It was easy to keep to a schedule during the normal school days. Bells and alarm clocks would make sure we got to where we needed to be on time, while teachers’ deadlines kept us on track (if one paid attention to them) with our workload.

Now locked in our homes for what may be the rest of the school year, many people may find it difficult to keep to a healthy routine. The days may blur together as people lock themselves inside for the greater good. By losing freedom of travel, a person now has a new freedom: the freedom of a free schedule. 

During this time of uncertainty, is it important to maintain a routine? According to psychologists like Brianna West it is.

In her article The Psychology of Daily Routine, she writes “In short, routine is important because habitualness creates mood and mood creates the ‘nurture’ aspect of your personality…” She goes on to list various other reasons- such as a routine can help lower anxiety and can make sure you have a fulfilling life- as why humans need a routine to stay at their peak performance. Why then does it seem so hard to do something that’s built into our very nature? 

Another psychologist and author, Michael Kilcoyne, stated in an article titled Your inability to form a routine is a warning sign that something deeper is wrong that one of the toughest challenges to forming a schedule is the fact that many people simply don’t want to do many of the things they have to do. It’s much easier to stick to a schedule of watching your favorite shows rather than one of boring school work and dull experiences. 

With all this in mind, how does a person make a schedule that’s both productive but doesn’t drain them? Kilcoyne has three major tips for forming and sticking to a schedule: don’t force it, get outside and away from people, and do one thing different every day. 

Every Google search will show different ways to keep to a schedule. However, one of the most important things to realize is that a person’s body has its own schedule, as shown by Melissa C. Stöppler in her article. 

Many people may feel more comfortable staying up late to work and then sleeping in or vice versa. The feeling of needing to move, or the ability to be creative comes to different people at different times. No one schedule can help everyone, therefore it’s important to spend time getting to know yourself as you make a routine to follow.