Many of us know someone who genuinely seems to enjoy routines:

My most popular article from last year was about how to learn to love self-discipline, and routines raise the same basic question: Are routine-lovers wired differently, or is loving routines just a nut you haven't cracked yet?

The answer is probably a bit of both. Here, I'll share practical tidbits to help routines click for you. The goal is routines you enjoy rather than endure.

A routine can either feel like it maintains you or like you maintain it. One requires upkeep, one keeps you up.

Seek routines that feel like they serve you, not the other way around.

Everyone is likely to enjoy a routine that helps them have a sense of ease, peace, and harmony in their life.

Examples:

Quarterly routines can fill an important niche. Some routines are too onerous to do monthly, but yearly is too infrequent. Another advantage of quarterly routines is that they naturally align with the seasons.

Consider these three people who read one book per quarter, with recurring seasonal themes that make sense for them.

If a........

© Psychology Today