Even those who claim they do not have routines, do. If you can learn to live with them, they will soon organize your schedule, help make your appointments, get your priorities sorted, and clean up your work area for you. John Maxwell once said of them, “I can always tell how effective any leader will end up by spending just one day with him or her!” Routines. If you invite them into your life, they will become your best friend. If you keep your distance from them, you will forever be running out of time, looking for your keys, and telling yourself, “One day I am going to do something about that!”

I recently spoke with a lady who told me her husband had been battling, but she noticed his battles began to overwhelm him when they went on holidays. The very thing she thought would de-stress him turned out to be the major cause of his stress. Without the regimented, daily routines that had kept him going through even the darkest of days, his safety net was pulled from under him. When it comes to distance learning, routine is doubly important. Simply developing a same-time-each-day routine to reading your textbook or study guide will mean the difference between achieving your study goals or forever longing for that mythical day when you’ll “find the time to study.” Even regularly studying for 10 to 15 minutes a day moves you toward completing your course in a timely manner. The next time you see a person who seems to get things done, including their studies, you might want to ask them whether they have any daily routines which they have found helpful.