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The Difference Between Building Routines and Building Habits
The other day I was complaining to a friend about needing to be more physically active when I’m at home. Her response was that I needed to get into the habit of doing just that.
It really got me thinking about it.
To me, there is a large difference between habits and routines.
Habits are something you do, not necessarily something that you purposely do, but do just because. Here’s an example.
When I get home from work, the first thing I do is drop my purse on the couch, walk into my bedroom, kick off my shoes and put on my slippers. Is this a routine or a habit?
It’s my habit. I don’t purposely set out to take off my shoes. I don’t go out of my way to stop what I’m doing in order to do this. It’s just something I do when I get home.
On the other hand, I’ve gotten into the routine of doing the dishes while my coffee is brewing. I do this on purpose. As soon as I hit that brew button, I remind myself that now is the time to do the dishes. My goal is to have them done by the time the coffee is ready to be poured. I’ve purposely created this routine.
How many times have you heard, “I’ve got the bad habit of…”?
Sometimes breaking those habits mean creating new routines. Being purposeful and mindful of making sure something gets done is what the main difference is.
So, don’t make habits. Those will happen regardless. Make routines that work for what you want to accomplish.