Routine Power: Having a routine is a cornerstone for self discipline and success
Routine, as we all know is the practice of performing specific tasks regularly, every day at a set time. Somewhere or the other we all have heard of the importance of routine and how it helps accomplish a lot. But many, if not most of us, have ourselves fallen short of planning a routine, laying it out and then successfully reinforcing it into our life. Routine is the most powerful tool you can access to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.
Research shows that one common trait of successful people is discipline, this discipline is exercised in the form of routines, successful people have more or less fixed routines and they structure their life around them. As John C. Maxwell correctly puts it – ” You will never change your life until you change something you do daily, the secret of your success is found in your daily routine”.
Have you ever wondered about the significance of 5 daily prayers and their prescribed times, it teaches us the establishment of routine so that we don’t get swayed, distracted, lost or forgetful …to get us into the habit of doing things regularly and at the appropriate time. Its one of the best and most pivotal practice to teach kids from an early age. I remember when I was teaching my 5-year-old to pray salah, everyone around was quite surprised. They thought she was too young to be taught to pray, but I was quite adamant, for I could foresee this as a first step into living a routine life, and I promise you today as a mother I am more than delighted to see her stick to her routines, without much if not any, reminders.
Timing is a very critical factor in routines, going for a walk every afternoon is also a routine but doesn’t yield as much benefit as a morning walk, and so whenever setting routines lay emphasis on timing and prioritization. Know that you would always not be able to accomplish all the tasks you’ve set out for, so make a habit of prioritizing, so that you know what needs to be taken care of or performed first.
I can’t go further without sharing an anecdote here, my late grandfather who was not just lucky, but also routined to see 100 springs in his life, was an epitome of a disciplined life. It was from him that we learnt very early on the importance of living a routined life, in my 18 years of staying with him I never saw him miss his morning walk….rain, thunderstorm, sickness or any other deterrent none could relinquish his routine. It was like clockwork, every morning after making a cup of tea for himself and 10 min of warm-up exercises he’ll be all set for his walk, having so closely watched this rhythm in his life I myself have tried to emulate him, but only to fail a couple of times.
After I became a mother I felt the absolute need of living and getting my kids live a routined life, and so we plan and structure our days with routines. I involve my kids, and to an extent make them in charge of setting routines for themselves, not only does this give them a sense of responsibility, but it also eliminates power struggles.
They have their school routine of course, and along with that we have planned the after school routine. They have days dedicated to specific tasks, this includes every day after school studies (like doing their math/English practice on IXL), creative pursuits which vary from day to day (like drawing, sketching, Islamic geometric art, legos, puzzles or any other activity based on their interest), we have set a day aside for Science experiments, and one day for learning a new dua, when the weather is good here in Canada, we take them for evening walks and biking too, also kids have chores to do like cleaning up their rooms and play areas, unloading dishwasher, folding clothes etc, this helps them learn basic life skills. All this is smoothly executed by having a Kanban board where kids simply move their task chits from to-do to done area as soon as they finish it.
Reading is another routine activity in our house, kids have to read 20 minutes every day, just one advice here whatever you want your kids to do, do it yourself, when kids see you read they read, just standing on their heads and making them read won’t work. Kids learn by examples and they always try to emulate you, so always strive to model the behavior you’ll want to see in your kids.
Summing it all up, I would say routines are essential not just for the smooth running of everyday activities, but also for teaching kids self-discipline from an early age, they are a very productive and powerful tool, and a legacy you would want to pass down your generations. For more practical tips and tools on the routine setting, please check out our POPULAR The Well-Planned Muslim Mum toolkit. It’s a collection of many tools and tactics (journal, diary, 12 monthly planners, monthly personal development worksheets, Ibadah and habit trackers etc.) to help you focus and get things done in 2021 insha’Allah.
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