Ways to Create More Structure in Life

(With Examples)

Establishing structure does not mean you need to plan every little
detail in your life with no room for spontaneity. Having structure
means keeping a schedule or routine, which includes making time for
yourself, and activities that bring you joy.

Having structure can do wonders for improving productivity, stress,

and even anxiety and depression. For some people, having no routine
can be physically and emotionally draining.

In this article, you will learn why maintaining structure in life is

important, and five helpful tips for you to start to establish your own
unique structure to enhance your well-being.

What does a structured life mean?

A structured life can mean different things to different people,
depending on their lifestyle. Oftentimes we don’t know that we
depend on structure until it is gone. Structure can mean routines and
protocols you implement in order to help get things done.

For example, you may have a morning routine each day before going
to work; this is structure. If you make plans to go on a trip with friends,
you will decide the date you will go, the length of the trip, where you
will stay, and perhaps some activities you will do. When you do this,
you have created a structure to guide you.

Why should we create structure?

Maintaining a sense of structure in your life can have many benefits.
Having structured routines can have a significant positive impact on
your mental health, including improving bipolar disorder, preventing
substance abuse, as well as managing anxiety and depression. 
A report on addiction and early abstinence states that “Structuring
one’s time is an important aid to recovery”. It also says that a
structured life helps individuals in addiction recovery to decrease
negative emotions such as depression or boredom. Without structure,
there is a greater risk of returning to unhealthy and risky behaviors, as
there is nothing to help you stay on track and stick to healthier
routines.

Research indicates that people in good health engage in more routine

behaviors. For example, individuals who are successful at maintaining
good health may have a healthy food plan, engage in routine exercise,
and do not skip meals. The same study shows that a bedtime routine
is associated with improved sleep habits (which can help you live a
happier life).

The many benefits of having a structured life

Having a regular routine can help you to feel a sense of control, which
can reduce your stress and anxiety levels. Research shows that routine
helps to make life feel more predictable, stable, and controllable,
which can give a calming and anxiety-reducing effect.
Structure can also help with increasing productivity and ending
procrastination. When you establish structure in your life it is easier to
complete tasks that you need to do. Having a routine and schedule
allows for better time management and the effective completion of
mundane tasks, leaving more room for enjoyment or extra tasks that
need to get done.

Research shows that people who lack structure in their life may be

more likely to suffer from stress, poor sleep, poor eating, worsened
physical condition and procrastination.
A lack of structure may result in worrying about finding time to
complete tasks and neglecting your health. For example, if you do not
schedule time for healthy meals or grocery shopping, unhealthy
substitutes become the norm.

Ways to create structure

In order to reap all the benefits of having a structured life, here are 5
tips that will help you create structure in your life.

1. Establish a healthy morning and bedtime

routine
Having a structured morning and bedtime routine will have a
significant impact on your day. A good quality morning routine can
help you to feel in control of your day and assist you in attending to
your self-care needs.

A morning routine can include your skincare, brushing your teeth,

eating a healthy breakfast, and even squeezing in an enjoyable activity
such as reading or watching your favorite show. Exercise and
meditation are other activities you can incorporate into a healthy
morning routine.
A healthy bedtime routine can have an incredibly positive impact on
your sleep habits, which are inextricably linked to your overall
health. Evidence shows that having a good routine can improve your
quality of rest, which in turn can positively affect your mental
sharpness, performance, emotional well-being, and energy level.
A good bedtime routine means trying to sleep at a similar time each
night, attending to your personal hygiene (for example brushing your
teeth, washing your face, taking a shower), and activities that help you
to relax and get ready to sleep, such as meditation, reading a book or
having a caffeine-free tea.

2. Make a to-do list

Making a list of things you want or need to get done in the day can
help you to prioritize and manage your time. When making the list it is
important to set objectives that follow the SMART goal
guidelines. Setting SMART goals helps you to develop the focus and
motivation needed to achieve the goals on your to-do list.

That being said, it is important to remain flexible when it comes to the

to-do list. Sometimes your days can become unpredictable, or plans
will change, and you will not check everything off your list. Other times
you may find it difficult to find the motivation, and that’s okay! Don’t
be too hard on yourself, it’s okay to have off days where you don’t
achieve everything you wanted to.

Not everything is under your control, and that's okay. Use the list as a
guide and a tool to prioritize, manage your time, and provide structure
to your day.

3. Plan your meals

Having planned meals adds a layer of structure to your life. It can help
improve your overall health, reduce the stress around rushing meals,
and help you to save time.

Planning meals can also help you to eat better and can even save you
money! As with any new routine, meal planning may take time and
practice to get used to. You may have to experiment with what works
best for you.

4. Make time for self-care and activities you enjoy

Sometimes when we are trying to increase structure in our life, we may
neglect to engage in enjoyable activities due to feeling like our time is
too occupied by other routines or activities that need to get done.
It is important to ensure that you are intentionally scheduling time for
activities you enjoy when implementing structure into your life. In
other words, you need to set aside time for self-care. This can provide
a sense of connectedness to others and improve your overall quality
of life.
Some examples of enjoyable activities include getting together with a
friend, playing a sport, listening to music, gardening, or going for a
nature walk.

