and boosts dopamine & norepinephrine levels in our system but there is a catch ...it overstimulates, leading to racing thoughts, restlessness, and jitters, gives only short bursts of focus before a crash that fuels a start-stop work pattern, can disrupt deep sleep even if you drink it in the morning, and over time makes your brain rely on it for dopamine just to feel normal because it resets your baseline dopamine level in the brain.
75% of the time is good enough. And good enough is just that.
I think so too.
Strong coffee and low expectations make a winning combo.
Haha. Well said.
Mine moved to 3 cups when I swapped out N American coffee to Colombian. Did you know they dry their beans in the sun? Takes out the aggressive jolt: leaves in the good stuff. 😁
Ahhh, Justin: always singing my song.
I've never felt more boring than I've chosen to be this last year. Moved from a business that took me on global travel adventures and required constant lift to fund everything, to a year of figuring out wtf i was going to do with the rest of my life. To finally settle on it, and put myself in a routine that I mostly keep. Because it mostly works to keep it.
This "system" conversation was one I thought I was averse to. In my jet-setting, I 'm-40-and-can-do-what-I-want years, you guys were the boring ones. In this era, I'm studying the minutiae of your every move.
HA.
We change and realize new things. Can see things of value in things we thought were basic.
Hanging on every word over here.
Many solopreneurs have trouble deciding what to work on when they sit down to work. Having some form of habit, as in when I sit down to work I start with this list, helps get things started.
Yep. I just do the 1-2 things that move the dial…
I have to ask, what is your favorite coffee you mentioned? Coffee plays a big role in my routines and life
Jazzy Joe by Monkey Joe in Kingston, NY.
Always enjoy looking for the J-Welsh punchline: "But I keep showing up because I've learned something pretty interesting. Routines give you permission to be good to yourself."
From this one, I self-define what "being good to myself" means and proceed...
And now I shoplift this one and share it with someone else in my travels today - Thanks Justin
Nice! Thanks, Jon :)
“So I keep my expectations low and my coffee strong.” — looks like I’ve been doing this right all along 😛
I admire you. I'm almost 50 and I absolutely hate routine. My husband gets up about 6 am and has a morning routine. I get up between 830/9 am and struggle to get through the day with extreme boredom. I love to read, but I don't have full days to dedicate to reading. I write, but my stories sit untouched until the evening. I lack motivation to have a routine because I find routine utterly boring. I also have ADHD, PTSD, and high functioning autism. 🤷🏻♀️. So I definitely admire you for finding something that works for you, and go easy on yourself for days you get off track. Machines should be 100%, not humans. It's what makes us human.
I feel like this often, but I also have realized that they times when I don't follow my routine, something new often arises in the aftermath. There's always something brewing up there if you are able to listen to act on it, and sometimes it's even more powerful when it comes from a hiccup in the expected!
"Routines give you permission to be good to yourself."
Never thought about it this bluntly, but yes. I totally agree, and I used to hate routines.
I make my deep work a habit. I used to put blocks of time to do work & more work, & study, & social, & exercise. It was draining. Now, I just block off 3 to 4 hours of work for clients. The rest of the time I am at the gym, walking on the beach, or playing basketball. This is definitely working better for me! Lol
I love my routine....especially on content creation day, which is Tuesday for me. By having a set routine I'm able to limit decision fatigue and I feel like my creative mojo is much stronger!
I enjoyed this read. I’ve gotten off my routine in recent months & my life reveals it. This serves as reminder that routines can make a huge impact on your life, while at the same time you want always do them 100% of the time.
I hear you -there’s something strangely liberating about accepting that routines don’t have to be perfect to be powerful. That 75% “win rate” is actually impressive when you think about how much life throws at us.
Routines work for me. Its not some miracle morning BS. I just get up and start my day the same way almost every morning.
This consistency has really been a driving factor to our companies and my personal growth.