Rethinking Routines

I’m a creature of habit.I like routine and structure.

I use my habits and routines to help me do “hard things”. ’Ive written and recorded numerous piece over the years about detailing it. Living it. Preaching it. Try it. Stack and sequence your days and responsibilities in just the right way. It will surprise you how much you can do without actually thinking about it!

But then came Covid. And the uncertainty that carried through from 2020 into into 2021. As it unfolded, I started to recognize how, at times, my habits and routines hurt more than they help.

My habits and routines are powerful tools. They are there to help me do hard things and move almost effortlessly towards my goal. But occasionally (sometimes on many occasions) I missed that they are *just “tools”.

I lacked the perspective.

My habits and routines are there to serve me. That they are a means towards an end, not the end in themselves.

The goal is to use those tools to help. Not to be a slave to the way you’ve always done things. That’s been highlighted again this week as the UAE has moved from a Friday / Saturday weekend to a Saturday / Sunday.

I’ve been forced to rethink my routines. To re look at how I structure my weeks. At how my various responsiblities can be best linked together so I’m using my time efficiently and being effective.

The biggest insight this week is how attached I seem to have gotten with specific days. Sundays are for communication, Monday’s for video. On Tuesday we train HARD. Wednesday, I write programs and Carla & I have a date. Thursdays there’s more programming & we do admin. On Friday we ride the bicycle! It worked. It flowed. It was effective. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only way and perhaps, I was missing out on something.

With the change in the official work week, I have a choice. Simply shift everything one day over and keep doing what I’ve always done. Or to clear the slate, start fresh and build a new set of routines that might better serve me moving forward.

I’ve chosen the latter. It’s uncomfortable right no. But I’m optimistic that in 12 months time I’ll have a new set of habits and routines helping me do even “harder things” more effectively without actually thinking about it.