Having a few simple daily rituals can make your day more productive, no matter who you are. We aren’t all going to have the same routines, of course, so this is adaptable advice. Consider the parts of your life that might benefit from having rituals and routine. What do you want to achieve each day? Do you have rituals already, and are they healthy? Can they be improved?

What are Daily Rituals?

Artists and creative folk everywhere use rituals to get through daily life and to cope, or to maintain efficiency. Mason Currey is a writer and editor who wrote this book of 161 rituals and routines that great minds from around the world adapted into their lifestyles. Do you wake up early each morning before everyone else and have a quiet cup of tea or coffee, sitting quietly contemplating the day? (I do, I’m a lurker.) Do you read a book each night before you go to sleep? Consider these common rituals that might make your day-to-day a little smoother. If they don’t suit you, there are plenty more to try from. Mix it up!

Morning Workout

 

Check out some videos on YouTube or other media online for short videos that last around ten minutes; there are plenty. I really like Fitness Blender, or Melissa Bender for long and short workouts. Choose a few and save them. Wake up half an hour earlier in the morning, and smash a fast and sweaty workout in your home before you start your day. The increase in exercise is wonderful for your body and brain, keep a journal detailing how it helps you.

Evening List

Sit down each evening and write a list of priorities and things that need to be handled the following day. Time yourself if you are a workaholic! Ten minutes is enough. Some people number their tasks in order of priority, others just write a list. See what works for you. Getting a solid idea of what your day is going to entail might help you sleep better by reducing stress, and it can make you more efficient by having your day started before you even hit the hay!

Breathing and Meditating

It has been said many times over, but really, taking care of yourself mentally is like a vacation! Breathing and meditating exercises are like naps throughout the day. Try downloading an app that might help you stay focused if you have not meditated before, or keep it simple: find a cushion, sit down, set a timer and take deep breaths. Your brain will thank you for the short break and your body won’t mind stopping either, I’m sure. Remember also that meditation has many forms, and for some people can include jogging or walking meditation. Passive meditation includes repetitive tasks like washing the dishes. Consider doing some research about what might suit your goals best.

People and their Daily Rituals

Stephen King has a solid daily ritual for his work day. He has his vitamin and water, a cup of tea and he sits down to work at the same desk at the same time each day. His desk is meticulously arranged – the same way – every day.

Haruku Murakami is a Japanese novelist (check out his beautiful books here) who also maintains a strict lifestyle in order to create. Rising daily at 4:00am, Murakami writes for up to six hours and then works out: he runs up to 10km, swims 1500m or often, both, before retiring again at 9:00pm. He believes writing a novel requires the strength that his routines and rituals provide him.

Ernest Hemingway had a ritual that was simple: he woke up and wrote until he was done saying whatever he had to say each day. He said it was similar to making love: “When you stop you are as empty, and at the same time never empty but filling, as when you have made love to someone you love. Nothing can hurt you, nothing can happen, nothing means anything until the next day when you do it again.”