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Record your day -

If you want to establish a routine that you'll be able to stick to, a good place to start is to record your day. This will help you see where you tend to waste time or get distracted.

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Record your day -

Take any typical day and note down exactly what you do and when, including start times and finish times. You could use your phone, tablet, or good old-fashioned pen and paper.

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Streamline -

The goal when developing your routine is to streamline and organize the way you currently spend your time, rather than developing a new routine completely from scratch.

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Streamline -

Take a look at the list you made when recording your day. Decide which things on that list you want to spend less time on or even cut out completely.

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Replace -

Once you have removed all those activities from your list that you no longer want to spend (or, indeed, waste) time on, have a think about how you might replace them.

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Replace -

It's likely that removing unwanted items will leave you with time for more productive and fulfilling activities, such as studying, working out, or socializing with friends.

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Arrange your day -

Once you have a consolidated list of activities that you want to fill your day with, you can set about arranging them into a schedule you will be able to follow.

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Arrange your day -

You can put your activities in any order you like, but make sure that you assign them the same amount of time as they originally had. If lunch was an hour today, leave an hour for it tomorrow.

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Schedule sleep -

This one is impossible to overstress–make sure you leave enough time to sleep. Adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep per night in order to function properly.

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Schedule sleep -

Only if you have enough sleep will you be able to concentrate properly, focus on your tasks, and stick to your schedule.

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Schedule breaks -

Almost as important as scheduling sleep is to schedule breaks. If your day is back-to-back action from waking up to going to bed, you will find that you will burn out fast.

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Schedule breaks -

Try to schedule at least 30 minutes during your day completely free. If possible, it's also a good idea to have five- to 15-minute breaks between productive activities.

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Try it out -

Once you have your schedule written down, give it a go. Try to follow exactly what you have written down on the page, and make note of anything that you do differently from the schedule.

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Try it out -

At the end of the day, you may see that your schedule is not quite right. For example, you might have one activity that took longer than expected. Rewrite and repeat until it’s right.

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Move to your rhythm -

Use your rhythm. Having a routine is all well and good, but how do you stick to it? There are certain techniques you can use, such as making use of your circadian rhythm.

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Move to your rhythm -

Everyone has a natural rhythm that determines when they feel tired and more alert. Pay attention to yours and consider adapting your routine to fit the hours when you’re more alert.

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Focus on your morning -

The first steps you take in the morning are important and can determine how your whole day will go. The morning is often the weak point in a person’s daily routine.

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Focus on your morning -

If you can, experiment with your morning routine until you have a small number of specific steps, such as drink a glass of water, stretch, and eat eggs on toast.

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Stay mindful -

If you keep your routine at the forefront of your mind, you are more likely to stick to it. Try to start each day by looking at your schedule and perhaps adapting it slightly if the day is unusual.

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Stay mindful -

At the end of the day, come back to the routine that you followed and ask yourself whether you did the best possible job of moving things around to accommodate abnormality.

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Find refreshment -

As explained earlier, you should try to dot some five- to 15-minute breaks throughout your day. If you find that you just feel stressed during those breaks, try to find a refreshing activity.

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Find refreshment -

Taking a brisk walk or jog is a great way to refresh and refocus the mind. You may also like to engage in a fun activity, read a book, or listen to a 15-minute podcast, for example.

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Use sound -

You may find it useful to motivate and keep yourself on track with sound. The most obvious way to do this is with an alarm clock.

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Use sound -

But you might want to be a bit more creative and use different playlists for different tasks. Align your playlists with your schedule so you know what you should be doing at all times.

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Don't procrastinate -

This one is perhaps (much) easier said than done, but it is very important to avoid procrastination. Identify distractions and rid your work space of them.

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Don't procrastinate -

If you find yourself constantly distracted by your phone, put it on silent or turn it off. Block distracting websites and try to work in a calm, quiet environment.

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Use tools -

That being said about the phone, if you are not someone who struggles with being distracted by their phone, you might like to try an electronic productivity tool.

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Use tools -

There are apps out there that can help you stay motivated by giving you reminders or even rewards for being productive.

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Maximize sleep -

We have already discussed the importance of allowing enough time to sleep, but all that is in vain if you don't get good quality sleep.

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Maximize sleep -

Be sure to avoid phone and computer screens late at night, as the blue light can disrupt your sleep. Be aware also that caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco can also negatively impact your sleep.

Sources: (WikiHow)

See also: How lockdown is affecting our routines

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