Make a Routine, Then Ignore It
The intricate dance of getting things done while avoiding burnout.
What if I told you that routines are both the best and worst tool for creators?
I’ve written extensively about the benefits of developing a process for writing. And I stand by those benefits. Developing a process for anything helps you avoid the treacherous country that is “La-La Land”, where distractions, laziness, and a lack of clarity prevent you from achieving your goals.
Unless you want to move to La-La Land, developing good processes is a necessity, not a luxury. Scheduling out your work, developing a routine way to approach the work, and implementing tools to help you produce more efficiently are surefire ways to become more productive with your time — no matter what you’re pursuing.
But if you could guess by the title of this blog, I think routines can present a massive problem. More specifically, strict adherence to one’s routine can begin to erode the enjoyment of the activity itself over time.
Here’s the issue: doing the same thing, at the same time, in the same way, on a routine basis makes whatever you’re doing lose its luster.
I really wish this were not true. But it is, at least for me.
Here’s an example.
Recently, after writing my ~ twentieth straight blog on Medium, I felt myself slipping. Doing the work had become more and more of a chore. Steven Pressfield would call this Resistance, and I was bit by the Resistance bug — hard.
When I went to create yet another outline in the same old notebook, the pen started moving toward the page a little slower. I began to not care as much about the words on the page; I was more concerned with getting the outline done and checking this task off the to-do list.
And that’s the problem — routines get boring. But routines also give structure to our pursuits, and they rein in the tendency for people to get distracted and procrastinate.
I think this problem is at the root of America’s employee dissatisfaction epidemic. Going to the same place every day with the same people to do the same tasks helps keep workplaces in order, but it also makes every day feel… the same.
Relatively quickly, life becomes Groundhog Day. Avoiding that feeling is key to job satisfaction, which is why variety is so highly valued by job-seekers.
This brings me to my main point — there is a strong case for spontaneity. Routines are awesome, but once they’re designed, they need to be intentionally broken on occasion.
More on that in a second.
One of my favorite phenomena is time perception. It’s a wild example of how truly strange the human brain is.
Think about a time when you tried something completely new. Maybe it was moving to a new city, or starting college, or going on a first date. Whatever it was, it was a fresh experience.
Having those types of new, unfamiliar experiences does magical things to the brain. The craziest of all? They can slow down our perception of time.
First identified by William James in 1890, time perception is altered when we try new things and break routines. When you’re in a new place, or trying something new, those moments seem to last longer.
Think about your first 9–5 job. When you started, that very first week of work likely felt like it lasted two months. You were brand new, and your brain was processing a lot of new information. By the time you reached Friday, you likely felt like that first week had lasted forever.
But by the seventh, eighth, ninth, and twentieth week of that same job, the weeks seem to whiz right by. The days start blending together, and last week feels like yesterday. It’s weird.
That’s time perception and spontaneity at work. Routines get our brains in a groove, and time becomes blurred. This is why spontaneity can be such a powerful force.
We need to take this aspect of our brains and implement it in our routines. It’s still necessary to maintain a process, but at least one or two days out of the week, I’m a proponent of switching it up.
Here are three ways to introduce spontaneity into your routine to keep things fresh and avoid burnout.
- Change Locations
A few months ago, I published a piece about the hidden impact of where you write.
I still stand by this argument. When you designate a place in your life where writing is all you do, your brain starts to associate the location with the activity.
By restricting my writing to coffee shops, I’ve become a better, less-distracted writer.
But it doesn’t hurt to switch things up every once in a while.
My current protocol is the following: in the mornings, I write at a coffee shop. That’s true for three weeks out of the month; but for one week per month, I take a coffee shop sabbatical.
I still write for the same amount of time, but I switch locations. Full disclosure: the new, exotic locale is usually my bed. But that’s okay, as long as I avoid doing this consistently. Check the above post for why that’s an issue.
As weird as this may sound, I also like writing outdoors every once in a while. I think everyone on earth could benefit from a little more time in the sunshine, and transplanting your hobby to the outdoors can be a much-needed recharge.
Finding a nice park with the accommodations necessary for writing (electrical outlets, shade) is a gold mine for inspirational writing.
So whatever it is you do, try changing locations every once in a while. Planting your feet in a new place can shock your brain into remaining interested in your craft.
2. Change Modes
Though switching locations is important, I’ve also found modifying the type of writing I perform to be beneficial. Writing is a craft, and by switching up the genre you’re practicing, you can refine your skills and snap yourself out of a dry routine.
Writing has many modes. Practicing them makes you better, even if your true focus lies in one form of the craft.
Poetry. Journaling. Twitter. Short stories.
These are places I look to when the same formats are getting boring. I’m performing a similar craft, but in a different arena with different rules. And when I go back to my old blog-writing ways, I find a more refreshed, excited, and polished version of myself.
So if you usually fish in freshwater, go find some salt. If you like knitting sweaters, throw yourself into making a scarf. Switch up the mode, and find both a refined skill and a recharged attitude toward your craft.
3. Take a Day Off — and Do Something Fulfilling
You can probably tell by now that I’m a big fan of balance. For me, nosediving into one thing for extended, repeated amounts of time just doesn’t work long-term.
So while changing the location and mode of your craft are important, so is a good, old-fashioned recharge. Take a break and fill your time with something else.
As I’ve stated in other posts, I am not advocating laziness. I am pushing, however, for planned, calculated breaks that make you better.
There are good breaks, and there are bad breaks.
Good breaks leave you feeling better than when you entered them. They’re full of time spent doing things that bring you energy, contentment, and joy.
Bad breaks are self-destructive. These breaks may be full of vices that weigh you down, or maybe they’re not really a break because you end up stuffing your to-do list anyway.
The latter breaks are degenerative. Although they feel like a release, they end up negatively affecting your ability to write, act, work on cars, or whatever work you do.
So occasionally take a day off. But make sure that it’s actually accomplishing the goal of rejuvenating you. Otherwise, you’d be better off typing away at your keyboard until you can’t stand the thought of typing another word.
Routines are a double-edged sword. They ground us, but if we’re not careful, they can bury us. By introducing a healthy level of spontaneity into our hobbies and work, we can maintain a positive attitude toward our crafts without sacrificing the ability to produce.
Being productive while avoiding burnout is like walking a tightrope. This topic has been the subject of many a book, blog, and TED Talk. I don’t have the full solution, but I know this: spontaneity is involved.
So when you start to feel burned out, switch things up. Whether it’s the location, the mode, or the activity itself, you’ll find rest in new experiences.
You’ll come back into your routine better than when you left it.
