Over the past couple months, I’ve developed what I’m calling my “Rationality Routine”. In this post, I want to share my routine with you – what it means, what I do, and help you in forming your own.
What is a Rationality Routine?
A Rationality Routine, in it’s simplest terms, is a routine that leads to rationality. The purpose of the routine is to take your mind and body from any state it’s currently in and bring it back to a state of rational thought and peace.
This routine is a set of activities you can perform separately or in succession, whether you’re anxious, sad, frustrated, or even overjoyed and in need of grounding. The goal is to focus fully on specific tasks as a way to quiet the mind and find your baseline state once again.
Rationality Routine: Activities
So what activities are involved in a Rationality Routine? Here’s the fun part: the activities are 100% unique to you! Maybe that’s not the quick and easy answer you were hoping for, but you should know by now, that’s not how ETT operates.
The activities that help you achieve your own sense of peace can be anything. I’m positive you can already come up with at least three that you already perform.
The first step in discovering which activities work for you is to determine the opposite – the activities that pull you away from rationality. I think a lot of these activities are common for a lot of people and doing them does more harm than good. Some examples are:
- Scrolling socials
- Drinking
- Drugs
- Mindless television
- Gossip
- Complaining
There are a lot more. The point being, when you perform the activity, does it create a sense of peace and presence within you or does it lead to negative feelings and emotions? When asking yourself this question, you’ll know if it should be included in your Rationality Routine if, and only if it leads to calm and rational thought.
For me, I find peace in a hectic world through: lifting weights, meal prep, blogging, recording stoic content, reading, stretching, painting, playing pool, and journaling.
Your list will be different, but may contain similarities. I personally believe there are some habits we should all pursue as a way to find peace and presence while at the same time encouraging a healthier life, e.g. fitness, diet, focus on mental health. Now, the habits within these categories can be different for each of us, but I believe they’re necessary to determine.
How to Find Your Rationality Activities
As I said before, first determine what does the opposite. This takes a level of self-awareness to notice how you feel during certain scenarios. When you’re performing an activity and you notice your anxiety ramping up, you’re growing angry, sadness is creeping in, or your brain is running unchecked, that’s a sign you probably shouldn’t perform this activity.
I feel the need to mention, some activities are required, even though they sometimes create a loss of peace. These need to be managed in a healthy way, as though they’re a test from the Stoic gods or Nature. For example, often my job can feel fulfilling and the flow brings me a sense of peace. However, there are instances when a lot is happening at once – orders, a long line, customers asking for things, etc. When these happen, I feel anxious, distressed, and frustrated. It’s important to know that simply because I feel these things does not mean I should quit my job. These moments are stoic tests of resilience and mental fortitude.
So now that you know the things you should avoid, how do you find your Rational Activities?
You try things and see what sticks.
Try anything your gut pulls you towards – hiking, art, meditation, yoga, writing, reading, cooking, baking, talking to friends, whatever pops into your head immediately after finishing this sentence.
Try it for a period of time and notice how your mind and body respond. If you begin to feel a sense of peace and clarity, you’re on the right track.
Next Steps
You found your list of Rational Activities, so now what?
Develop a routine in which you perform these things regularly. Workout X days a week, walk X days, cook a nice meal X times, paint some days, read every night – build the routine that brings you back to peace and rationality, even on your worst days. On the days where you don’t want to do anything, muster up all the discipline you have and do something from your list. Use all your strength not to choose one of the habits you determined was unhealthy for you.
With time and persistent effort, this routine becomes second nature and you’ll begin to crave the immense sense of relief you feel from letting go any stress you had earlier by replacing it with a Rationality Routine.
Final Thoughts
This may seem like a daunting task. Reading this may elicit a sense of anxiety or fear within you. I won’t sugarcoat it, building a Rationality Routine is not easy and it’s not quick.
It’s so worth it though.
If it’s any consolation or if it helps you feel a sense of inspiration, it took me roughly two months of discipline to form my routine. This meant going to the gym six days a week, no matter what. Meal prep was done every night, no matter what. I picked up my kindle every night instead of my phone. When I wanted to lie on the couch, I started stretching.
Now, this routine requires no effort. When I have a bad day, I know my evening will ground me. When I have a joyful day, the routine feels amazing. Now every day I can make a decision to make plans with friends, go try something new, or follow the routine if I feel I need to.
As always, I hope this makes sense and you feel encouraged to try for yourself. If you do try, share your story with me.
February 2, 2026
