Whether we know it or not, we follow routines every day. Sometimes they are ones you set for yourself, but oftentimes, they are ones set by establishments in our day to day life such as school. Routines can be as simple as waking up at the same time every morning or as complex as planning out an entire month’s worth of events. Either way, routines provide structure to our day to day life. Though routines have beneficial effects such as organization, if not properly carried out, they can be harmful.

Routines are essential in everyday life but if they are not properly implemented, they can be detrimental to one’s mental health. For example, creating a routine that has no time for rest can be overwhelming and cause unneeded stress. On the other hand, creating a routine that schedules no time for work can also lead to a feeling of stress because it can cause the need to cram everything into a small period of time and rush. Finding a perfect balance between overworking and procrastinating can be difficult but it is essential to do because it can help to decrease stress. 

Senior Mckenna Minnoch explores this idea when she compares her shift in personal daily routines from the beginning of the pandemic where she was “very stressed out due to a lot of work and lack of organization” compared to now. Minnoch states that once she established a routine for herself, she felt not only more productive, but that she was also building skills she will use in the future. She explains that in her routine, she has a balance between stress and work allowing her to feel more organized in her day. 

Establishing a routine in your day-to-day life is crucial but allowing time for rest is just as important as completing assignments because working all the time has negative impacts on the brain. Sophomore Yones Mohamed explains that routines start to negatively impact mental health when “you personally believe you are not meeting your goals.” It is important when establishing a daily routine that you not only provide time for rest but also set realistic goals for yourself to prevent overworking. Forcing yourself to work for hours will affect the quality of your work and leave you feeling unaccomplished no matter how much you have gotten done. So when setting routines for yourself, remember it is okay to take time to rest. 

Due to a pandemic, daily routines have become even more essential to maintaining organization in daily life because so much time is spent at home. Junior Ananya Verma explains the difference between her routine in second grade when “there was no pandemic, just Bieber-fever” and now where she feels that “having a routine would be more fulfilling.” However, she says, “Quarantine has stomped on my motivation.” Though the pandemic has put more of an emphasis on creating a daily routine, it has also made it significantly more difficult to keep one. With so much free time and isolation, the feeling of following a routine can oftentimes feel like we are living the same day over and over. Though there is no direct remedy to this issue, diversifying your routine and adding hobbies to it can be beneficial to the repetitiveness of a pandemic routine. However, there is only so much time in the day, so it is important to remember that taking breaks will be more beneficial in the long-term even if you feel disappointed at the moment. 

As said before, implementing a routine properly and sticking with it is a requirement to experience the benefits of the routine. Freshman Tarun Shivakumar explains one of the positive outcomes of establishing a routine by stating, “I think setting up a routine has lowered my stress and made me more focused.” Adding a routine into your life does exactly this because it provides organization and though remaining committed to the routine can be difficult in the long term, having a healthy balance between work and rest will be beneficial. Having structure to one’s day is important but routines also have other positive consequences such as better sleep patterns because you will wake up and go to bed at the same time every night. Furthermore, routines operate under a premise that there can be no spontaneity in your life, but this is incorrect. Adding different activities to your day is not only possible but essential to preventing that repetitive feeling I discussed earlier. 

Establishing a routine for yourself is a method of self- care. Doing the same thing every morning and night can help fulfill self-needs and decrease stress. However, getting started is the hardest part. If you are having a hard time maintaining a daily schedule, you can try writing it down to hold yourself accountable to promises you have made to yourself. Though routines can be hard, they will help you maintain a happy lifestyle and get through bad days by providing structure and security.