On The REWT Of Routine

I used to live chaotically until I realised that I’m a creature of habit like we all are. If you want to change your life, change your habits. James Clear, author of the NY Times bestselling book Atomic Habits says, “A habit is a routine or behaviour that is performed regularly and, in many cases, automatically.” So, when I was getting my life in order, I came up with the REWT habits to incorporate into my routine:

READ
Reading every day gives you either the needed escape or the satisfaction of that added little bit of knowledge. You can’t move forward without gaining knowledge. And if it’s the escape you’re after, it gives you that boost you need to return to reality with a fresh and renewed perspective on life. Fiction reading also works your creative muscles, which benefits you in intangible ways that you might not see straight away but that pop up in your endeavours when you need it. The key to becoming a reader is to commit to reading a page a day, or just 10 minutes every day – that’s 5 hours of reading a month, enough time to read a book a month.

EXERCISE
There’s no denying the benefit of exercise; even very light, moderate exercise makes you feel and look better. If all you can do is 10 minutes a day of brisk walking, you’d go down a size in one month and reap all the rewards: feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. I know you’ve heard it before: your body is your temple, and a healthy mind is in a healthy body. So, make sure you prioritise exercise in your daily routine.

When I was getting my life in order, I came up with the REWT habits to incorporate into my routine.

WRITE
Numerous books and experts have commended the habit of a writing routine, especially daily journaling. Whether you want to write a novel, a non-fiction book, an article, or simply a diary/journal entry, you must write every day. Write for 5 minutes a day in any of the avenues you feel like writing in. Don’t criticise or edit yourself, leave that for another five-minute block of your time, this block is for writing. You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment, release, and a creativity boost. And the best benefit of all, daily journaling is like checking in with a best friend who listens and doesn’t judge but helps you see your life a lot more clearly.

TASK
We all put off tasks and feel worse for not completing them when we know we should have. Moreover, we get overwhelmed by the many piled-up tasks, and then we don’t know where to begin. For starters, complete a task a day; you’ll feel better knowing that you accomplished one of the things on your to-do list. As the tasks get fewer and begin to unravel, it’ll get easier to finish all your tasks. Make it a habit to complete a task a day.

Once you’ve integrated REWT into your daily routine, you’ll get to the root of peace and happiness, and you’ll feel better all around.