How to Disrupt Your Life in a Good Way?
Living in a busy city often means that we are victims of our own routines. In order to be efficient, we follow our daily patterns mindlessly to get through the day.
With no time to improvise, we get up, eat breakfast, commute to work, grab our favourite coffee, work for 8–10h with a break for lunch, commute back, eat dinner, watch a Netflix show before collapsing into bed.
Modern lifestyle does that to us, or maybe we do it to ourselves? The problem is, although the routine keeps us in check, it does not inspire change.
Don’t fear change, it’s growth
A routine is a series of habits that we all have based on our lifestyle and world-view. It gives us structure, reduces anxiety as we know what to expect, makes us more efficient and reduces procrastination.
It serves important purpose of providing us with a sense of security and predictability, not to fall into a chaotic meaningless existence. Some people practice daily rituals — a routine with attached meaning which are good self-care.
Don’t get me wrong, we all need our routines to keep sane but disruption is what will bring the unexpected results and break monotony — increased creativity, sense of freedom, that breath of fresh air that makes our lives more exciting.
If you always do, what you’ve always done, you will always get, what you’ve always got.
Henry Ford
Routines are great! Until they’re not
Rethink your routines and don’t follow them mindlessly. Some are great as they help you be more successful and there is no point to question some — like brushing your teeth everyday. Make it work for you, don’t become a victim of monotony.
Become more aware of what’s worth your energy. If you forget to do something you always do and that makes you feel uneasy, try to let go. It could be a great excuse to disrupt your daily life and to awake creativity.
Disrupters win
In a study published in the journal Thinking and Reasoning, researchers Mareike Wieth and Rose Zacks reported that we’re best at problem solving & creative thinking when we’re groggy and unfocused, so definitely not when we follow our morning routine. Breaking it, letting our mind to naturally unwind itself could inspire creativity.
Some of the biggest thinkers and entrepreneurs are disruptors. In order to innovate, they had to think outside of the box. Businesses like Airbnb or Uber challenged their industries and created something that never existed before. Often the driving force was not only to make profits but also to make the industry better. Same applies to our lives. Sure, we want to be efficient & successful but we also crave happiness. And they are not synonymous.
Rebel inside needs to come out
Rethink and break some of the routines that you follow. It will make you more flexible, stimulate your brain, potentially your life will become more unexpected and exciting and creativity will flow more freely. Of course, it’s a balancing act and I am always a massive advocate for finding a sweet spot.
There are many ways to break the daily monotony:
- Travelling & immersing in a new culture
- Moving to a new place, new flat, re-decorating your space
- Following your passion, working on something that you never have time to focus on
- Going to new places rather than to the same cafe every day, trying new dishes
- Hanging out with new people, being open to new experiences
- Discovering new things to read, listen to
- Changing the way to work, discovering new paths
- Opening up social media bubble, discovering different world-views
- Staying in bed longer than usual, waking up earlier and doing something you never have time to do
The key is to experiment, and making it work for you
So you don’t stay a victim of self-imposed monotony but enjoy your life and experience change (and challenges) that help you grow as a person.