DAILY ROUTINE

Every day when we get up in the morning we are opening a new leaf in our life. It gives us a great feeling when we get up in the morning and start thinking about what is in store for us during the day.

As the day progresses we confront some unplanned activity which happens on most of the days. The execution of the planned as well as the unplanned activity during a day depends entirely on how well or ill organised we are.

It is good to follow a daily routine list so as to structure our day to day living.  This structured approach will also help in executing both planned as well as the unplanned activity during the day with the best of our abilities.

The daily routine also paves the way for defining our lifestyle which is very important for a healthy and happy living.

I have been visiting Dr.Gandhi Murugan in Dubai for regular BP Checkup as I am under his treatment for Hypertension since 2006.  He advised me to change my lifestyle and I took his advice very seriously in August 2010.

We have only 24 hours in a day and out of that 8 hours are spent in sleep.  Out of the remaining 16 hours 3 hours are spent on shower, shave, nature's call, dressing, reading newspaper, having morning Tea/Coffee and having food (breakfast, lunch and Dinner).  Out of the balance 13 hours we need about 11 hours for going to work (including commuting time).  We are then left with only 2 hours for ourselves.  We have to pack so many things in that 2 hours - Exercise, Self Improvement, Family, Friends, Personal emails, Phone Calls, Chats, etc.

Packing so many activities in that 2 hours which is the prime time in the evening is the challenge faced by many of us.  We end up doing some compromise or the other and we also end up postponing things.  If we give priority for family then we cannot spend time with friends.  If we give priority for emails, phone calls and chats then we cannot have time for exercise or self improvement.

It is a huge task to manage the time and rank priorities in life.  The things that are paramount in staying healthy and happy with a positive mindset are Physical Exercise; Attention to Family; Personal Time to Think/Introspect/Stay positive.

Luckily the above crunch for time happens only on Weekdays and the weekends are the days to spend quality time with family and friends.  We get 11 hours on each weekend as free time as we do not go to work.  This time needs to be entirely devoted for Family, Friends and Self Improvement.



Time flies and we cannot control the movement of the clock.  The best way to control our activities and fit into a cramped day is to regiment.  Nothing works better than regimentation.

Going to bed at 10 p.m. is the key to success.  Most of us have difficulty in this as we tend to extend the day beyond 10 p.m. because of phone calls or internet browsing or chatting or watching Television.  It is extremely important to cut out the activities and defining the timelines for each activity so that the day definitely ends at 10 p.m.  Unless we fix this we will not be able to start the day the next morning at 6 a.m.  Hence I feel the most important daily routine should be to go to bed at 10 p.m.

The first alarm should be at 6 a.m.  After a beautiful dream filled night sleep the most irritating thing is the first alarm.  It is inevitable though irritable and hence have the first alarm at 6 a.m.  The second alarm should be at 6.05 and the third one at 6.10.  The second alarm brings us to reality that it has dawned into the next morning.  The third alarm will help us to prepare for the rise up in the morning.  By 6.15 latest we should be out of the bed.  The next 30 minutes can be spent on brushing your teeth, attending to nature's call, having the first morning coffee/tea and going through the newspaper.

6.45 to 7.30 should be devoted for Physical Exercise.  It is extremely important to do the physical exercise in the morning preferably on empty stomach.  The first coffee or tea in the morning should be taken ideally after the physical exercise.

After the Exercise we can devote another 45 minutes for shave, shower, dressing up and breakfast.  By 8.15 a.m. we have to leave for work.

It is always better to start the day at work with a plan - make a "things to do" list and provide time for unplanned activity which will come your way from your boss.  The regimentation at work will help to finish all the tasks by 6 p.m. and leave the office latest by 6.30 p.m.

If you reach home by 7 p.m. you should spend a good one hour with the Family.  Sharing your day's experiences and getting to know theirs is a great way of spending time with Family.  Watching TV with the Family is certainly not considered as time spent with family.

Dinner should be finished before 9 p.m.  If you are able to strictly follow this practice of having dinner before 9 p.m. then it will be very easy to go to bed by 9.45 - 10 p.m.  Ideally 15 minutes before sleeping we should sit and think.  Thinking is very important part of the daily routine as this keeps us focused on top priorities; it helps to introspect on what has happened during the day; it helps to plan for the next day and above all it will help us to stay positive.




I have been following a regimented daily routine for the last over 8 weeks.  I get up at 6.15 a.m. in the morning and go for a brisk walk at 6.45 a.m.  I get back home from morning walk at 7.30 a.m.

I reach office before 8.30 a.m. and plan my day's work.  I take a heavy lunch at 1 p.m. and follow it up with a nap for 20 minutes.  The short nap in the afternoon really helps me to keep fresh in the post lunch session.

When I get back home in the evening I get busy with dish washing, cooking and cleaning which is a good way to relax and unwind.  I finish my dinner before 9 p.m. and the next one hour is spent on telphone calls, chats, emails, sudoku.  I go to bed by 10 p.m.

The change in my daily routine over the last 8 weeks has really made me feel healthy and fresh throughout the day.  I am able to think better and focus better on both personal matters as well as the official matters.

T.P.ANAND
DUBAI, U.A.E.
Article written on 14th October 2010 and published in www.sathyamurthy.com on 18th October 2010.