HEALTH

During stressful times, a routine becomes monumentally more helpful. But sometimes, it's kind of hard to implement structure into your life when you feel overwhelmed, out of control or just unproductive. That is why you need to create a routine for every day so that you'll already know what to do on the days when you have a *ton* going on.

There is no definitively perfect routine for you because we all have different needs when it comes to how we spend our day. The so-called "perfect routine" is one that you can turn into a lifestyle that is sustainable for the foreseeable future. A good routine is one that you feel good about doing during weekends or even vacations. Whether you're someone who wants to tackle procrastination, make more time for yourself, be more productive or want to add more structure to your life, we're here to help. 

Reason #1

Having a routine lessens stress and can therefore improve your mental health and overall wellbeing. Less stress benefits your sleep as well! Sometimes all the things you need to do pile up without you noticing, and you just get overwhelmed. A routine can help you make sure you get everything done or know everything going on. 

Reason #2

When you start creating a routine and implementing small things every day, you can start looking forward to it and feel motivated to accomplish it. If you add studying or homework to your hour routine, you'll feel better about completing it on time and not needing to worry about cramming at the last second. 

Reason #3

By adding a routine to your life, you'll get more time for your love activities. A routine doesn't just need to focus on school or work. Designate time for yourself! This gives you extra room to hang out with friends, read a book, watch some TV and do all the little things that you love to do.

Reason #4

If you're a more go with the flow person or don't like feeling confined to a routine, there are still things you can do! If you struggle with making time to do homework, try designating even just an hour to focus solely on it. Or, maybe break up the time into three to four segments. The same thing goes for the people who need to take time away from homework for a little bit or if you want to incorporate a workout into your day. 

Reason #5

A routine helps you feel more productive, motivated, focused, healthy and less stressed. There will always be things you can't control, but by adding predictability to your life, you'll feel better, more organized and more prepared for uncontrollable circumstances.

Try adding easy things for you to do every day at first so that your routine doesn't burn you out. For example...

Make a coffee every morning or a good breakfast
Wake up and go to sleep around the same time every day
Keep the times reasonable so you can stick to them fairly easily 
Workouts
Time to do homework/studying 
Eating around the same times 
Make your bed 
Read a book
Catch up on a TV show 
Call a friend 
Go on a walk/go outside

Why would a routine be helpful for you? Tell us on Twitter @girlslifemag!

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by Miriam Riley | 8/30/2021