Building structure and routine

Making healthy choices the easy choices

Why It Is Important to Have Healthy Structures and Routines

Trying to stay on track using willpower alone is exhausting.  You can’t expect to battle with every decision, every day.

Routines reduce that mental load. They give your day or week a rhythm, so the healthy choice becomes the easy choice more often than not.

When you put a few simple routines in place, they act like a support system in the background. They make sure important habits actually happen, even when life is busy or motivation is low. You can trust your routines to keep the basics ticking over, so you can get on with living your life.

Helpful Structures and Routines

1. Review Your Last Week
   Set aside 10 minutes each weekend to reflect. This helps you stay honest with yourself and learn from experience, instead of repeating the same mistakes. Ask yourself:
   • Did I follow through on what I planned?
   • What worked, and what didn’t?
   • What can I learn for next time?
2. Plan Your Coming Week
   Use another 10 minutes to sketch out a plan for the week ahead. This routine helps you walk into the week with purpose instead of guessing your way through it. Decide:
   • What will your main action or focus be?
   • When are you likely to do it?
   • What might get in the way, and how could you prepare?
3. Morning or Evening Check-In
   Take a moment each day to check in with yourself. This keeps your actions aligned with your goals, one day at a time. In the morning and evening, ask yourself:
   • “What is one healthy thing I want to do today?”
   • “Did I do it? What helped or got in the way?”
4. Habit Pairing (Also Called Stacking)
   Link your healthy action to something you already do automatically. This acts like a built-in reminder and helps you repeat the habit more consistently. Examples:
   • After I brush my teeth, I do 10 squats
   • After my first cup of tea, I prep my lunch
5. Set Recurring Reminders
   Use your phone, calendar or sticky notes to prompt your daily action or habit. You don’t have to remember everything. Let your systems do the reminding.
6. Midweek Check-In
   Catching small slips early helps prevent a full derailment. Take 2 minutes midweek (for example, every Wednesday) to pause and ask:
   • How is the week going so far?
   • Am I still doing what I planned?
   • Do I need to adjust anything?
7. Scheduled Support Crew Contact
   Pick a day or two each week to check in with your support crew, even if things are going well.This keeps you connected and supported without waiting until you’re struggling.
8. Monthly Focus Theme
   Choose one area of health to focus on each month. It gives your efforts some structure and helps you build solid habits gradually instead of trying to do everything at once. Examples:
   • January = Sleep
   • February = Walking more
   • March = Meal planning
9. Revisit your foundation questions every few weeks
   Every few weeks, take a moment to revisit the early chapters in this workbook. Updating these answers helps you stay grounded in what matters and keeps your plan relevant to your current life.
   • Have your goals shifted?
   • Have new barriers popped up?
   • Are your reasons for change even stronger now?

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