Do you know the difference between a habit, a routine and a ritual?

As much as we sometimes wish for everyday to be different….the pattern of repeating different actions day-after-day is pretty common. That first cup of coffee.
Making the bed in the morning. Listening to your favorite podcast in public. Grabbing a croissant when you are on your way to the office.
Even though we use the terms habits, routines and rituals interchangeably, they mean very different things.

The mean difference between these three is: How aware and intentional you are

Habits have the lowest level of intentionality. Routines medium level. Routines have a the highest level of intentionality.

A habit often manifests itself as an urge to do something. Often triggered by a specific cue… The stronger the connection between the trigger and the habit, the more ingrained the habit is going to be. For example: smoking a cigarette, drinking coffee are all habits.

Contrary to habits, routines require daily practice, like meditation, going to the gym, going hiking every Saturday – These are all routines that you need to keep on practicing, or these will be lost...eventually. Because your brain will not ‘prompt’ you ‘go meditating’.

The difference between a routine and a ritual is the intention behind the action.

Our routines can be seen as actions that need to be done, such as making your bed, taking a shower, going to the gym.

Rituals are infused with a deep sense of meaning. This makes you deeply engaged whilst doing it vs just to execute a task.
Routines can become rituals, for example cooking can be an opportunity to practice mindful eating and showering can be an opportunity to become more mindful of your body.

When talking about the powerful routines in my daily life - meditation and gratitude journaling – I can honestly say that these have very much enriched my life and well-being.
They are also keeping me mindful and away from living my life in auto pilot and continue rush.

If you are interested to read more on these topics, please feel free to read my Blogs on Journaling and The one habit I got from my dad - Rushing through life, and/or reach out to me personally.