Learn Russian: Если мы хотим договориться по-хорошему, нам нужен новый распорядок. - If we want to agree amicably, we need a new routine.

It is formed from the adjective хороший (good) using the prefix по- and the dative ending -ему. This is the standard way to create adverbs of manner from this type of adjective. It does not simply mean "well" (that is хорошо). In contexts like conflicts or negotiations, по-хорошему specifically means "amicably", "peacefully", or "the easy way" (the opposite being по-плохому, "the hard way").

What is the difference between using договориться here instead of согласиться?

Договориться means "to come to an agreement" or "reach a mutual arrangement" after a discussion. If you used согласиться, it would mean simply "to consent" or "to agree" with someone else's pre-existing idea. Because they need to work out a new routine together, договориться is the natural choice.

Why is the sentence constructed as нам нужен instead of using a regular verb for "we need"?

To express needing a specific noun, Russian most commonly uses the dative pronoun (нам, to us) plus the short adjective нужен. Remember as a quick refresher that нужен must agree in gender and number with the object being needed. Here, it is in the masculine singular form to match распорядок. While the verb нуждаться (to need) exists, using it here would sound unnecessarily formal and heavy.

What kind of routine is распорядок, and could I use расписание instead?