The Power of Routine
I've philosophically thought about the effects of routine on human life, but recently I've felt an experience-based insight on the subject.
First I should describe my work style and its general lack of routine. As a founder of a tech startup, I work odd hours sometimes and share ultimate responsibility for everything we do. The nice side of this is that no one tells me what to do, and the tougher side is that if I don't take action, things don't get done. I don't have an exact work schedule, though I usually work during the daytime on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, and parts of Saturday. I do side consulting work on Tuesday and Thursday each week at a client's office and every once in a while I pick up a contract that I can work remotely on. The roller coaster of working on a startup leads to days of absolute intensity and occasional stretches of days when there is nothing at all to do. My philosophy is strike when the inspiration is hot (and get a ton of shit done) and when it's not, slow down and enjoy the non-work side of life—whatever time of day it may be. What I've noticed in myself every once in a while is a brief desire to be a nameless cog in a system where everything is nice and regulated. This is of course exactly what I'm fighting against by running my own businesses, but every so often this feeling is undeniable if not terribly strong. I'm thinking: "Someone tell me what to do." "Give me the safety of a system that's bigger than me." "I want to wake up to an alarm and get home at the same time each day." "I want measurable success and fewer chances to make mistakes." This is so not me. And I think these moments signify how routine fulfills something so deep in human nature that it can challenge other factors that make up your state of mind. Your job may be shit. Your boss may be horrible. You may not be appropriately respected for the work you perform. But at least you have a routine you can lean on to remind you that life keeps on chugging and everything's going to be at least moderately pleasant. It feels good to be busy, whether or not what you're doing is valuable work. Routine isn't in itself a bad thing. Routine keeps you organized. Routine can keep you sane. My belief is that we are animals at the base level and routine is just built into our blood. I guess I'm just saying it's important to figure out when you're letting routine keep you from acting.