Many of us rely on a structured routine to give us stability in life. We know what to expect when we wake up in the morning and we enjoy watching life play out in an orderly way, just like we always expected. From the time we are small children, we learn to rely on routine.New mothers teach their babies routine by feeding them every three hours and allowing them to have scheduled naptimes every afternoon. School aged children rely on routine to be at school during the same hours every single day. They come home and have a snack, do homework, enjoy playtime, then have dinner, a bath, and go to bed. As adults, we also tend to be creatures of habit. We create predictable routines for our lives and we follow them without ever really thinking about it. Then one day, we suddenly have no energy and our motivation has tanked. Why is this happening? If you have hit a rough patch, your routine could be to blame.
Too Much of A Good Thing
While some routine in life is good, if you have too much of it, you will suffer. Routine often kills creativity and prevents you from any form of personal growth. Routine becomes an easy comfort zone of knowing what to expect and it allows us to avoid any form of change. While having a routine is not bad in and of itself, it can become bad if it holds you back in life.
Avoid Life on Auto Pilot
Have you ever been driving home from work and entered into a weird auto pilot mode without meaning to? Maybe you pulled into your driveway and suddenly realized you had no recollection of how you got home! Sometimes our routines are so engrained in us that our brains just take over and we go through the motions without ever experiencing the moments. This must be avoided if you want to find some fresh motivation and renew your energy level!
Shake Things Up!
If you are a major creature of habit and your routine is the same day in and day out, it might be time to try something new. Step out and shake things up a little and just see how it impacts your motivation and energy level. Try flipping your work hours around and see if you get more accomplished. For those that work at home, it can sometimes make creativity flourish by working late at night instead of early in the morning. Don't let old habits dictate new days!
Killing your routine might seem counterproductive, but for some of us, it is the only way to shake away a funk and find a fresh dose of motivation to push us to the next level of success.
