This is part of the series How To Develop A Daily Routine. Check out more from the series!

A daily routine is essential if you want to be as effective as possible in your day to day activities. While there is a danger of developing a rut, a healthy routine can help you get more done, and done better, each day.

I’ve found that there are four basic steps in establishing a daily routine. You can make this is simple or as complicated as you want. But no matter how elaborate you want your routine to be, these four actions can help you set things in order in your routine.

Research

Begin by looking at all the tasks that you need to accomplish each day. If you already have a routine that you’d like to tweak or improve, begin with these three areas: tasks that you already do, tasks that you need to add, and tasks that you need to eliminate or delegate. If you do not already have a routine, start by asking yourself a few questions, identifying what you need to do each day in areas like getting ready for work, preparing meals, housekeeping, errands, and anything else you do on a day to day basis.

Do this by making a list, adding everything you can think of. You can purge unnecessary tasks later if you don’t need them.

Timing

Decide at what point during the day things need to be done. For most people, mornings hold more energy, and are more conducive for tasks that require effort or thinking. Use this time for your most creative work. By afternoon, energy has depleted, and you’re ready to do more boring tasks. For me, this is time I can use to reply to email and message, run errands if I need to,and things of this sort. My mind isn’t functioning like it does in the morning, and these tasks don’t require as much focus. I reserve evenings for lighter work, family time, and planning for the next day.

Margin

Create room in your routine for rest and relaxation, or simply for the exception. In ministry, I frequently have interruptions on days I reserve for sermon preparation. Someone drops by, or a community member needs some assistance, or any of a number of other things can happen. Building some flexibility into your routine can help you eliminate the crunch and stress of packing too much into too small a time.

Assembly

Now, simply put it all together and start practicing it. It won’t take off overnight. Like any other habit, this will take some time to become an established part of your life. That’s ok. And it’s also alright to tweak your routine as needed. Fit your tasks into the times that work best for you, and don’t be afraid to experiment to see what works best.

Again, a word of caution: Routines can deteriorate into ruts. If you need to change something, go ahead. None of needs a routine for routine’s sake. Taking the time and effort to develop a routine is meant to help you control your day, not allow your day to control you. Feel free to scrap it occasionally, and do something completely different for a change.

Allow your routines and habits to help you get more out of the time you have.

What have you found to be helpful in developing a daily routine? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.