The Unexpected Benefits of Daily Routines

By Yaya Yao

The Daily Chaos Problem

Ever wonder how some people seem to glide through their week while you feel like you’re drowning in the same amount of work? You wake up rushed, scramble to get ready, show up to class feeling exhausted, and finally collapse into bed, wondering where the time went. What makes that difference? 

It’s about having a routine so your brain isn’t constantly deciding what to do next. Without one, you’re constantly making micro-decisions from the moment you open your eyes in the morning: Hit snooze, or get up? Check your phone, or get dressed? Eat breakfast, or skip breakfast? When you establish a routine, it handles these basics for you, allowing you to start your day with more energy to focus on more important decisions. 

What You Get Out of Routines

Hopefully, by knowing what happens in the brain when creating routines, it becomes easier to understand the benefits of routines:

1. Start the day with a good mood: Adopting a routine centred on self-care leads to a boost in self-esteem within the first hour of the day, setting a positive tone for the rest of the day. The alternative is an aimless and structureless morning without a sense of purpose, mindlessly scrolling, then feeling guilty, with no added benefit in the morning (Ontario Psychological Association, 2025).

2. Allocate energy for more important tasks: By automating a series of decisions you need to make into a routine, the brain frees up the prefrontal cortex for more demanding tasks. This is important because the prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that supports functions such as planning, decision-making, and conscious thought. 

3. Improves mental health: Being on autopilot prevents potential overwhelm, stress, and anxiety through predictability. It gives us a sense of control because we know what we will be doing next. 

4. Having a morning or night routine simplifies decision-making during our low-energy moments. I find that establishing morning and night routines helps me avoid bad habits. Many of us are probably familiar with “rotting in bed” and doomscrolling at night. When we first wake up or go to bed, our energy levels tend to be low because of sleep inertia or feeling drained by the end of the day. During these low-energy periods, it is harder to resist the option that is easiest, quickest, and most enjoyable, like scrolling (Arlinghaus, K. R., & Johnston, C. A., 2018). Setting up a routine prevents a structureless morning/evening by putting you in autopilot mode, which makes it easier to make the right decisions.

Science Behind Why Routines Work

The basal ganglia is the region of the brain responsible for forming routines. The core of the basal ganglia is the striatum, which is responsible for controlling conscious movements and dealing with reward and aversion. When you first start a new routine—like waking up at the same time each day or running every morning—the cortex (the part of your brain responsible for active focus and attention) communicates with the basal ganglia to guide your actions by weighing signals and determining what actions to “disinhibit” (Young, C. B., Reddy, V., & Sonne, J., 2023). Each time you repeat a “positive” behaviour, the brain releases dopamine to strengthen the brain pathway. Over time, the basal ganglia takes over, allowing us to perform the action with less conscious effort. This shift from conscious effort to subconscious behaviour is what makes routines so powerful. Overall, routines are built through neural patterns built through repetition and reward. 

Practical Advice to Build a Routine that Sticks

For a new routine to replace an old one, you need to offer your brain a reward it finds satisfying—whether it’s a sense of accomplishment, relaxation, or another positive emotion. For the brain to associate this new routine with satisfaction, consistency is essential. The more consistent you are, the stronger the neural pathway becomes. Over time, as the brain begins to associate the new routine with satisfaction, the old routine you had will lose power. To illustrate, when you first start working out (considered a challenging task), dopamine might spike after you finish your workout when you feel proud of yourself. After repeating it enough times, your brain starts to associate the process of getting ready for a workout with that rewarding feeling. The same applies to routines. 

Consistency is the main barrier for individuals when it comes to building a routine. This is when I tell you: practicality and consistency > perfection. 

• Be flexible: A useful rule to follow is not skipping two consecutive days. It is super easy to get discouraged when you skip one day, especially as a perfectionist. You think: “I’ve already skipped one day, two days won’t hurt, right?” or “I’ve already skipped one day, what is the point of continuing?”. By establishing this rule, you won’t get into the all-or-nothing mindset and give up entirely on your routine. 

• Don’t set very high, unattainable expectations: When you’re just starting out, it’s easy to feel motivated and believe you can do everything at once. But once you come face-to-face with your actual ability, it can feel discouraging. As the saying goes, you need to learn to walk before you can run. Start with just three steps in your routine, and once those feel comfortable, add another step. Over time, the progress adds up. 

• A morning/night routine is not about waking up at 5 A.M. to run or having a perfect routine. It’s about being realistic while still reaping the benefits of a routine.

If you are dreading your routines and constantly skipping them, it’s a sign your routine needs to be adjusted. Most likely, you may be trying to fit yourself into the routine instead of letting the routine fit you. For example, when I first developed my morning routine in university, I found it challenging to maintain. This is when I had to reflect on what was going wrong and adjust my routine accordingly. Some critical questions you should reflect on are:

• What is making my routine difficult to go through? And how can I make it easier and more streamlined? For example, if you continue to forget to take your medications before bed, put them beside your bed so seeing them cues you to take them.

• What is an unnecessary part of my routine that serves no purpose that I can take out? As you continue to evolve as a person, some steps in your routine will have no purpose anymore. For example, I used to do yoga every night before bed to help myself relax. But now I can fall asleep easily without it, so it’s become an unnecessary step. Realizing that, I’ve taken it out of my routine.

Routines require constant reflection and adjustment to be successful long-term.

Closing Thoughts

I know that building a new routine while managing school can feel overwhelming at times, but it’s absolutely possible. Start small, build momentum, and allow yourself the space to adjust as you grow. Progress happens step by step, and every small win adds up. Remember to reflect on what’s working, what isn’t, and what changes you plan to make. You’re capable of this—keep going!

References

Arlinghaus, K. R., & Johnston, C. A. (2018). The Importance of Creating Habits and Routine. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 13(2), 142–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827618818044 

Ontario Psychological Association. (2025, January 23). The Power of Routine: How Establishing Daily Habits Can Improve Mental Health. Ontario Psychological Association. https://www.psych.on.ca/Public/Blog/2025/The-Power-of-Routine-How-Establishing-Daily-Habits

Young, C. B., Sonne, J., & Reddy, V. (2023, July 24). Neuroanatomy, Basal Ganglia. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537141/