Don't Just Restart Your Routine

Mary-Lynn: 00:00:00

On this episode of the BIGG Success show, don't just restart your routine.

BIGG Voice Guy: 00:00:08

BIGG Success with The Professor and Mary-Lynn.

George: 00:00:14

Mary-Lynn and I live in a college town, Champaign, Illinois, home of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, the best school in the whole wide world!

Mary-Lynn: 00:00:23

Of course, it's the school where The Professor teaches, too.

George: 00:00:26

That's true. And every year, as summer draws to a close, the traffic suddenly increases - as if by magic. It's because the students are there.

Faculty is now there, too. Staff is there. It's the start of a new year, and almost without thinking about it, we pick up the routine we left behind.

Mary-Lynn: 00:00:44

The same schedules, same commitments, the same ways of spending our time.

George: 00:00:49

Yeah, we slip back into them because they're familiar, not necessarily because they still fit. Or we say that we're "getting back to normal". Nobody says that about me, Mary-Lynn. But maybe there's a better question to ask. Is it normal?

And I put that in quotes. "Is it normal" that we really want to get back to?

Mary-Lynn: 00:01:09

Welcome to the BIGG Success Show, where we help you create the life you want. Hi, I'm Mary-Lynn.

George: 00:01:13

And I'm George The Pprofessor.

Mary-Lynn: 00:01:15

As summer winds down, you'll hear a lot about getting back into a routine. But before you do, we want to suggest something different. Don't just restart your routine. Reconsider it. Ooh, that's a BIGG insight!

In this episode, we're going to explore: Why familiar routines can lead to default living; how to decide what deserves to come back; how to take advantage of a fresh start; and how one small change can make a redesigned routine work better for you. Let's get into it. So, Professor, what's the problem with familiar routines?

George: 00:01:51

Hmm...Could it be that they work?

Mary-Lynn: 00:01:53

Wait, so it's a problem?

George: 00:01:55

Yes, it's a problem because it's also what makes them dangerous. Research shows that when we perform the same behavior in the same way, we develop habits. We all know that, right?

From trying to form good habits, right?

Mary-Lynn: 00:02:07

But isn't that a good thing?

George: 00:02:09

Well, it's helpful when the behavior serves you. But what if it doesn't?

Mary-Lynn: 00:02:13

Maybe you're attending a meeting because you've always attended it. Or you keep saying yes to an obligation because you said yes years ago.

You automatically check your phone every spare minute because that's what you do.

George: 00:02:25

I can relate to that.

Mary-Lynn: 00:02:28

And you keep following a routine designed for a life you no longer live.

George: 00:02:33

That's because we often mistake familiarity for alignment. Just because something has been a part of your life doesn't mean it still deserves a place in your life.

So before your old schedule comes roaring back, it's a great time to ask, what would I choose to do this today if it weren't already part of my routine?

Mary-Lynn: 00:02:51

That's an excellent, insightful question.

George: 00:02:54

Well, thank you, Mary-Lynn, because that one question may tell you a whole lot.

Mary-Lynn: 00:02:59

How do you decide what deserves to come back into your routine? Because it isn't just how you spend your time. Routine is where your priorities become visible.

George: 00:03:10

You may say your health matters, your. Your family matters. Growing your business matters. Financial freedom matters. Having time to actually enjoy life matters.

But eventually, to be a BIGG success...

Mary-Lynn: 00:03:23

That's BIGG with two Gs.

George: 00:03:24

Those priorities have to show up on your calendar, your financial statements, your Life Map, and other valuable planning tools.

Mary-Lynn: 00:03:31

And there's nothing inherently wrong with returning to your old routine. Some of it may work beautifully. So keep it. The mistake is returning to it without evaluating it first.

So instead of asking, how do I get back into my routine? Ask, does this routine still support the life I'm trying to create?

George: 00:03:51

Now that's a much BIGGer question that helps you discover or rediscover what routines deserve your attention. And it gets to the heart of what we mean at BIGG Success when we talk about creating the life that you want.

Mary-Lynn: 00:04:04

Now, now, how do you take advantage of a fresh start? Oh, January gets all the attention. It's the new year. New Year resolutions...

George: 00:04:13

Happy New Year!

Mary-Lynn: 00:04:17

Man.

George: 00:04:18

I don't know what that was.

Mary-Lynn: 00:04:19

I loved your noisemaker there.

George: 00:04:20

Thank you.

Mary-Lynn: 00:04:21

But January doesn't have a monopoly on life restarts.

