Routine and Ritual: How to Transform Routines into Rituals

Transform your daily routine into meaningful rituals. Discover the difference between routine and ritual, and learn how to infuse intention and mindfulness into your everyday life.

Let’s imagine and recreate one of our normal days. We start by making our bed, drinking our favorite brewed cup of coffee, walking the same path to the office and listening to the same songs.

We always feel and want our days to be different. Still, there are a few things that never change. And we keep repeating the same actions daily – every day, making them our routine.

Do you know more than 40% of what we do are self-selected? Simply put, we perform these actions just like a machine does – in an automated manner.

So, how can we make that one change that can transform our lives? The key is to understand the difference between routine and rituals.

How are Routines Developed?

Many do not realize that our habits, such as walking past a store or meeting someone at work, trigger an action further. For instance, when you walk past a store, you may buy a coffee, or when you meet a colleague, you share a conversation over that cup of coffee. These are some of your behaviors that, over time, get converted into habits.

These habits are needed daily to maintain discipline and a healthy lifestyle. These are also needed to ensure you do not consciously attempt to do these auto-pilot daily tasks. And these habits are great as actions.

But do habits actually start as habits? They began as routines. There is a very thin line between a habit and a routine. The game to change your routine to rituals starts with understanding these key differences.

Routine needs patience and deliberate practice each day. Whether it is making your bed, going to the gym, or waking up at the same time on a Sunday, these routines need continuous patience and practice. Your brain won’t tell you to do all these without a regular schedule or practice.

You need regular practice and patience for habits and routines. The only difference is the level of intention or effort needed. For instance, you need little or no conscious thoughts for habits, whereas for routine, you require a high degree of intention and effort. When you set up a routine, those are created into habits in no time.

But how do you move from routine to rituals?

How to Move from Routine to Rituals?

When we think about rituals, we often confuse them with something that we worship. For instance, going to a temple and performing a rites of worship is a ritual for us.

All these are rituals, but it is just one form of the long ritual. If we need to understand the difference between routine and ritual, we must modify our thoughts.

Because it is the mindset behind a specific action that defines a difference between the two. Routines are things that are meant to be done daily, such as drinking tea. At the same time, rituals are more meaningful practices with a true sense of purpose attached to them.

Another important thing to remember is that rituals do not have to be religious in nature. The only thing that matters is how deeply you are invested and your intentions. You must be focused on experiencing that task and not just worried about completing it. Therefore, you need to invest complete energy towards the same.

Many of us do not know that we can turn any routine into a ritual. Let’s take a small example of drinking our morning tea or coffee. If we drink it in a rush and only to satisfy our need for drinking, it is a routine for us.

But if we start to experience its flavors, silkiness, texture, and taste, it is known as performing a ritual. It is because we have truly enjoyed that wonderful hot cup of coffee.

By the way, do you know, mindful eating or sipping your tea or coffee can improve their flavors and make you more content and satisfied?

And you can take numerous examples of your daily activities that can be easily converted into rituals. When you start to do those tasks with intention and not just for completion, you have moved from the routine to the ritual phase.

Why Change Routines into Rituals?

It is a very interesting question – why must we change our routines to rituals? What is the need?

The basic reason there is a need to change routines into rituals is to enjoy the little things we do daily. Each activity that we perform has the capability of giving us an option of participating in mindfulness practice.

You do not need a separate window to practice such activities when you shift your routines into rituals.

It does not mean you should not practice yoga, meditation, or any such activity. However, sometimes we do not get the time to enroll for such activities in our busy schedules and eventually lose on experiencing the most beautiful aspect of our lives. Hence, there is a need to convert routines into rituals.

Moreover, it is the easiest way of incorporating an intentional feeling into your life, especially when you do not have time and energy for anything new. Doing this can also help you create better habits that are healthy for your mind and body?

Tips on Changing Routines to Rituals

Now that we have discussed why and how we can change our routines to rituals, here are some tips. These can come in handy when you start your journey towards the bigger change.

1. Changing Your Alarm Tone

It’s important to start your day off right. You should not have a loud, banging alarm tone that puts you off instead of giving you that push to do something relaxing and enjoying.

So, if you have a loud and disturbing ringtone, change it today to something peaceful and relaxing. Some nice, soft and calming music will work wonders.

2. Creating a Morning Ritual without Caffeine

There is no harm in drinking a cup of coffee, but when you are changing let’s change the way you start your day. Instead of coffee, try hot lemon water to sip on. If you do not wish to change, you can continue with the same, however, keep a check on the number of cups you take in a day.

3. Creating an Exercise Ritual

If you are exercising and not finding results, it is time to make it a ritual. Your body will love it when you exercise with complete sense and meaning. Ultimately, it will start to show on your face, smile, and body.

Your self-care will not just promote healthy physical health but also your mental health. When you do it as a routine of spending 60 mins in the gym, you are not doing justice to it. Change it today to a ritual, and enjoy your exercise.

4. The Eating Rituals

Are you someone who eats only to curb the hunger pangs? My friend, you are missing out on the wonderful flavors and tastes of different food in this world. It is time to change this routine into a ritual.

At the beginning of the week, decide and prepare a menu for what you eat the entire week. Most importantly, consider its nourishment to your body.

Secondly, do not distract yourself with gadgets and chores while eating. Take your plate and enjoy the various colors you see, the different textures, flavors, and enjoy every bite you take.

Instead of worrying about what is happening around you, start asking meaningful questions to yourself. Where is the food coming from? What are you giving your body?

What flavors are there? Do you like these flavors? Two things will happen from this practice. First, you will enjoy the food; second, you will stop eating junk and focus on healthy food.

5. A Bedtime Ritual

When mornings can have rituals, then why not your bedtime? After all, a good ritual will enhance your sleeping patterns and quality. If you do not follow the practice of brushing your teeth before going to bed, it is time to start now. And invest in an electric toothbrush; there is a reason for it.

It will give you pleasure while you brush, and do not think about anything else; just enjoy the peaceful time. Take care of yourself by doing nighttime skin rituals to wake up fresh and happy the next morning.

Wrapping Up!

So, what do you think? Is it difficult to change routines into rituals or something that can be managed easily? Before making this shift, ensure you connect and understand its meaning.

Do not just do it for the heck of doing it. It is important to understand the reason behind what you do and why you do it. Once you are clear, the path to change and happiness is not far away.

These are just five things which we shared, but you can convert any routine into a ritual. You only need an intention and motivation and are on your journey to transformation.