The Rule of Five - Teaching Your Kids the Importance of a Daily Routine

As you start this new school year, what would it look like if your family narrowed everything you do down to just five activities/priorities that you repeat every day to help you accomplish your preferred future? Imagine if your kids did that? What would those five things be? Best-selling author and leadership expert John Maxwell says "The secret to success is hidden in your daily routine."

One of the biggest mistakes I see in many families today is how they live for and build their lives around experiences and forget about the importance of the process.

Our instant gratification culture conditions us to live for the "events" or "experiences" in life. However, it's the process of what we do daily and consistently that allows us to experience the "big moments" or "opportunities" in life.

Sure, anyone can go viral, be a one-hit-wonder or be the next YouTube sensation. However, what goes up like a rocket, comes down like a rocket. Most people see the highlight reels of someone else's experiences on social media. However, what is often overlooked is the process of steady, disciplined, and consistent actions that take place behind the scenes.  

Imagine trying to cut down an oak tree using an ax. If you tried cutting down an oak tree using a dull ax and you were to swing your ax into the tree over and over and over, two things would happen. First, you wouldn't get very far using a dull ax. Secondly, you would wear yourself out from exhaustion. However, if you took a sharp ax and took one precise swing into the tree and repeated that same process every day, that oak tree would eventually fall over.  It's easy to fall into the trap of confusing activity with accomplishment. 

So what is the rule of five? The Rule of Five is a series of things that you seek to practice EVERY day. In essence, it is a system. A system is a process for predictably achieving a goal. It is based on specific, orderly, repeatable principles and practices. Systems leverage your time, money, and abilities. Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to outstanding achievements gained slowly over time.

The sooner we can teach our kids to establish the right actions built around their priorities and then help them create systems to support them, the more long-term success they will experience in their lives. So, how do you help your kids discover what their Rule of Five will be? Start by assisting them to look at five critical areas of life. 

 1. Physical  

What physical activity and what nutritional choice can they repeatedly do every day that will help them grow stronger and healthier in the physical realm of their lives?

 2. Relational

The single most important area in life is people. Relationships can be our greatest asset or liability. Help your kids take a close look at their friendships. Our friends are like an elevator. They are either taking us up or taking us down. Your kids will become who they associate with. 

3. Financial

Dave Ramsey says, "If you do the things others won't do, then someday you will have the life others won't have." Teaching our kids the practices and disciplines of good money management will be one of the most important lessons we could ever teach our children. 

4. Intellectual

My friend Dave Martin says that "what you know is the difference between where you are and where you desire to be." Teaching our kids the value of personal growth is a quality that will set them apart as they grow older. It's more than just knowledge; it is helping them know how to make wise decisions and grow daily to reach their full potential. 

5. Spiritual

Having a foundation of faith is not only crucial in the spiritual realm of our life and an anchor to hold us together during the storms of life, but it's also essential to have a true north to guide and navigate our lives. 

Take some time at the start of the new school year to sit down with your kids. Introduce them to the Rule of Five. Talk about the importance of establishing daily routines they repeat in each area listed above. Have them identify steps or actions they can take in the five categories, and have them write them down and place them in a visible area to serve as a reminder. You can even have each member of the family participate, share each other's Rule of Five and hold each other accountable. You will be amazed at the growth you will experience as a family.