6 Ways Just Writing Down Your Routines Will Make You More Productive—And then Some

There’s no question that having routines is beneficial. From health benefits like stress reduction and better sleep, to more personal perks like boosted motivation and healthier habits, having a plan in place for your morning, evening, or even your cleaning regimen can drastically improve your life.

But if you want to get even more out of your personal rhythms, try writing them down.

Not only will this help you prioritize self-care and be less likely to forget things you need to do, but you’ll also be better positioned to make adjustments that will benefit you—and your routines—in the long run.

Curious how taking pen to paper could improve your routines? We talked to a few experts, and here’s what they had to say:

When you see your routines on paper, item by item, you’ll be more likely to zone in on what actually matters to you—and less likely to try to do too many things at once. “By taking the time to write down your routines, you give yourself the gift of focusing on what’s important to you,” says women’s empowerment coach and mindfulness expert Elizabeth Su. “Not only do you become more discerning about how you are spending your time but you also limit temptations to multitask, a tactic that research suggests is deceivingly unproductive.”

Writing down your routine also takes the pressure off you to remember what you have to do, says guided writing coach Jess Chua. “If you try to memorize all of your routines without writing them down, you can get stressed out trying to remember them and which tasks are important,” she says. “Writing routines down brings organization to the process of getting things done.”

There’s something to be said about keeping your dreams right in front of you, says Chua: When you can visualize your future self, you’ll be more likely to stay on track. And there’s science to it: One study on goal-setting showed that participants were 42 percent more likely to achieve their goals if they wrote them down. So maybe you can harness this energy and use it to keep yourself accountable for a new skincare routine, for instance.

Lora DiFranco, founder of Free Period Press, which publishes habit-tracking and self-care calendars and journals, says that while our big goals can be daunting, they’re achieved by making a little progress, day by day. Breaking up these goals into smaller to-do items is key. “Our lives are made up of the small actions we do every day. It’s tempting to measure our life in our big achievements, but most of our life is actually made up of our everyday routines, so it’s important to be thoughtful about what those routines are,” she says. So go ahead and write down an after-work routine that includes walking the dog and drinking a glass of water. “By keeping a written track record, you’ll see your progress in a way that might be difficult to notice otherwise.”

Shaan Patel, founder of Prep Expert, says writing down—and checking off—daily routines and tasks can provide a psychological boost. I start off my days writing down bullet points for my regular routine tasks, no matter how trivial sometimes. As I complete them, I check them off of my small, handwritten list,” he says. “By literally reminding yourself what you contribute on a daily basis, I find it’s much easier to avoid thoughts of burn out or negative self-worth because you provide yourself the literal proof at the end of each day.”

Elle Petrillo of Brand Builders Group says the simple act of writing down routines can equip you with the confidence you need to move forward. “When you put your routine in writing, your brain starts processing how to make it all happen. Half the battle is believing you actually can; the other half is getting yourself in the habit of doing it,” she says.