- The Process
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- The Power of Routine
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The Power of Routine
Fred Rogers began each day the same way.
Awake at 5am
An hour of prayer + reflection
Off to the athletic club to swim laps
Weigh in after swimming (always 143 lbs)
He'd head to the TV studio where he'd record his show for millions of people.
Then a new routine would begin.
After the show, he'd take a nap
He'd have dinner with his family
Each night, he'd be in bed by 9:30
He'd get up the next day, and do everything again.
This kind of day would torture some people.
But it was precisely what turned Fred Rogers into "Mr. Rogers."
One of the most popular TV personalities of all time.
This is the power of routine.
Routines don't have to be restricting.
At their best, they're liberating.
They separate:
high-performers from average ones
Professionals from amateurs
Doers from daydreamers
Any place you see excellence, there's a routine beneath the surface.
Over time, the most powerful routines become scared rituals.
Why routines matter
As a college athlete, I lived by routines.
The way I slept, ate, trained, prepared, performed and recovered was mostly guided by routines.
Many of those routines carried over into my professional and personal life after college.
There’s plenty of research on the power of routines.
In short, routines can:
reduce anxiety
reduce decision fatigue
free up energy for creativity
improve cognitive function
promote healthy habits
And much more.
They provide structure to our daily lives.
They help us perform consistently day after day.
They ensure we prioritize what truly matters to us.
Routines are immensely powerful, but you have to know how to build them and where they can go wrong.
How you build routines
The best routine is the one that’s simple and repeatable.
Routines are generally built in three steps:
Identify an area of need
Define an optimal routine
Intentionally implement it
Here are my quick thoughts on each:
(1) Identify an area of need
The first step is identifying an area where you could benefit from a routine.
Let’s say your physical health isn’t where you want it to be.
You’re inconsistent with exercise, eat unhealthy food too often and don’t get enough sleep.
Good. You’ve identified an impactful area where routines can help you.
(2) Define an optimal routine
The second step is identifying what an optimal routine would like in that area.
A key thing to remember: “optimal” is highly personal and context-dependent.
What’s optimal for me may not be optimal for you, and vice versa.
An “optimal” routine has two basic requirements:
It will make a positive impact for you
You have a high likelihood of being consistent
So, maybe you don’t want to build routines for exercising, eating and sleeping all at once.
Maybe you pick exercising to start and decide that an optimal routine is walking for one hour per day.
Great. Now you need to implement it.
(3) Intentionally implement it
Implementing routines requires intention.
Intention does not rely on willpower or motivation.
You need some kind of system to help.
For walking one hour per day, that may be scheduling one hour on your calendar to walk at the same time each day.
It may be walking 30 minutes after breakfast and 30 minutes after dinner.
Whatever it is, it must be scheduled and decided in advance.
Each day when the time comes, there’s no decision to make.
Where routines can go wrong
While I’m a huge believer in the value of routines, I also recognize they can become unhealthy if you’re not aware.
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright wonderfully described the difference between routines and superstitions:
“A routine is great as long as it doesn’t become superstition. If you’re out there thinking you gotta do exactly the same thing every time to have success, then that’s making you a weaker competitor. If they told me right now that I had 8 pitches to get loose, I could do that. You are what your brain tells you you are.”
Adam Wainwright: Routine vs. Superstition. 🔥
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja)
12:02 AM • Aug 29, 2022
Said differently: Once routines become crutches, you’re no longer in control.
You’re now at the mercy of life, and life will win.
Build routines that serve you while also understanding you’re not dependent on them.
They are a tool to be used, not a requirement for you to succeed.
Summary
There’s enormous power in routines.
Fred Rogers and almost every other high-performing individual — regardless of domain — tend to be routine-driven in many areas of their lives.
To build impactful routines:
Identify an area of need
Define an optimal routine
Intentionally implement it
The best routines are simple, repeatable and flexible.
Always remember: They serve you. You don’t serve them.
Teddy’s Recommendations
My friend Nathan Hicks recently launched the Everyday Grit podcast.
Nathan runs Higher Ground USA, an organization that trains people on leadership, team building and other skills through outdoor adventures.
He’s one of the most growth-minded and thoughtful people I know.
If you’re looking for a new podcast that will make you better and push you to grow, check out Everyday Grit.
Whatever Nathan puts out, I promise it’ll be quality.
I’d love to hear from you
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Thanks for reading.
See you next Sunday.