by Alexandra Gojowy

Different people have different ways of forming routines. Some swear by a morning ritual, some only manage to unwind in the evening, and others need a strict checklist to finally establish a new habit.

Whether you want to start meditating, are in the process of changing your eating habits or want to pursue a new daily hobby: Forget all the advice you’ve heard. We have put together the seven simplest rules for creating routines. Let’s start with the control center for our behavior: our brain.

Is our brain a routine junkie?

Yes, you could say that, since between 30 and 50 percent of our daily actions are determined by routines. Our brain does not distinguish between good and bad habits. In essence, it wants to make life as easy as possible for itself. Processing new information or making new experiences requires three things in particular: concentration, awareness and attention. Our brain needs energy for all of these things. Brain researcher Gerhard Roth says “habits are cheap from a metabolic as well as a neurological point of view”. This explains our brain’s quest for ever new routines to simplify daily processes. In an interview with Die Zeit, Roth explains that our brain would be overwhelmed with the details of everyday life if we didn’t have daily routines to navigate us. The advantage is that established routines hardly require any energy. Just imagine if you had to learn from scratch how to operate the coffee machine or find your way to work every day.

You can take advantage of the fact that your brain wants to quickly routinize all behaviors when you’re trying to form new habits. You’ll learn everything you need to know with our golden rules for creating routines.

7 golden rules for creating routines

1. Start small

First, you should determine what your specific goal is and which steps you need to take in order to achieve it. Can you think of some small milestones along the way? Let’s take the example of changing your diet. Many people would find it difficult to suddenly eat only vegetarian food. If that is your plan, you can start by avoiding meat in one meal per day. After one month, you might be able to make it to two meals without meat. Create a rough plan and don’t forget that the beginning always consists of “baby steps”. This is the only way to stay motivated in the long run, and you’ll also have plenty of opportunities to celebrate your small successes.

2. Break up big habits

Remember to make things as easy as possible for your brain. If you want to learn how to meditate for 20 minutes at a time, it might be helpful to start with two sessions of 10 minutes each. The same applies if you want to start running or doing any other sport. Don’t overwhelm yourself and figure out how and when your new habit fits best into your daily routine.

3. Find your trigger event

A simple trick to create a new routine in your brain: Connect it to an existing routine and find a distinct trigger. You can also create so-called behavioral chains. If we stay with the example of switching to a vegetarian diet, the behavioral chain could be: “When I eat lunch, I will eat a vegetarian meal”. If you want to establish a new routine at home, such as a daily yoga session, it’s best to schedule it right before breakfast or dinner. Your brain will then associate the first or last meal of the day with your new routine. Another advantage: The reward follows immediately!

4. Reward yourself!

Rewards are important for our mind, because they trigger a surge of satisfaction in us, which has an effect on our mood and our body sensation. The happiness hormone dopamine is primarily responsible for this effect. Another advantage of dopamine is that it stimulates the desire for repeat rewards. If your new behavior is followed by a concrete and immediate reward, your brain will strive to maintain that behavior in the long run. The important thing is to connect positive associations with your new habit from the start.

5. Be boring

Once you’ve figured out what works well, just stick with it and perform your new routine, day after day. This approach is supported by brain research. According to studies, it takes between 21 and 30 days to establish a new routine. Stay patient and, above all, pick a pace you can maintain that will lead you to your goal in the long run - just like marathon runners. They learn how to conserve their energy and manage their pace well in order to cross the finish line in their desired time.

6. Talk about it

Although we often remind people not to focus too much on external factors, you can utilize the power of social recognition. People find it easier to get motivated if they expect positive feedback. You’re trying to meditate on a daily basis? Tell your colleagues about it! Want to learn a new language and memorize two new words every day? Share your progress with your loved ones! A nice side effect: many people will ask about your “why”. If you weren’t aware of the reason for what you’re doing, you may find it by sharing it with others.

7. Anticipate setbacks

We all know the feeling when we’ve managed to follow through with a plan for a long period of time, and then suddenly day X arrives. On day X we are careless, unmotivated. Maybe we were thrown off track by an unexpected event, or we are simply in a bad mood. Our vegetarian lunch turns into roasted duck and all our effort seems to be in vain, because “it doesn’t even matter now”. On the way to creating a new routine, it’s important to put this way of thinking to rest. Few people manage to meditate every single day of their lives, just like it’s almost impossible to follow a strict diet all of the time. Don’t turn your plan into something too rigid, or you’ll take all the fun out of it. If you fall behind or have a day where you don’t follow your plan, just pick it up tomorrow. The problem isn’t the missed day, but the guilt that plagues you afterwards. Don’t let your guilty conscience get in the way, you’re doing great!

Establishing a new habit can be fun if you have the necessary degree of patience and composure. However, it takes time and should not be a new item on your to-do list. If you find that what you’re doing is limiting you too much, or even stressing you out, you can always come up with a good backup plan. Remember be tender with yourself in everything you do.