I am a person of routine. Each day starts with a set of activities. This set of activities remain constant over a period of time, but have not remained the same forever. Two main reasons can be attributed for a change in the set of activities; it may just be one activity, a few activities or all of them.
(a) some external factor has forced me to make a change
(b) Internally, I might feel that I have to change something so as to improve my condition/behaviour.
If a routine is done for a long period of time, then it tends to become a habit. Habit is essentially an action that is done automatically. The muscles just move to do that activity.
So, it can be inferred that if one wants to inculcate good habits, one has to set a routine and follow it consistently till it becomes a habit.
In certain cases, the habits are so ingrained that "automatic" becomes "mindless". For instance, I have been doing exercises every morning for several years now. There are days when the movements are automatic. The muscles just move automatically from one exercise to the next. At the end of it, I sometimes wonder if I did all the exercises. I was elsewhere mentally and was not mindful of my exercises.
This brings us to mindfulness. Research says one has to be mindful while performing any activity for it to be effective. Mindfulness in an activity helps in making it a routine and converting it into a habit. The advantages of maintaining a habit can be derived by being mindful.
So, can we create a routine to inculcate good habits in our everyday lives?
