Have you ever written down a routine and thought that you would follow it? But never could. If yes, same pinch, I never could either. I have made hundreds of routines since I was 9 or 10 but it stayed on my notebooks or sometimes on my wall.

Childhood

I grew up in a strict household so since I was a child my mother used to tell me to follow a routine.

Wake up at this hour then brush, freshen up and eat your breakfast. Get dressed, go to school, come from school and have lunch. Rest, wake up in the evening study until dinner is served and finally go to bed. Oh and of course brush before you go!

I thought okay why not? I wanted to make her happy so I made this routine down to the very minute but never could follow it for half of the day!

For example, I set up from this hour to this, for sleeping, but I ended up sleeping more. This hour to this, for studying, I ended up studying less. This to this for T.V., but for the last few hours I am in front of it. Hopefully, you got the point.

Grown-up Now

It has been almost two decades since then.

Do I still write a routine? No. Do I have a routine? Yes. Have I learned to follow it? The answer is both Yes and No.

You see over the years I realized it is okay not to accomplish all the tasks that are in the routine. I am not perfect, in fact far from it. And if I force myself, I will be able to do it for a day or two but won’t have any long-term benefits.

Following a routine or lifestyle should come from a sense of necessity, not because of some external pressure.

It’s like your conscience telling you to eat or time to go to sleep.

If you do it to impress others or because someone is constantly telling you, you won’t be able to maintain it. At least I can’t at all.

Does that mean I am far behind? I don’t think so, I just do things differently from the rest.

Lesson Learned

So all I want to say is, it’s okay to spiral out of your routine. Nothing is wrong just because you couldn’t follow it. Rather if you feel the regret that everything went to zero that means you are progressing. It means you are making it a habit of yours.

Keep moving forward and it’s okay to pause the routine to relax or do something you like.

Thank you for staying until the end!