FTC in-btwn #12: Is Routine The Enemy of Change?
Ever feel trapped in the same old routine, and everything becomes a chore? Discover the delicate balance between comfort and creativity and decipher what a rut really means.
Hi, I am Pat Benincasa and this is FTC in-btwn #12: Is Routine the Enemy of Change?
Throughout my life I have had an intimate relationship with fear- actually all sorts of fears. Fear that I won’t measure up, fear of failure, fear of what others may think. Now that's a whole lot of fear to be hauling around!
I don't remember exactly when I decided to make a change, but I do remember the thought that started it: “My life feels like a burned building, and I’m an arson investigator sifting through the debris trying to find out how it started.”
Maybe that's what it takes to make change: having your life come crashing down around your ears.
So, what makes change so hard to do? Whether change is event-generated, something happens, and you’re backed into a corner, and you have to change. Or it’s a simmering awareness bubbling to the surface, feeling trapped in a repetitive daily routine. Something has to give. And that something is routine.
Routine is a well-worn path with a trusty compass guiding us thru the chaotic terrain of daily life. It offers comfort, structure, and predictability. For example, every morning, like clockwork, you have coffee in your favorite cup after you feed the cat. The one day you get up late, skip the coffee, barely feed the cat, and the rest of the day you feel out of sync. We depend on our routines to carry us thru the day.
Too much reliance on routine can get stale. It’s as if you close the blinds, lock the door so as not to upset what you always do. Then- Routine turns into a rut, stifling creativity, and excitement. Everything feels like a chore and life loses its spark. For an artist, it’s a rut when every brushstroke feels like déjà vu.
How can you tell if you’re in a rut? Is there meaning and joy in what you do?
Or are you getting secondary gains in doing the same thing over and over again, because its familiar? Do you find more comfort in the familiar than in the risky business of change? Or do you want to be Our Lady of Perpetual Victimhood, complaining about the rut so you never have to change?
Maybe a rut is a signal telling yourself that you deserve more than what you are allowing yourself to have- and it’s time to look at your routine.
You might think that routine is the opposite of creativity, but what if it nurtures creativity, and makes change possible? Routine provides structure to free up mental energy, offers a predictable environment for experimentation and helps to create a calm state of mind.
A balanced routine lays the groundwork for meaningful change, fostering discipline and mastery. Let’s face it, making art requires dedicated time and consistent practice. Setting a routine time to be in the studio, allows for your work to happen.
Routine also sets the stage for beginnings & endings. For example, after you finish a big project, you sweep out the studio, clean the brushes and put the tools back. This closure creates a mental space to chill. This end of a project routine opens space for the new.
BTW, Change isn’t just for the big deal things. Sometimes, it's the little things, like intention before action, that lead to a new path. For example,
· Identify what you want to change and why. This clarity helps you to make the change. It’s like a colorful board game, you roll the dice and see what moves to make.
· Start your morning with 3 things your grateful for. Don’t write the magna carta, keep it brief! It’s a simple shift that sets a tone for your day.
· Keep a Change Journal. Writing your thoughts & feelings about change ignites awareness & opens you to new possibilities.
· A biggy for me is asking open-ended questions. Instead of dismissing a new idea, I ask myself: “What if I try this?” or “How could this work?” I find this way of questioning dissolves rigidity.
· Do a brief, mental health pit stop. Pause, close your eyes, breathe, and if you’re outside, listen to the sounds around you.
These little acts of defiant calm, allow you to steady on in the midst of chaos.
What makes this dynamic duo of routine and change so potent is recognizing that very few things in life are permanent or unchangeable. Things change as we change. Being willing to shift and grow, and not cling to fixed ideas or plans creates a breathing space to take on what life throws at us.
It’s a delicate balance, allowing for personal growth while respecting our own unique pace. But these decisions are deeply personal and profound and move at their own speed. As poet and writer, Pavi Mehta said: “You live at the pace of your own revelations.”
