The importance of routines and schedules

What makes for a good day, leaving us content? Engagement through the day with age-appropriate physical activity, cognitive stimulation as well as social exposure tends to lead to good days. Such an engagement gives a sense of contentment and satisfaction to the individual. That’s when we say, we are ‘at peace’. This applies across age groups, across diverse populations.

In this modern era of countless distractions, with each activity designed to be addictive, a routine becomes important if one wants to achieve even a modicum of contentment.

However, maintaining a daily or weekly routine is a much detested and more criticized idea. Many people explicitly try to not have a routine, and it becomes a routine not to have a routine. In this pursuit of non-routine, their goals and to-do lists become haphazard. Even when they clear a part of the list, they tend to feel overwhelmed with what is left and are not able to appreciate either their effort or achievement.

Routine is often negatively associated with living in a hostel. Why do hostels have routines in the first place? Is it to make everyone’s life difficult? When a group of people live together, routine helps with predictability and to plan our lives in the presence of each other. We are usually okay with following the routines in schools, workplaces, and when on trips. When it comes to family, we take the caregivers for granted and refuse to follow a predictable routine. We don’t think twice before informing them at the last minute that we don’t want breakfast or we go to eat whenever we want and they are supposed to provide hot food. People think this is luxury and comfortable living whereas it is just their life going off track.

Do routines really help?

Many autistics and their families find it easier to live with routines and structured days. However, routines are not just for autistics, having a routine works for everyone.

A routine helps with making free time visible to us. Really! Think about it!

When we have a routine, we know how much work can be done and where there is space. That should give anyone a sense of relief. It’s no different for an autistic child or adult. A routine reduces the number of uncertain periods. That means less anxiety.

For a child, the most important thing about a routine is that adults become available at specific times. The child gets to know when their favourite activity is, when their favourite food is, when they need to face a challenging activity etc.

Is it all rosy with a routine?

Absolutely not.

The worst part of the routine is the accountability. This is where much of the hate comes from.

If you are a parent and you have put ‘playing a board game’ on schedule, you need to make yourself available at that time. You cannot say that you have a meeting.

If you are a teenager and you need to be accountable, there is this whole universe of competing priorities pulling you apart.

This leads the way to a deep philosophical discussion about ‘What I want to do versus what I need to do’. Probably, another time.

So, what to do now?

Have a routine for yourself, your children and with the people around you.

Having a routine might sound difficult in the beginning, but one will be able to see how it actually facilitates everyday life, and how it adds to the overall quality of life.