Sometimes, You Just Need to Break your Routine
One week ago, I spent 10 days traveling and camping around British Columbia, Canada. I had an amazing time. But for somebody like me who needs to have a todo list and my habit tracker constantly opened, it was quite challenging to not have access to my phone or my computer. The first few days I tried to remember them or get a little bit of network on my phone to check online… and then I just decided to let go. It felt amazing. I was free. Having a routine is very important for me, it brings structure to my life but sometimes it makes it too rigid.
It reminded me Stefan Sagmeister’s TED Talk on the Power of Time Off. Every 7 years, he takes a year long sabbatical to work on personal projects and find new inspirations. I had a similar feeling during the trip. Coming back, I felt revitalized. I was super excited to get back into a routine.
When I returned, I realized that my routine had become too complicated. I had accumulated too many items on my checklist, so I decided to change a few things.
First, I deleted all the habits that had become natural. No need to track them anymore, they are adopted. Period. It was comforting to see that some habits stuck even without my tracker.
Then, I reviewed the remaining habits. If they were not relevant anymore, I removed them. If I had trouble adopting them, I renamed them or simplified them. Being in the wilderness for 10 days makes you reflect on what truly matters to you.
Thinking about it, this experience opened my eyes on the benefits of taking a time off. In the future, I will reevaluate my routine every quarter by taking some time off or pruning unnecessary items. I need to keep my daily checklist fresh. This is not a place where I should collect streaks but a tool to challenge me, improve my productivity and find my core purpose.
