Creating a routine is beneficial as it adds structure to your day, laying the foundation for a more productive and balanced life. For me, a good morning routine enhances the rest of my day, and a set schedule creates a sense of normalcy and predictability. While this is true, no one talks about the stress of breaking your perfectly crafted routine and the perspective you have to take on flexibility.
Breaking out of routine can sometimes be more beneficial than sticking to one. For me, mornings always start with homemade coffee, a workout, and a walk. When friends or family suggest spontaneous plans, I would automatically get stressed, seeing it as a ‘wrench in my morning routine’, holding high value to my designated time working out and the sense of accomplishment it brings. My thought process goes: If I go out, I won’t work out as planned, and I’ll miss starting my day with this healthy habit, which will negatively impact the rest of my day. What kind of perspective was I taking when I viewed fun plans as a chore or something that would get in the way of my established routine?
It’s a mindset that values structure and consistency, seeing these elements as crucial for starting the day right and maintaining productivity. But, it’s also a perspective that can overlook the spontaneous joys and opportunities that come with flexibility. By viewing fun plans as potential disruptions rather than enriching experiences, I was prioritizing routine over spontaneity and possibly missing out on meaningful moments. This is exactly the kind of mindset that limits us to new ideas and experiences: the all-or-nothing mindset. This mindset coupled with a super rigid routine is just as unhealthy as having no routine or set boundaries and limitations for yourself. It’s important to find a middle ground to reinforce the reason that routines are in place, which is to show up for yourself no matter what your life looks like. These routines serve no benefit to you at all if they don’t let you live or have an adaptable mindset. Flexibility is key because all of the greatest things in life come unexpectedly and unplanned, with external factors impacting plans on a daily basis.
I have a prompt that helped me take on this idea of flexibility and recognize that these are an important couple of years where things are constantly changing and we have to learn how to adapt to those changes because standing constant will only lead to missed opportunities for growth, development, and joy. Take a step back and think:
- What is too much fitness time
- What is too much alone time
- What is too much social time
- What does too much or too little feel like
Transitioning from a setting at school where socialization is constant and human connection is 24/7 to my own space, with friends and family on their own schedules and often in different places, was a shock. Moments of solitude replaced the constant buzz of social interaction and I went from having an established routine where I became comfortable going through similar motions daily/weekly to navigating an entirely new rhythm. Not only did I have to craft a new routine that incorporated all the benefits from my old one, but I also had to adapt to an environment where I’d spend most of my time alone, finding fulfillment in a completely different setting.
This lead me to think: How do we deal with so much time alone and shift our perspective to perceive that time as valuable and not isolation? And how much time is too much time?
Maybe we can tackle that question in the next article. Leave a comment with any thoughts <3