Establish routines: How to really stick to them (without insane discipline!)

Ahhh, January – the month when gyms are overcrowded, fridges are full of kale and to-do lists are bursting with motivation. And then … comes 17 January, the infamous ‘throw-your-resolutions-overboard day’. It’s supposed to remind us that our ambitious New Year’s resolutions have long since been forgotten.
Let’s be honest: how are you doing? Is your new healthy lifestyle plan still on track or has the treadmill turned into an expensive clothes rack? And what about your business resolutions? Didn’t you finally want to work more efficiently, get your to-do list under control or tame the email chaos? But somehow your desk looks like December 2024 again …
No wonder! January is like the Monday morning of the year: full of vigour at first, but after a few days, everyday life catches up with us again. Why is that? Because we take on too much. Instead of making lasting changes, we plan a complete upheaval – and forget that our day only has 24 hours (and some of them are for sleeping).

The solution? Establish routines instead of forcing radical changes. Because it’s not the one-off, big changes that really make a difference – it’s the small, recurring actions that become habitual over time. And that’s exactly what this article is about: How to build realistic, everyday routines and really follow through with your resolutions – without frustration and without perfectionism.

Why do we fail at our resolutions?

The same thing happens every year on 1 January: we wake up (possibly hungover) and are determined to radically change our lives. From now on, we’re going to eat healthier, exercise regularly, get up earlier – and, of course, completely optimise our business. More structure, less chaos, finally working more productively! No more e-mail floods, procrastination and endless to-do lists.

Sounds like a solid plan. The problem? Our brain hates change. It loves routines, habits and anything that feels as effortless as possible. And when we ambitiously set out to change our entire life and business from one day to the next, our inner bastard thinks: ‘Well, have fun with that! I’ll give you two weeks.’

The biggest problem with resolutions – whether personal or professional – is that we often take on too much at once. We set ourselves unrealistically high goals without having a concrete plan for how we can integrate them into our everyday lives. Instead of making small, sustainable changes, we want to improve everything at once.

The myth: ‘In 21 days, everything becomes a habit’

Have you heard this saying? ‘Do it for 21 days and it becomes a habit.’ Sounds temptingly simple, doesn’t it? Just stick with it for three weeks and, poof, everything works itself out. Unfortunately, this is more of a motivational slogan than a scientific truth.  This figure actually comes from a plastic surgeon called Maxwell Maltz in the 1960s. He found that his patients needed around 21 days to get used to their new appearance after cosmetic surgery. However, this had nothing to do with behavioural changes or new habits.

Recent studies show that it takes an average of 66 days for a new habit to become truly automatic – for some it is quicker, for others it takes up to eight months. And here comes the crucial point: it’s not the number of days that counts, but the consistency. If you regularly incorporate a habit into your everyday life, it will eventually become second nature – but not after exactly 21 days.
This means for your business and life resolutions: Set yourself realistic time frames. If you resolve to start every morning productively with an hour of deep work, it won’t immediately become routine. It takes patience, repetition and a plan that works even on stressful days.

Do you really have enough capacity for your goal?
And here comes the next big question: do you really have the time and mental capacity to realise your goal? We tend to set resolutions in a state of maximum motivation. In January, it feels great to say: ‘From now on, I’m going to work in a much more structured way, read a specialist book every week, optimise my processes and finally get my back office in order!’ But does this really fit into your everyday life?

Think about it honestly:

• • Do you have enough time to realistically implement your plan? Is your diary already full? Then it will be difficult to fit in new routines on top of that. It’s better to make a small, realistic start than to throw everything away in frustration after two weeks.
  • Do you have enough mental capacity? Changes need energy. If you are already at your limit, it will be difficult to establish a new habit on top of that. Maybe now is not the right time for five new routines at the same time – but for one that is really sustainable.
  • What are you leaving out? Every new habit takes time. What are you prepared to reduce or eliminate? Less social media? Fewer unproductive meetings? Without consciously making room for new things, it will be difficult to stick to a new routine.

It’s not the size of the change that counts, but the feasibility. If you take on too much and believe that everything will work itself out after 21 days, you will be disappointed. It’s better to start small, keep at it regularly and realistically assess what is actually feasible. So how can you really successfully integrate your resolutions into your everyday life – without stress and without perfectionism?

