Queen Elizabeth II is a routine-oriented person. Her life revolves around a steady set of daily, weekly, and yearly routines. While this may seem monotonous to many people, it provides a backbone upon which the Queen can live her life. She can set a grueling early summer schedule chock full of events knowing that she will get her late summer rest at Balmoral. Every year. The Queen works hard all week when she is at Buckingham Palace solid in the knowledge that she can enjoy her beloved Windsor Castle over the weekend. Her daily schedule, while always something different, also has its regularities of meals, wake, and sleep. The Queen works extremely hard, but knows the importance of scheduling in rest.
I am a person who likes routines, but who also struggles against them as soon as I implement them. However, they work if set up correctly. For example, I once had a period of my life where I travelled extensively for work, often to the same places. After a while I found that I liked staying in the same hotel and eating at the same restaurants. Boring, yes, but amidst constant change this provided stability, in turn providing me comfort and confidence. Routines work best when they work for you. That’s obvious, but can be hard to do. If you keep breaking it or struggling against it, then something isn’t serving you.
Her Majesty’s daily schedule shows us how routines should be done. The Queen’s days are scheduled in advance. She knows what she is going to do before she does it with stability and predictability derived from pre-scheduled times. It is generally said that she is woken at 7:30 am with a cup of tea and then takes a bath and dresses for the morning. At 9:00 she has breakfast and after that either starts work in her office or goes on scheduled visits. At 1:00 pm she has lunch and at 4:00 pm she has afternoon tea. After dinner she is off to bed at 11:00 pm.
Of course, this routine is not set in stone and changes based on what she is doing and where she is located, but the regular schedule has several advantages. One, the Queen does not have to faff about deciding what she ought to be doing at a given moment. She has already decided her activities well in advance. Two, this decision means everyone else knows as well. Her staff knows what they should be doing and are already prepared to assist her. They also know when they will have their time off and do not have to wait around while the Queen decides if she needs them or not. If your schedule has ever depended on the whims of someone elses’ schedule then you know how valuable this reliability is. Third, planning the daily schedule becomes easier since everyone knows the basic structure and how much time is available. For example, her staff knows exactly how long routine Ambassador Audiences will be, what time they will be, and where, making it easy to slot events into the calendar. Personal needs are met in a timely manner, rest is had before one is too wrought, and business is handled before it becomes an emergency.
Now, how do we do this for ourselves? First, we need to look at the hard stops. Do you need to start work or school at a certain time? Schedule in those times. Next, figure out what you need to do to be ready for those times and how long it will take you and schedule those activities. Remember to include mental preparation. Do you need to be in a certain frame of mind? Figure out what you need to get there. Now that you have all the hard stops in place, you know how much time you have to accomplish all of your other duties. You may think this is a pointless exercise, but it is worth actually writing it down and looking at it. One, it will show you just how much time you have and what you can realistically accomplish. Two, you can share it with your family and then they will also know what is happening and when and what needs to be accomplished. It can be the basis for a secure family life framework. Three, you can be prepared and at ease because you had plenty of time to ready yourself for your activities. Planning individual days also builds into planning weeks, so be sure to also think about weekend activities. While I donʻt know if the royals schedule all of their personal maintenance, one can surmise that they do because their consistently poised and put together appearance doesnʻt happen by accident. Even if we canʻt afford to dress like them or hire their hairdressers, we can all look put together with some planning and consistent effort.
As for Her Majesty’s annual plan, as noted in the post on health, the Queen schedules her rest first. When planning her annual calendar, her aides slot in the important events first – Easter at Windsor, early summer attending Royal Ascot, late summers at Balmoral, and Sandringham for Christmas. Everything else, generally, works around those hard stops. She has been doing it so long nobody would try to stop it. Any possible government business interruptions to her time at Balmoral always make news headlines. Prime Ministers will do it if they have to, but it won’t go unnoticed.
When routines are well-planned and executed, they provide a framework to handle business and life in an orderly fashion. Make friends with a routine and your life will run more smoothly. Getting bored because it is running too smoothly? Schedule in some excitement and keep on chugging along (and never worry – life always has its surprises to adapt to!) Looking regally poised, patient, and energetic doesnʻt happen by accident. It is routinely scheduled daily, weekly, and yearly.
