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Everything we do --- watching our favorite movie, listening to our favorite songs, eating our favorite food -- becomes routine the more we do it. This also extends to tasks that we no longer find challenging.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've come to the realization that I'm not as much a creature of habit as I thought. I crave variety because it keeps life interesting.
Writing is not only my day job (copywriter), but my favorite hobby; I've managed a psychology-themed blog for almost 4 years now. After pumping out content almost every day (sometimes twice daily) during that span, I don't derive nearly as much enjoyment from it as I used to.
Granted, most of us can't do away with routines completely (e.g. 9-5 job, feeding our pet, waking up next to our partner every morning, taking Suzy to ballet on Saturdays, etc.) but I think injecting a little variety into each day goes a long way toward preventing those feelings of boredom and predictability.
In recent years, I've often asked myself why my college years seemed more exciting than the present despite the fact that now I have the resources to travel and do other things I couldn't back then. Only recently did I realize it's because my early 20s were high in variety: new relationship, new classes every semester, seeing different people all the time, different part time jobs, etc. I also felt similarly in 2012-2015, during which I got married, bought a new car, traveled by plane for the first time, lost a lot of weight, saw snow for the first time, closed on our first home, etc. There was so much going on, I didn't have time to be bored.
I guess the last couple of years have felt a bit more routine. We are thinking of trying to start a family this year, which in itself will be a new experience. Aside from traveling to new destinations, trying out new restaurants, and experiencing new entertainment venues (shows, concerts, museums, etc.), there are little day-to-day things that I think can make a difference. Here are a few things I've been doing:
- Changing up my routine at the gym
- Taking different routes when driving to places, whether home or grocery store
- Not going to the same parks or restaurants each and every time
- Not doing the same thing every day during my lunch break
- Taking up new hobbies, like learning how to play the guitar (not just write)
- Listening to songs from different eras, not just my "favorite" set
I think it can be as simple as using a different colored pen every week at work or taking a different route when walking around the mall. Any little thing helps so that each day doesn't feel like a complete carbon copy of the day before. I would imagine that adding variety helps facilitate mindfulness, or living in the moment. The whole point is trying to do new things, or do things in different ways. Life becomes boring when you have nothing to shoot for or look forward to.
What's your opinion? Do you agree variety keeps life a bit more interesting? Does doing things differently each day -- however slightly -- help prevent boredom/routine?
Last edited by Wordsmith12; 01-16-2018 at 07:29 AM..
I like variety and spontaneity because I get bored easily.
I also like some routine because I'm very anxious and having a plan or routine means one less think for to be anxious about.
I think a healthy balance of both is best for me. When my life becomes too routine for a while I notice myself craving to just do something spontaneous or different. Life is too short for everyday to be exactly the same and by the book.
I don't know; I wonder if changing routine *for the sake of variety* might not be as effective as pursuing an activity which as a byproduct, results in a change of routine. Maybe there is some correlation between intelligence and boredom. Maybe an intense, all-encompensing interest would be a good recommendation.
If course, some people like routine; it makes them feel safe. They may be risk averse, and that's fine. So it's not just intelligence that's on a sliding scale but risk aversion. And I'm unsure those two things are necessarily related.
I think it depends on the individual and how a very steady routine can provide the means to have an exciting hobby vs someone who needs constant external stimulation to feel like life is exciting.
I just pray my cancer never comes back and I continue to enjoy life as much as possible and everything it has to offer. Life is full of changes we want and don't want, the most recent is a husband retiring, a new grandchild and moving to a new state.
I personally see your list (except or gym) very heavy in the arts like writing and music. To spice things up, maybe try learning or pursing something more technical. It can get the right brain vs. left brain working also??
Here's another example: I work with several coworkers in their 50s and 60s who get coffee in the cafeteria downstairs every day at the same time, leave for lunch at the same exact time, go home at the same time, repeat the same jokes and stories, etc. At times I kindly decline their offer to join them for coffee because I get a little bored of the same morning routine. The tradition has persisted almost as long as they've been working here (20+ years). I've been here for only 6 years.
I suppose I'm okay having routine in my job, but not as much in my personal life. That's why I'm doing my part to make every day feel a tad different.
I think it depends on the individual and how a very steady routine can provide the means to have an exciting hobby vs someone who needs constant external stimulation to feel like life is exciting.
I just pray my cancer never comes back and I continue to enjoy life as much as possible and everything it has to offer. Life is full of changes we want and don't want, the most recent is a husband retiring, a new grandchild and moving to a new state.
Here's another example: I work with several coworkers in their 50s and 60s who get coffee in the cafeteria downstairs every day at the same time, leave for lunch at the same exact time, go home at the same time, repeat the same jokes and stories, etc. At times I kindly decline their offer to join them for coffee because I get a little bored of the same morning routine. The tradition has persisted almost as long as they've been working here (20+ years). I've been here for only 6 years.
I suppose I'm okay having routine in my job, but not as much in my personal life. That's why I'm doing my part to make every day feel a tad different.
I think that there is a healthy balance between routine and variation. There are ways in which I love routine. For instance, the one day I "mixed it up" and mislaid my keys, was not like ALL of the other days where I put them where I always put them, and found them instantly...it was a variation of my routine to have to take 10 minutes and hunt for my keys, right? But that is not exciting, that is annoying. In many ways, routine is a way of relegating unimportant (from a mental resources standpoint) activities, to a background subroutine so that we don't have to think about them. This should, in theory, be a form of efficiency, freeing our minds for more important or elaborate or meaningful thinking.
At least, I've found this to be the case. Because I have a morning routine in the specific order of hygiene processes I complete when I brush my teeth, shower, etc and my supplies for these activities are always right where I put them every day, I don't have to do any active thinking about those tasks. So instead, I might contemplate my relationship with someone who upsets me and construct arguments against them, or I might think about world affairs or the news or some complex philosophical theory or...whatever. I do some of my best thinking in the shower. I don't have to stand still doing nothing for that to be the case, I am busily washing and conditioning and shaving and so on.
I also do a lot of thinking during my commute.
So these routines aren't necessarily a bad thing. However, I do believe that having novel experiences is a healthy and enjoyable part of life also. Different people would approach this in different ways. Other people might like trying new foods, I am a severely picky eater so I don't enjoy that at all, but I'm also massively extroverted and social, so I am part of a community where I constantly make new connections. I have meaningful conversations with people I've never met several times a week. I probably meet at least 10 new friendly acquaintances every week, if not more. Remembering the names has become a challenging mental exercise in and of itself. I also enjoy switching up my musical selections from time to time, and when I do, I take a certain joy in it. I'll be completely obsessed with a handful of new (or rediscovered) songs for a while...then move on to something different.
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