Do you ever wish you could make your day more productive? If you ask someone what they did yesterday and what they will be doing tomorrow, it will generally be the same as what they did today, with possibly a bit of variety at the weekend. I know this because I have asked.

When a Routine Works — and When It Doesn’t

Some of the things we do on a daily basis can’t be changed that much.
Most people have to go to work at a specific time or else they’ll get fired.
If you’ve got kids, you can’t vary the time you pick them up from school either.
You probably eat at the same time each day, go to bed at the same time and set the dreaded alarm for the same time too.
These routines have been optimised over time and work for you, for the most part anyway.

It’s the other things you do routinely that may not be doing you any favours in the long term.
With the odd exception here and there, if you were to think about the last 30 days, would you say it’s almost been like Groundhog Day, same shit, different day?
What about the last 3 months?
Dare I say, the last year even?
Well, I do dare say, but I won’t go back any further than that, as it might depress you as you contemplate it; it certainly did when I did it.

How We Convince Ourselves We Don’t Have Time

We live in a weird time with its even weirder paradox.
We’re all busy rushing around, impatiently trying to get things done, complaining there aren’t enough hours in the day, with too many things vying for our attention.
But is it really true, or is it just a load of bollocks we tell ourselves to let ourselves off the hook because we just can’t be arsed to put in the effort needed to do something different?
While I can’t speak for everyone, I have to admit that, in my own experience, this has happened far more often than I would like.

I’m not going to dwell on the psychological reasons we do it, except to repeat one that many others will tell you: the subconscious likes routine because what kept you safe yesterday will probably keep you safe today.
Whoopee do, so you now know a reason why, if you didn’t already, but knowing it doesn’t stop you from doing it. If it did, I should have conquered this well-meaning behaviour a couple of decades ago.

Overcoming this inertia will require conscious effort, deliberate action, and the ability to hold yourself accountable.
That sentence alone is probably enough to put most people off.
But not me, and if you’re still reading, I hope it’s not you either.

You’ll find these are the traits of the truly successful (as opposed to the flash-in-the-pan types).
Some people are naturally this way, the luck bastards, but the rest of us mere mortals will need to take stock and see what we can do to emulate them.

Small Changes That Make Your Day More Productive

Fortunately, there are many ways we can do this, some easier than others, but once mastered will become part of who you are.
Creating a new good habit is no different to the crap ones you may already have.

I’ll give a quick example: There was a point in your life where you didn’t look at your phone every time it got an alert. Some people may well be able to resist more than the average phone zombie, but I think it’s safe to say we’ve all been there. Through repetition, we conditioned ourselves to the ping, forming a habit just like Pavlov’s dogs. Aren’t we good little media puppies!

Guess what, good habits and routines are formed in exactly the same way.
If you’ve ever watched The Big Bang Theory, think of Sheldon conditioning Penny with chocolates.

So, enough waffle, let’s get back to your daily routine, at least the bits which you might want to change.
We all have the same number of hours in a day, and in my opinion, it’s good for you to spend around 8 of those asleep if you can.

How you start your day can have a huge impact on how productive the rest of your day is.
Are you, during your morning coffee, caught up in the doom and gloom of breakfast TV news or tabloids, checking emails, or seeing what social media nonsense you’ve missed while sleeping? (The irony of sharing this on social media is not lost on me!)

I can be guilty of the last two, from time to time. Whenever I do this, I’m much more likely to put off what I had originally planned for the day, using obligatory excuses that let me off the hook.

However, on the days when I start with listening to a motivational audio program, watching an educational video (on a subject I love) or reading a couple of chapters of a book, I nearly always go on to have a highly productive day.

I’m also fortunate that even if I initially start the day in a sloppy fashion, I always have to take my dog out for a walk before getting on with my work. Getting out into nature can often give me the kick up the arse I need. Yet, even then, my day is rarely as productive as when I start the day off right.

Much of the middle 8 to 10 hours of the day is spoken for, so we’re not going to look at that today.
But generally, we have somewhere between 4 and 8 hours of the day left over, which we do have some control over.
In one way or another, I’m going to guess it’s mostly dominated by the internet, which covers everything from films to swiping right, and everything in between.
If this makes you happy, there’s nothing wrong with it, and I’m not passing judgment; I do it too, but I’m also working on reducing or restricting the number of hours I spend doing it.

Think about this: any task you do every day for 2 hours equates to a full month per year.

There are people I know of who are glued to their phones every second that’s available to them. So, if a person is spending all of those 8 hours leftover simply doomscrolling, that’s a third of a year gone, achieving sweet F.A.

Is Your Routine Helping You Live — or Just Exist?

Only you can answer this question: Is your routine really working for you?
Is it making YOU more successful or someone else?

By this I mean, while you are in passive watching, swiping or clicking mode, you are probably not getting any richer or smarter. However, the creator of the content you are interacting with is either making money from you, learning more about you, or at the very least expanding their audience, which could improve their financial situation one day.

Honest fact: I write this article to help people, but I’d be lying if I said it was for just this reason. I also do it because I want to grow my audience and eventually sell something to them, like my book, It’s Not Ok To Be Not OK.

But also, from a woo-woo perspective, I also hope I’m generating good Karma, so that if I don’t get the financial benefits in this lifetime, I might in the next!

When it’s time to check out, will you look back and consider yours a life well lived?
Since turning 50, I’ve been asking myself this question a lot, and the answer is always a firm NO!
I can’t say I have any regrets in life, well, maybe the odd stupid thing I’ve done, usually drunk.
Other than that, I know I’ve helped many people with their problems as a therapist and also amused a fair few too as an entertainer, so I’m not having a George Bailey moment.

The reason I say no is because I know there’s a lot more I can achieve whilst I’m still here.

Reading the arguments between different people’s opinions on ANY subject on social media is just burning that time away.

Do you want to be doing more with your time?

Do you have goals and aspirations that keep eluding you?

Do you want to get out of the Groundhog Day cycle?

If so, then you might want to have a good look at your daily routine.
I think you’d agree that there are many other ways to spend your time that you’d find equally or more enjoyable.

Why not make a start right now?
If you can’t start something right this minute, have a good ponder on what you’re going to begin as soon as it’s feasible.

Be warned, if you put it off too long, you probably won’t do it.

If this article has made you pause and think about how you can make your day more productive, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.