Find a Routine Baggy Enough to Live in
Routines don't need to be rigid, and freedom doesn't need to unproductive
‘Find a routine baggy enough to live in’
This line is a small nugget of twitter-wisdom from Matt Haig, author of Reasons to Stay Alive.
It struck a chord with me. It’s the perfect picture of a balance I’ve always struggled to find. Routines help me feel safe and secure, and they provide the predictability that stops me from having to decide what to do next constantly. Without a routine, I wouldn’t get anything done.
At the same time, they bore and restrict me.
I don’t feel free when I’m held captive by a timetable. And I don’t deal well when the real world disrupts the plan I had written down on paper. I need a bit of both; I need a routine that is baggy enough to live in.
From our first few weeks on Earth, our lives are shaped into a schedule. Our parents train us to sleep and eat at certain times, making us more manageable and calmer in ourselves. Kids need the predictably and security a routine brings.
Adults need this predictability and security too. Like kids, routines can help us regulate our sleeping and eating patterns to ensure we stay physically and mentally healthy. And beyond the basics of…
