Routines
I love routines. Sometimes I think I might like it too much. Like when I would go into the office, I would use the same stall in the bathroom. Last winter, I also liked to wake up at the same time every day and go to the pool for 7:10 every morning (only exceptions were when it was just way too cold to get out of bed or when I had early morning client calls scheduled).
And since I’ve been travelling, I just naturally picked up a routine again. While I was in Puerto Escondido from mid-June to the end of July, I’d wake up between 6:30 and 7 to the sound of the roosters that lived next door. Then I’d do my usual morning routine and get on my scooter to head to Spanish class for 9. Class went til about 11:40 so I’d have lunch after with my classmates. After school, I’d either go home to change into my swimsuit and go to the pool or the beach and in either case read a chapter of my book. And in the evening, I’d either have a surf lesson or go to a yoga class and then I’d have dinner then rinse and repeat.
Don’t get me wrong, the routine did sometimes get shaken up. When I’d have dinner plans with my neighbour or one of my friends, I’d skip yoga / surfing. I both loved it and hated it. I loved that I’d be trying a new restaurant, having wonderful chats and get to have new experiences. But there’d be this voice saying that the the yoga class that I missed was probably a good one. It’s a voice that comes from the part of me that feels guilty for skipping and for not having been productive.
My favourite quote is from a Starbucks cup and it offers me some insight to why routines work for me:
The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating -- in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around like rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. - Anne Morris
That quote helps me better understand why I love routines; because then I can just run on autopilot and I don’t have to overthink. If I go with what is tried and true then I don’t need to worry if it was the wrong decision. Sure, I’ve had the pad kee mao from this restaurant near my house 100 times and the restaurant literally has 12 pages of other things that I could try. But if I get one of the other items and it isn’t good then I’d just beat myself up about it all night.
I am not extreme to the point where I wear the same black turtleneck everyday to work. But when I do find a shirt, sweater and/or pair of pants that I like, I will generally buy it in at least 2-3 colours. For (a somewhat extreme) example: I love Uniqlo’s supima cotton t-shirts and I own 8 of them - I have one in black, grey, navy, a teal-ish colour, and a few in white.
I am currently on the non-routine leg of my trip exploring new cities. Since the end of July, I’ve gone from San Jose del Pacifico to Oaxaca City and now to Bogota. Each day has been filled with variety and adventure, and far less routine.
There’s probably something about being neurodiverse and being a bit OCD. But I think it’s just a good measure to manage the overthinking. Anyway, what routines are you married to? And what comes up for you when your routine changes?
Love this starbucks cup wisdom.
There's a bit in Notes to Myself where the author discusses habits & routine, saying "my only habit should be to have none ... I can have self or I can have consistent behaviour. I cannot have both."
I love/hate this. It feels true - to feed the self now is to do what the self wants now. But to feed the self for the long term requires some commitment, some bits of routine... or at the very least !~consistency~!
I try to think of it as having a small handful of activities that map to my values. If I have a day of movement, learning, and connection, then I'm gucci with everything else in between, ya know?
Hope you're enjoying the pad kee mao.