Winston Churchill woke early but worked from bed until late morning. He then rose for a brisk walk and a weak whisky and soda. By early evening he was ready for his siesta, a habit he claimed allowed him to fit one and a half days worth of work into every 24 hours. Charles Darwin, another early riser, worked for most of the morning in his study, but invariably considered 12 noon to be the end of his working day.
For some individuals there seems to be a link between routine and success. So, can a ritualistic approach to managing time help to get the most from your days?
You may think not. Some people are immediately sceptical about the regimented nature of routine, preferring a more flexible approach. But routines can be rigid or flexible, and making even the smallest changes to your days can help to increase productivity, satisfaction and success.
“It’s quite a personal matter”, says writer Simone de Beauvoir. There are no rules; one person’s routine could be entirely incompatible with the next person. For this reason it’s important to undertake some honest self-analysis.
When are you most productive, attentive or creative: mornings, afternoons or evenings? When do you best work alone, and when do you prefer the company of others? Do you attend to detail best with a fresh morning head, or in the evening when there’s fewer distractions? Asking such questions enables you to match specific tasks with specific time slots that suit your behaviours best. For example, if you’re most productive but most antisocial in the mornings, make your routine simple: mornings – personal tasks; afternoons – meetings and team working.
If you begin your days wondering how you’re going to get everything done, you need to think strategically about managing your time. This means prioritising key tasks and putting aside unimportant ones. So why not begin your daily routine by spending five minutes creating a plan for the day ahead? Ask what you can realistically achieve, and importantly, what you must do to make today feel productive and successful. Once you know what important tasks must be done, you can match them with the most suitable times slots, as discussed above.
Having an appreciation of when it’s best to do something allows you to better order the things you need to do, day by day. Beyond this simple framework your routine can be as rigid or flexible as you like. Some people choose to work to hour-long chunks that end on the beep of an alarm and are followed by minute-long ‘review and refocus’ sessions. For the less regimented, simply find a balance between chaos and order.
You may also want to think about how routine can help to manage both work and life. Could you integrate personal tasks into your routine? For instance, if you tend to work late why not break up the days with a walk to do some personal errands; exercise can reduce stress and improve productivity, and getting the chores done is a nice bonus.
However detailed your daily routine becomes is your choice; indeed you may waver towards the more flexible approach. But don’t let such freedom distract you from the point that, often, certain times of the day are better suited to certain tasks. If you can crack this code you can get the right things done at the best times, and as a result become more productive, satisfied and successful – and less stressed.
