It’s often the last thing we want to commit to. To our creative selves, the thought of structuring our days to adhere to routines feels like boxing ourselves in, to put mildly.
Many of us have the belief that routines are draining energetically—we have to put all this effort into maintaining them, and for what? The grumps inside us are not convinced routines are worth our effort: “Oh, to rise with the sun—what a waste of sleep!” And then our clever minds provide a list of excuses to support this claim, dragging that go-with-the-flow identity in for support.
We don’t exactly see what we get out of routines, do we?
I don’t know about you, but for the longest time my perception of rules and routines was completely negative, and not factually correct. I was oblivious to the energetic power of routines and what they can do for me. I thought routines were a boring waste of time and my inner brat spoke negatively of them.
Some associations I had with routines were outdated; others, painful. The routine of getting ready for kindergarten each morning was not one I loved as a kid, combined with leaving my mom. In other instances, I focused more on the disappointment of having to do my homework—when I wanted to play instead—than the feeling of having my homework done.
In truth, while we do have to invest energy into establishing new routines, routines are designed to support us—not the other way around. Routines are for us, by us.
The routines we wish to establish today have a different energy about them altogether. The routines we want to establish today are for us—that’s one. They serve our goals and aspirations—that’s two. And they are a way for us to take care of us—that’s three. They are, in fact, our tools of support. They connect us—by means of small daily steps—to the bigger vision we wish to experience. Routines are love in action, in fact.
Do me a favour: next time you’re sitting on your meditation cushion or getting ready to go on that jog you don’t want to go on, take a moment to take in the fact that it’s you taking care of you. And do your best to feel good about it. Because many of us are in the habit of criticizing ourselves no matter what we’re doing, it’s important to feel good when we do perform virtuous actions. I say let’s bring mindfulness into the mix and allow ourselves to vibe in sheer satisfaction for a second. How else are we going to feel good about our life-transforming routines, right?
It also helps to remember why we want to establish certain routines in the first place. To remember that routines are not the main thing, but a way for us to get to the main thing. And that we can learn to love the repetitive process of doing them. Some Buddhist masters claim it’s a vibe.
We also forget that the structure in routines is perfect for grounding our creativity. Routines are the river banks to the creative river inside each of us. They keep us flowing in the direction we want to flow.
This is why I love clarifying my priorities and aligning my actions with them. It’s as simple as writing down three things that matter most to me right now. Then, I can avoid feeling guilty about being unproductive because I know that rest is essential to productivity. See what I did there?
In summary, when we get clarity about what we want, switch up our daily actions, back it up with repetition, we are slowly but surely mastering this one lifetime we’ve got. I’m rooting for us.