5. Make sure your structure suits you!

Lastly, and arguably most importantly, make sure the structure you
implement suits you! Your life is unique, and the structure that helps
you may not be suitable for the next person. For example, if you work
a nine-to-five job, your sense of structure may look quite different
from a freelancer who is a night owl, or a post-secondary student. 

There are no rules when it comes to establishing a structure that works

for you. As long as the structure and routines implemented are healthy
habits that serve you and help you maintain a balanced life, then keep
doing what you’re doing!

Implementing structure into your life is an ongoing process with many

benefits. Finding the right structure for your unique life can take
practice, revision, and flexibility, but the effort is worth it. Start by
trying some of the tips in this article and see what works best for you!

How to structure your life is a question that people ask themselves

all the time. It's important for everyone to figure out what their
priorities are in life, and how they can make them work together.

6. Figure out what you want from your job or

business
What do you want? Do you want more money? Do you want
flexibility? More free time? Once decide on these, then find a way to
balance these things in both aspects of your life: personal and
professional.

7. Establish some boundaries for yourself

If there's something that isn't working well in your life, it's time to
establish some boundaries. A boundary is a limit that you set for
yourself to follow and for others to respect. This will help guide you
to what you are willing to accept in life, and what you aren't. .
This is a way to establish who you are, and what your goals in life
are. Setting boundaries can help relieve stress by cutting out
unwanted things that take up time or energy. And even more
importantly, it will make sure that the person you want to be at
work is also the person you want to be at home with family and
friends.

8. Keep a to-do list

One of the best ways to stay structured is to keep a to-do list. It's
quick and easy, just write down what you need to get done in the
day or week. You can use any old pen and paper or create a digital
version on your phone using Google Keep (or Evernote).
A great way of remembering everything that needs doing is by
making sure it gets written down at least once every 24 hours! This
means that if something new pops up after work for example when
you go home make sure it goes onto the next day’s list so there are
no surprises later in the week.
By keeping lists throughout the course of each week we find some
tasks don't even need our attention because they have

9. Prioritize what is most important to you

Prioritize what is most important to you, then fill in the gaps.  What
are your priorities? What do you want out of life? Once these things
have been identified and prioritized it will be much easier to plan
how to spend your time every day.
For example, if work is a top priority for you but taking care of
family needs more attention than usual due to an illness or some
other event that demands more attention from you, consider
scaling back on sleep so that those two aspects of your life can both
get enough focus during this period.

10. Create a morning routine

Creating a morning routine will make your mornings more
productive and help turn the day in a positive direction.
A few things you can do every morning to establish this are:
brushing your teeth, washing your face/hair, doing some exercise
(even if it's just stretching), drinking water or another healthy
beverage of choice, setting up work for the next day or at least
delegating tasks that need taking care of before leaving home.

11. Make sure you get enough sleep each night

Rest is so important especially when you are trying to get more
done. Sleep is the perfect time for your brain and body to rest from
all of the day's activities.
So, make sure that you give yourself enough hours of sleep each
night. No, not just any type of sleep will do - try focusing on a slow
wave or REM sleep!
Sleeping better also means waking up feeling refreshed versus
sluggish in the morning which can help improve overall mood
throughout your day too!

12. Know what you want to achieve in life and

make plans accordingly
Knowing what you want to achieve in life is essential to living a
structured life.
You need to know what you want out of your career, relationships,
and life in general before you can make plans for how it will
happen.
The first step is defining the goal itself: do you want a rewarding
but stressful job or one that's less intense? Once this is done, then
ask yourself questions like "How long am I willing to wait?" and
"Can I be flexible about these particular things?"
This process takes some time - don't rush through any of it! Take
your time identifying exactly what it is that you want to achieve.
13. Schedule time for yourself, even if it's just
an hour or two each week 
You need time to recharge your batteries. It's not selfish, it's critical.
People who are successful at balancing their lives will always have
the discipline of taking some time off each week for themselves.
The key is to schedule these times in advance so that you don't
forget about them when they come around. You could be doing
something as small and simple as reading a novel on the couch or
watching Netflix without any TV obligations but with all your
attention devoted just to what you want right now, or going out for
coffee with a friend - whatever works best for you!
Just make sure this activity isn’t work-related because then
someone else has control over how much free time you get.

14. Say no when you don't want something or

feel like doing something 
Say no when necessary so that you don't feel obligated or stuck in a
position where it feels impossible for your life to move forward and
evolve with some new opportunities because you're too busy taking
care of everyone else's responsibilities.
When someone asks you for help, say yes but only if it doesn't
negatively affect what matters most to you.

15. Plan out your week on Sunday evenings and

prioritize what needs to be done first.
Planning out your week on Sunday evenings gives you an overview
of what is coming and allows for prioritizing. This will help to keep
the week running smoothly because everything that needs to get
done has been planned out in advance.
Final Thoughts
 At the end of the day, structuring your life will lead to a more
productive and happier you. We all have 24 hours in each day which
means that we can do anything but only one thing at once.
With this in mind, it’s important to know how best to maximize time
spent on what matters most and avoid distractions like social media
or getting caught up in other people’s drama.