The Key To A Stress Free Life Pt. 2.

The Key To A Stress Free Life Pt. 2.

Organized Life Equals a Balanced Life.

Another way to create balance in your life is to create healthy routines which work for your schedule, routines make it simpler to organize your day and be physically capable of completing tasks without feeling overwhelmed or fatigued. I know it seems a little bit hard to believe this is possible these days, in the age of technology, where people can call you, anytime/anywhere, last minute and hinder plans or create/change plans out of nowhere, but consistency and flexibility are the not so secret ingredients to an amazing life, even though we may feel swamped at the moment, in time you will notice major improvements, they may come quickly or slowly depending on your level of discipline, just believe the improvements are coming and with every improvement your discipline will improve as well, bringing better and quicker results into your lifestyle over time. 

A routine is defined as 'a set of customary and often mechanically performed procedures or activities.' There are two basic groups of routines, productive routines and unproductive routines.

Productive Routines
A productive routine (PR) would be any set of habits which can be conceived as beneficial for your health and lifestyle, it would be completed regularly without complaint, it is almost as mechanical as walking, but we must crawl before we can walk, just as we must develop the habits before we can develop a PR. Listed are some examples of healthy habits which will contribute to a productive routine and a balanced lifestyle.

• Exercising regularly.
• Cleaning your personal space (home or at work) often.
• Cooking your own food often (as opposed to eating take out all the time.)
• Paying bills as soon as possible.
• Avoid stressing the little stuff.

I personally believe that these are these most important habits to assist in creating a routine that is flexible and beneficial, but everyone has their own priorities and preferences. Make a list of habits you would like to develop in your planner or notebook and commit to them for at least a month, this is approximately the amount of time it is believed to take a "list of chores" and turn it into an everyday routine. You can always re-edit your habits to fit your ever changing lifestyle. We are constantly learning new things about ourselves, it is only natural that circumstances change for better or for worse and it is our job to change with it, hopefully for the better.

Unproductive Routines
Unproductive routines (UPR's) are the polar opposite of PR's, they are mechanically performed habits that can have long term or short term risks to your lifestyle or health. Often UPR's are found to be unhealthy, if your habit is to put off house chores for long periods of time, often the condition of the mess will get worse with age and seem more impossible to clean up, however if you cleaned up messes as soon as you create them, it would seem like the messes never existed. This could metaphorically apply to many UPR's, in time the bad habits that are consistent in the UPR will seem unavoidable and more difficult to correct over time. Listed are some bad habits that can create a UPR.

• Persistent alcohol consumption.
• Over indulging in fast food.
• Drug use.
• Over stressing.
• Ignoring house chores.
• Not paying bills on time.

These are a few of the habits that can contribute to a UPR though there are many more that can added. Make a list of your bad habits that you feel have no short or long term gain, leave space for each habit and write a brief idea how to overcome it. You will notice that many of the items on the list are common things that people do every day, the trick is to moderate these habits and turn them into just an occasional occurrence, you don't have to completely quit drinking or eating fast food if you don't want to, turn them into an event with your friends, you will enjoy the food and drinks more that way. If you want to completely erase them from your life that is totally doable as well, with the right amount of consistent will power. The best ways to overcome a bad habit is by replacing it with a good habit, it is difficult at first but over time it will seem like the counterproductive habit never existed, people will notice the change in you as well depending on the impact of the good habit.

We can all change, we shouldn't set barriers for ourselves because they will inevitably turn into blockades that we cannot pass. Always set goals and be willing to step out of your comfort zone if necessary. Our comfort zone is what binds us to our unhealthy lifestyles, with practice we can overcome these barriers and live the life we've always dreamed of!

-GB