Three clever tips to really stick to your resolutions

Now we know why many resolutions fail – so it’s high time we looked at how we can do better! Because the problem is not that we set ourselves new goals, but how we realise them. The key is to make our goals realistic, tangible and motivating. And a few simple but effective strategies can help us do this.

Tip 1: Make it so simple that you can’t fail

The biggest trap with resolutions is often our own over-motivation. Instead of starting small, we immediately set ourselves huge goals: ‘I’m going to get up at 5 a.m. every day from now on, meditate for an hour, work through my to-do list perfectly and eat completely healthy.’ Sounds impressive – but totally unrealistic. Successful change happens in small steps. Instead of resolving to ‘work in a more structured way’, start with a small, concrete change that you can implement without much effort.

For example:

• • Checklist: Create a mini to-do list in the evening for the next day with a maximum of three priorities.
  • Habit tracker: Use a simple table or an app in which you can tick off each day when you have implemented your new habit. (Tip: A visible habit tracker is hugely motivating!)
  • Vision board: Visualise your goal with pictures, quotes or graphics – whether as a pinboard, digital collage or notebook page. This keeps your goal present and tangible.

Why does this work? Because it makes it easier for you to keep going. Your brain loves ticking boxes or seeing progress. And if you make your hurdles so small that you almost can’t fail, you automatically get into action.

Tip 2: Use the power of habit – but do it right

The good news: as soon as an action becomes a habit, it takes less effort. The bad news is that it takes repetition and a smart strategy to get there.

This is where the concept of habit stacking comes into play: link a new habit to an existing routine. This makes implementation almost automatic. Examples:

• • Drink tea in the morning → write a journal for five minutes straight afterwards
  • Check emails → three minutes breathing exercise or short stretching exercise beforehand
  • Boot up your laptop → immediately enter the top 3 tasks of the day in the habit tracker

If you like to be digitally organised, there are great apps to help you consistently implement your new habits:

• • HabitNow (Android) – Perfect for anyone looking for a flexible app to track habits, set goals and receive reminders. Particularly practical: you can organise your routines with categories and evaluate progress.
  • Streaks (iOS, Apple Watch, macOS) – A minimalist but powerful app for Apple users. It motivates you to stick to your daily habits by visualising your series of successes. And let’s be honest: who wants to interrupt their perfect streak?
  • Structured – I used this app for a long time to plan my day – from sports to music to lunch. Structured helps you to integrate habits directly into your daily routine so that they don’t just appear as to-dos on a list, but actually become part of your day.

And if you fall out of your routine? No drama! The trick is to get back into it as quickly as possible. A single day without implementation is not a problem – only if you stop completely will you lose progress. So: tick off your mistakes and keep going!

Tip 3: Reward, but with style

What makes us really stick to a new habit? Motivation – and the prospect of a reward. But here’s the crux of the matter: the reward should support your goal, not sabotage it.

Instead of ‘I’ve given up social media for a week, now I’m going to treat myself to a 4-hour TikTok marathon’, think about rewards that reinforce your new habit. For example:

• • Buying a new sports outfit after a successful week of morning exercise
  • After 30 days of consistent planning, get a nice notepad for your next journal
  • After three months of sticking with it, create a vision board with your next goals

A habit tracker can also serve as a fun reward: Seeing the tick marks fill up makes you not want to break the chain. That’s pure motivation! Small steps, big impact! Resolutions don’t fail because we have too little motivation – but because we approach them too big, too vague and without a system. Make it easy for yourself, work with existing habits and reward yourself cleverly. And most importantly: keep at it. Your goal is not perfection, but consistency.

Transparency and the courage to make decisions: How responsibility strengthens virtual collaboration

Transparency and responsibility – aren’t these the secret ingredients for successful virtual collaboration? Freelancers are not mere employees; they are partners at eye level who are willing to contribute their expertise.
And this is exactly where the key lies: they have to tackle tasks independently and reliably. But honestly, who can read minds? Without clear instructions and expectations, freelancers are often left in the dark. And what happens then? Exactly, they could work on a task and deliver a result that is completely different to what the client was hoping for! And this is where transparency comes into play! Open communication is like a ray of light in the darkness – it helps us to recognise misunderstandings at an early stage and clear them out of the way. Freelancers who regularly share the progress of a project, ask questions or address challenges directly not only show a sense of responsibility, but also professionalism.

