People are obsessed with finding the perfect routine. Maybe that’s a good thing, it keeps us growing. But I think what is often missed is the intuitive (and sometimes fumbling) nature of building it.
Building a routine takes time and persistence. And there’s frequent failure. We often overcommit ourselves to something mentally and then waste a ton of energy beating ourselves up when we fall short. Or, at least to me, that’s a familiar scenario.
Perhaps the lesson is to commit to less and be consistent with that. As Eve Arnold said in one of her recent posts on Medium: “You know the best thing I’ve found is a mentality of little and often.”
I’m finding that very true since I’ve transitioned to daily “micro-workouts” and away from more taxing workouts every other day. I’m seeing much better results and feeling better and better.
Building a routine is like growing a garden. It’s a slow process that you invest in a little every day, or when you can. And eventually, it becomes a sprawling greenery.
Your routine is about you and what you resonate with and find helpful or enjoyable. And those factors are what gives it its power.
Your routine won’t look exactly like anyone else’s and it will never be perfect. That’s the real beauty of working on ourselves though. It’s an art form in its own right.
And just like it would be a real drag to have only one painting–or song–in the world…
It would be tragic if we all had the same routine.
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