The Effect of Routine

When I finished working in London in June I went pretty much straight into the online teaching environment for another two months. This meant some changes to my morning routine based around my commute. It wasn’t that much of an issue because I had to get used to a whole new routine and this kept me fully focused.

Since finishing in September, the aim has been to find a new routine. This has become a much more difficult task than I expected. One of my issues, I think, is that I have tried to introduce a new routine very quickly rather than letting it develop organically. The fact that I have tried to introduce so many different things to work on at once is undoubtedly my main problem. Some of the things I have introduced like the daily blog writing and doing my Duolingo during the day when my mind is theoretically sharper have taken a hold. One of the things I have lost along the way is the regular waking up time. When I was working full time I was waking up at about 5.50 to 6 every day including weekends. This, I think, has had a bigger effect than I expected. With later waking up times I don’t have the same opportunity to start my day with reading. I had an hour of reading time in the morning on the train to work and another hour in the late afternoon or early evening on the way home. In the last month I have completed two books, an unheard of lull by my standards! Why has it been reading that has gone from my routine? To be honest I don’t know. Perhaps it was a situational as well as a time bound routine. So, I have decided to let my reading find it’s own natural place within my routine, wherever that may be and at whatever level it may be. Perhaps in reading as well as other aspects I have been making perfect the enemy of good. Where I can’t find a regular place in my schedule I am often finding no place in my schedule.

What should I have I learnt from this? That it takes longer than a few months to completely shift your life from one basis to another. That trying to control the mindset is good at some level, but that trying to go beyond that leads to the wheels coming off a bit. That I should take the small wins and build around them. That I should be open to change and work with it rather than against it.

What will I learn from this? Who knows! I am already looking at 2026 and thinking about what I want to introduce or reintroduce into my life. Perhaps I can take a more considered approach and allow things to develop more naturally. Perhaps I can learn to be happy with the small wins I mentioned and build around them. Perhaps I will get to February exhausted by the mental effort of trying to introduce a whole raft of changes! The human mind, particularly my human mind, is a very funny thing. Watch this space!!