But the client must also be prepared to give feedback and communicate corrections clearly. Is that so difficult? Sometimes, despite all efforts, a little uncertainty remains: how exactly should the task be implemented? In such moments, the client needs to have the courage to leave a gap. Why? So as not to block the project unnecessarily! If the client gives the freelancer the freedom to make decisions and drive the task forward on their own responsibility, this is a sign of trust. And let’s be honest: even if the result doesn’t always match the original plan, it can often be the best way to bring the project to a successful conclusion.

It is important that the client remains open to solutions and is prepared to accept deviations – as long as the overall goal is achieved. This flexibility sends a strong signal to the freelancer: ‘Your commitment counts!’ This strengthens the relationship and makes collaboration more efficient. Transparency and communication are also essential here in order to keep the process comprehensible and allow trust to continue to grow. Taking responsibility also means accepting that not everything has to run perfectly. What really counts is the willingness to find solutions, make decisions and talk openly about challenges. Freelancers who adopt this approach are not only perceived as reliable partners – they also lay the foundations for respectful and successful collaboration.

My Personal Resolution & Experiences

Now that we know how to approach resolutions smartly, it’s time for a reality check: my own resolutions. Because, of course, I’m not just sitting here preaching clever methods – I’m testing them myself. And yes, I can confirm: it’s not always easy. But it works if you do it right!

My Resolutions for This Year

I’ve set a few achievable yet impactful changes for myself:

• • Incorporate a workout three times a week in the morning – No marathons, just a realistically short but effective start to the day. Thanks to my rowing machine, Eisenhorn strength machine, and the “Better Me” app, I can do it all from home.
  • Leave the car behind more often and walk instead – Because movement in everyday life is often easier than a structured workout.
  • Start the day with green tea instead of coffee – Waking up gently instead of jumping straight into caffeine chaos.
  • Read more and consume less social media – Because my brain loves deep dives into books more than Instagram snacks.
  • Play more saxophone – Because music relaxes me, inspires me, and simply makes me happy.

I’ll let you know how it goes because… life doesn’t always follow vision boards. And then there are those phases when life just does what it wants – completely ignoring my plans.

School holidays? Goodbye, structured mornings! I often work at odd hours to spend the day with my kids – and my routine just flies out the window. Or when I’m outside my usual environment, traveling or on the go, suddenly everything feels chaotic.

Sickness? Well, then workouts take a back seat. And when client projects take priority, I sometimes don’t manage to blog regularly or stay visible. And that’s okay.

I’ve learned: It’s not about never falling out of routine. It’s about recognizing the point when it’s time to get back on track – without blaming yourself.

Because life happens. Because perfection is an illusion. And because no vision board or Excel sheet in the world can prevent other things from becoming more important sometimes.

And that’s my most important resolution: Never stop just because things aren’t perfect. Always start again.

Progress is like a bad phone stream – sometimes it buffers, but it keeps going!

Resolutions are like Wi-Fi on an old train: sometimes they work, sometimes they lag, and sometimes you briefly lose connection. But as long as you keep logging back in, you’ll reach your destination!

It’s not about doing everything perfectly. Life isn’t a glossy planner; it’s more like a chaotic to-do list with coffee stains. Sometimes, new habits work great, then school holidays, a stressful week, or a sudden motivation breakdown come along – and poof, the perfect plan is gone. So what?

The trick isn’t to never stray off track but to get back on it with ease. Small, realistic steps beat big, utopian resolutions. And if you stumble along the way? Just get up, dust yourself off, straighten your crown, and keep going.

So instead of asking yourself whether you’re still “on track,” ask: What small thing can I do today that feels good and moves me forward? Because that’s what it’s all about – sticking with it, not stressing out.

Now I’m curious: What small change do you want to introduce into your daily life? And how will you stick with it? Drop it in the comments!

My input for your time management!

Book a free consultation now and find out how I, as a virtual assistant, can take technical and organizational tasks off your plate so you can fully focus on your core business! Let me help you reclaim your time and avoid overwhelm.

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