George: 00:04:26

Research shows that people are more motivated at certain times, like a birthday or. Or maybe the first day of the month or the start of a new semester. The researchers have labeled this phenomenon as "the fresh start effect".

Mary-Lynn: 00:04:39

And we actually have a link to that research in today's show notes. But the transition from summer to fall really can give you that same psychological opening. And there's a bigger lesson here, too.

Every season deserves its own routine. Businesses don't operate exactly the same way all year. Schools don't. Farmers don't. So why on earth should you?

George: 00:05:02

Maybe this season requires different priorities, different boundaries, different habits, different uses of your energy. Instead of asking, what do I have to get done this fall? Ask, who do I want to become this fall, and what will I do differently to become that person?

Mary-Lynn: 00:05:18

Now, that's a Life Map question. Because the purpose of your routine isn't merely to make you more productive. It's. It's to help you create the life you want.

And that's why we created our BIGG Success Life Map course. It helps you connect your personal, professional and financial goals so the things you do today actually move you toward the future you want.

George: 00:05:39

Otherwise, you can be extremely productive at creating a life you don't particularly want.

Mary-Lynn: 00:05:44

Nobody wants that.

George: 00:05:45

No, nobody wants that.

Mary-Lynn: 00:05:46

How can one small change make a redesigned routine work better for you? Once people realize that their routine isn't working, they often go too far.

Let's start a whole new morning routine. Start a new diet, a new workout, a new productivity system. By the end of week one, they're exhausted. So let's try something simpler.

George: 00:06:10

So here's the secret, Mary-Lynn. Change one thing, remove one commitment that no longer belongs to.

Then use that space for something that supports the person you're becoming and make the new routine specific.

Mary-Lynn: 00:06:24

Let's put that into practical use, Professor.

George: 00:06:27

Okay, so don't say, "I'm going to work on my business more". That's just so generic, it doesn't really mean anything.

So instead say something like, "Tuesdays and Thursdays are reserved from 8 o' clock in the morning to 9:30. I'm going to work on business development". Now, that's more specific.

Mary-Lynn: 00:06:46

In other words, decide what's important, name it, and give it a time and a place in your life.

George: 00:06:52

And then try out your redesigned routine for 30 days. See what works, see what doesn't. Adjust. Your routine isn't a contract, it's a tool.

Mary-Lynn: 00:07:01

Oh, that is such a BIGG insight right there.

George: 00:07:04

And when that tool no longer does the job, you know what it's time to do? Change the stinking tool.

Mary-Lynn: 00:07:11

Change the tool. That's right. That brings us to this episode's BIGG Assignment from The Professor.

George: 00:07:18

Before your schedule fills back up, give yourself 20 minutes for a Routine Reset. Take out a piece of paper and make three columns. Resume, Reevaluate and Redesign. Look at the routine you're about to return to.

Under resume, write what still supports your priorities. Under reevaluate, list what you're no longer sure deserves your time. And under redesign, identify what needs to change. But don't end with a list.

Make one decision. Because that is doable today. Remove, reduce, delegate, move or replace one thing.

Mary-Lynn: 00:07:58

One thing.

George: 00:07:59

Then put one better routine in the space you created.

Mary-Lynn: 00:08:03

Try it for 30 days. And then at the end of these 30 days, ask yourself, is this helping me create the life I want?

George: 00:08:10

If yes, keep on going. If not, adjust again. That's how you stop living by default and start living by design.

Mary-Lynn: 00:08:18

Now for our BIGG Takeaway. Don't automatically return to your routine. Return to your priorities. Life changes. Priorities change. You change.

George: 00:08:29

So when a new season arrives, don't simply pick up where you left off.

Mary-Lynn: 00:08:33

Ask whether where you left off is still where you want to go.

George: 00:08:37

Because BIGG success isn't about filling your days. It's about making sure your days are creating the life you want and it leads to BIGG success.

Mary-Lynn: 00:08:47

For more practical ideas to help you create that life, join our newsletter at BIGGsuccess.com/ join and connect with us on your favorite social media channel @BIGGsuccess. Remember, that's BIGG with two Gs. We'd love to have you as part of the BIGG Success community. In our next episode:

Being the person everyone counts on feels like a good thing, but what happens when it starts holding you back? That's next time on BIGG Success. Follow the BIGG Success podcast now so you don't miss it.

George: 00:09:17

And we thank you so much for listening. Until next time...

George & Mary-Lynn: 00:09:20

Here's to your BIGG success!

BIGG Voice Guy: 00:09:22

Find BIGG Success at BIGGsuccess.com