We are creatures of habits. Our net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones. Actively and consciously building a daily routine for yourself instills plenty of good habits.

When we consciously decide what we want to do with every day of our lives, we generally want to do what makes us happy or what gives us the most utility. As such, we build tons of good habits along the way by actively participating in our daily lives.

A routine is something that you do over and over again, eventually making it a habit. Once it is a habit, you do not need to think about it to act. The act of automation increases efficiency in your life, by enabling you to do things without consciously thinking about it. You will automatically get things done, without having to remind yourself to get things done. In this manner, you do not let anything slip and you save time by not having to decide what to do with your day.

A routine negates the act of having to will or motivate yourself to do something. Willpower is finite and motivation is not constant. That is why relying on routine to accomplish tasks is a lot easier than relying on willpower and motivation. Yes, when establishing a routine, you do have to will and motivate yourself to get stick the the routine. But once the routine is set, it is on autopilot and the need for constant willpower and motivation is no longer necessary.

Summing-up: Routines can become so automatic that we start performing them without realizing it, so we get done what needs to get done, even when our minds are preoccupied with other things. They save time in the short run by removing the need to deliberate, and time in the long run because they automate these actions.