Again, daily routines
Tags: #Life #Productivity
Once and again, when something feels off, daily routines are here to save me.
You might say I am a man of routines, and you'd be right.
Routines keep me on track, and most importantly, keep me sane.
A bit of craziness here and there is fine, but when it gets out of control (and, believe me, it does) I start to behave erratically. Insomnia kicks in and settle in quickly, it refuses to leave. And then, almost inevitably, I get caught in a downward spiral until I eventually crash ... and burn.
(I can handle much more craziness in my life when I have someone by my side to prevent me from crashing and burning. Or to understand and be patient with me when that happens. I know how to get my shit together, but I need the space and the time.)
I've got caught in those turmoils enough times in my life to recognize the early signs. When things are heading north*, adjusting my daily routines is the simplest and most useful tool under my belt.
Daily routines are adjusted with several goals in mind, the most basic one is to remove cheap dopamine sources—most of them coming from my phone.
The actual daily routine has evolved over time. Except for the first hour after waking up, that part has not changed in years, but I have some slacking periods in there as well.
Invariably, it implies slowing down by expanding the moments of silence. Extra time is spent cleaning. More reading. Or, simply, doing nothing. Like, sitting in the couch and quietly look at the window for a while, or contemplate how a candle slowly burns whilst drinking a hot beverage in the Winter.
In a world constantly pushing us to take action—do whatever, but do something!—the art of doing nothing is often overlooked.
Doing nothing has a purpose, it creates space, void. As a result, our mind naturally pacifies itself, clarity follows suit.
Simple things such as working on the garden or prioritizing doing things with my hands have a calming effect on my overclocked brain. Manual work does not necessary means doing something exhausting, even more handwriting and less typing does the trick.
Simple things, some appreciation for the countless tiny pleasures in life, help me to regain my ground, my centre.
Endless therapy sessions, (legal and illegal) drugs consumption, self-improvement books, misplaced positivity, cheap dopamine, venting, and small talk in social events. All that.
All that ... I avoid.
I have a simple system, my own system, and it works perfectly for me.
Footnotes:
* I know the idiom is: “heading south”. However, since there is no real reason to associate “heading south” with something going wrong —other than what whoever invented this expression thought—I've decided to use my slightly modified idiom. In some contexts, my version makes even more sense. For instance, if you live in Korea, it is more likely things go wrong if you head north, right?, right!