Wie geht's?
Ryan Holiday devotes a whole chapter in his book Stillness Is The Key to routines (the chapter heading is a command - Build a Routine).
I was chatting at lunch on Friday with my colleagues in the English and maths departments 'bout daily routines I've long adopted. So long, in fact, that they've become rituals - sanctified and holy (in Ryan's words).
Some of my colleagues have known me for a few years now, so it was no surprise to them as they watch me eat the same thing for lunch every day (a tin of tuna - lemon and black pepper, with 6 Kruskits), that I also have the same thing for breakfast every day (three weetbix with cold milk).
I have written about my love of routines many times in my blogs (here's an example from Baggy Trousers), and it's a comfort to read how much value writers such as James Clear and Ryan put on them.
Are routines boring? No. They are not! They are a source of comfort and stability, the platform (according to Ryan) from which stimulating and fulfilling work is possible. Agreed!
Examples abound in his book, but I like this one especially, of point guard Russell Westbrook:
He begins his game routine three hours before tip-off. After two hours of warmups he visits the arena chapel. Then he eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (always buttered wheat bread, toasted, strawberry jelly, Skippy peanut butter). At exactly 6 minutes and 17 seconds before the game starts he begins the team's final warm-ups. He wears the same shoes for games, has the same free throw routines and calls his parents at the same time every day, and on and on.
Russell and others know that in an unpredictable world, good habits and routines are a safe haven of certainty. Yes, those are Ryan's words as well.
My own wake-up routines are a case in point:
I wake at 4.30am every day. I never hit snooze, as I get up I think each morning about Dicky Fox and his routine of loudly clapping hands and saying, "It's going to be a great day!" (if I did this out loud Jacky would kill me). I then have the same daily routine before getting breakfast (those three weetbix, one cup of tea): shave, deodorant, after-shave, put on my watch, a wrist bangle, a necklace that Jacky gave me over 40 years ago (in that order), feed the dogs and cat. After emptying the dishwasher I have breakfast, message my mates the day's song for our playlist, read a book/ publish my daily weblog before waking Jacky at 5.45am, and on and on.
I actually feel very relaxed and calm following this routine. It sets me up for my busy day as an English teacher.
Most people wake up to a barrage of potentially overwhelming choices: What do I wear? (I always iron a shirt the night before); What should I do first? What do I do after that?; What should I eat? And so on and so on.
As Ryan says, this is exhausting! A whirlwind of competing impulses!
The answer is simple: build a routine!
Love and peace - Wozza
