Tuesday's Talk
- Tavia Robinson
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” ― Jim Ryun
Creating a regular routine can give you the upper hand.
As executive leaders, influencers, and change-agents, you already know that the environments we operate in—volatile, ambiguous, politically charged—test our capacity for resilience, clarity, and consistent performance.
From the vantage point of a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), I invite you to consider how routine becomes an act of leadership, self-leadership, and cultural design.
Why routine matters
A daily structure offers predictability in uncertain times. Research shows that a routine helps reduce decision-fatigue, buffer stress responses and increase the sense of control.
Routines convert intention into action. The habit loop—cue → routine → reward—keeps you moving even when motivation wanes.
In coaching vocabulary: routines support self-regulation, habit formation, alignment of behaviour with purpose, and allow better access to executive functioning.
They also serve as organizational “anchors”—when teams experience change, having predictable rhythms reduces anxiety and enables people to shift focus to what matters most.
As William James noted:
“There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision.”
By introducing positive routines we shift from indecision to momentum.
Coaching considerations for establishing high-impact routines
Clarify your “core lever” behaviors — Identify 1-2 routines that are non-negotiable and align strongly with your values or strategic goals.
Design for initiation vs. completion — It’s easy to procrastinate starting. Set a consistent trigger (same time/place) to narrow the gap between intention and action.
Monitor, reflect, iterate — Come back to your routine weekly in your leadership reflection: What’s working? What’s draining? What needs adaptation?
Embed micro-habits that scale — Small, repeatable rituals (e.g., daily check-in, two-minute breath, 15-minute strategy review) build the discipline muscle over time.
Model for others — As a leader, your consistent routine sends a message to your team about what matters. It establishes cultural norms without extra words.
Build flexibility into the framework — While structure matters, rigid “ruts” can stifle creativity and responsiveness. Routine should not mean inflexibility.
Use open-ended coaching questions to engage your team:
What is your single highest-leverage routine today and how does it align with your vision?
Where do I experience “indecision” or drift in my day, and what simple cue could interrupt that pattern?
If you mapped your day as a rhythm of routines, where is the gap between who you want to be and how you behave?
What routines do I want to drop, adjust or delegate, so I free up capacity for higher-value work?
How might I invite my team to craft their own micro-routines and hold each other accountable, rather than just dictating them?
For your shared teams & networks
Consider circulating a simple framework for routine design:
Invite each team member to choose one high-impact routine for the coming month and share — then reconvene to reflect on progress, barriers, and next steps.
Trigger/Cue – The “when” and “where”.
Action/Routine – The behavior you commit to.
Reward/Outcome – The value you’ll feel or observe.
Encourage open dialogue:
What one routine helped you stay grounded this week?
What unexpectedly sabotaged your rhythm?
What can we as a team commit to doing together each week to build our collective resilience?”
Closing thought
In a world that never stops shifting, the leader who cultivates routine isn’t rigid — they’re anchored. Motivation may get you out of bed, but habit keeps you moving forward.
When the outer world is chaotic, let your inner cadence be your compass.
You got this!
Coach Tavia, PCC, MSEd, MAT
Tavia Robinson
EMPOWER Coaching & Consulting LLC
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