I have written about routines, including bookends of your day, many times on this blog site. Whenever I think about the most important, essential thing to not only creating what I want, but having some control over what I design my life to look like, two works always come up: routine and consistency.
Have a routine or routines helps you to gain consistency. Do something consistently and you will get a result. Making sure that what you are doing consistently leads you toward your goal is essential.
This year, decide to be even more discerning with your time. What’s your number one goal, one thing you definitely want to get accomplished in 2026? How much time will it take each week and by when will you accomplish it?
What daily and weekly routine will you need to put into place in order to stay on track? The consistency of the routine will get you there. along with consistent reflection at least weekly to make sure you are moving in the right direction.
Your challenge is to pick the one thing and make your plan. If you are like me and you have more than one, it’s okay- just make sure that you have the capacity, that it makes sense, and that the routine for each is something that you are able to schedule. Another idea is to start with one and get it underway before then adding the next routine and goal.
Lastly, as a coach, I have to mention the importance of having accountability! Who are you going to tell about your goals and commitments? When will you check in with them? It’s really easy to not make progress when you don’t tell anyone what you are doing. It takes courage to be held accountable, and it helps you to stay on track.
In 2025, one new routine that I established is Reading Sunday. I wanted to read more that ever before. I read at different times, but many times things would get in the way. I always read before bed, but inevitably fall asleep pretty quickly. Reading Sunday means that I don’t do screens- which helps another goal, to stay off my phone!- and I just read. I get all of my chores and errands done on Saturday and unless we go to breakfast I don’t usually leave the house, except for walks. Between reading day and saying no to things that don’t really fit into my plans for myself well, I gained a lot of reading time! I am NOT perfect at it. Sometimes I find myself mindlessly on my phone- I turn it right off as soon as I realize and I have learned to leave it in another room, or make a list of things I want to look up for later.
I am taking this routine into 2026 and I will get even better at it. Remember- progress, not perfection. I know that even if I mess up here and there, I am still light years ahead.