Routines or Rituals…How do you get STUFF done?

Here is the latest article for the KV Style Magazine…as the doldrums of winter set in I though some inspiration for the mundane was called for. Enjoy the article online here.

Why do people establish Routines or Rituals?

This past week I noticed more and more people sharing their stress and discomfort around specific areas of their life. Is it the Winter blah’s setting in…perhaps, or is it a growing trend resulting from our ‘Hampster on a wheel’ lifestyle? One of the situations that struck me was regarding sleep. The funny thing was that it was not about children, it was in regards to adult friends who are having difficulty sleeping.

I am a problem solver and this one snapped me to attention. When my children were young we spent a great deal of time establishing routines for mornings, meals, after school, chores, bedtime and pretty much everything that we did more than once . It made life easier and less stressful for us and the children. It also made it easier for the Skipper and I to leave the children to have a date night…a routine is a routine…regardless of who is there to execute it.

Routines are not just for children…adults need them too!

The reason most people balk at starting routines is that it takes some work. The emphasis is on some. It only takes 21 days to create or break a habit and essentially a routine is just an established habit. These routines make it easier to get through things that you have to do every day…at home and it can also be applied at the office.

Over the past few years I got in the habit of complaining about chores like laundry.

I tried to apply my routine methodology and it just wasn’t happening for me. I really disliked laundry and I knew I had to change something about how I was dealing with the laundry because it wasn’t going away and I was turning into the grumpy Laundry Lady!

Now lets look at a ritual.

Rituals are meaningful practices…they have an engagement factor and are internally motivated, where on the other hand routines are perceived as a duty and the focus is on the completion of the task.

There are many situations where you may have a routine;

• Morning time
• Meal time
• Preparing for the work day
• Going to bed and falling asleep
• Making presentations or any work related activities
• Participating in athletic activities
• and yes…Laundry

When you shift the focus of how you do what you do from a mindless routine to a meaningful ritual it changes everything.

It changed everything for me in my laundry situation. I placed beautiful pictures of my children in the area where I do laundry so I think of them while folding. I found a funny wall print that brought humor to the area and I have established a laundry ritual that makes what used to be a dreaded chore a time when I bless all that we have while thinking of my family.

The reason we have rituals and routines is to prepare our body and mind for what is to come. Stephen King likes routines for writing and says, “Starting off with such consistency provides a signal to the mind to prepare for work”.

Rituals provide focus and a feeling of relaxation.

They provide us with stability and make us feel secure. It gives structure to our days and fulfills our need for organization….yes I said it, organization, in a way that inspires us to do what we do with intention and gratitude.

Think of areas in your life where a Ritual would be beneficial…this is such a fitting quote from Dr Wayne Dyer…’when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change’.