Re-working a routine is a challenge, especially when I’ve gotten off track.
I write about routine, practice, and habits often because I keep getting reinforcement from the world of its importance. I find it does far more than keep me resilient and capable of withstanding the next storm, the unexpected upheaval or lousy headline. I think we can get stronger, stay stronger, and re-acquire an exuberance we thought we’d left behind decades ago.
The tweaks are frequent and sometimes surprising.
The angst doesn’t come from any of them – it comes from the struggle to stay loose while staying focused on ticking each day’s boxes and making more of those daily elements rote – things we do, don’t have to think about whether we’ve done the first or third or last – we just do them. If this triggers your gag reflex, think again. There is a reason James Clear’s book Atomic Habits resonates with many millions (every writer in the world is jealous of his reach/success) because we can see the wisdom of something, but it’s hard to do. Of course it is. Shouldn’t it be?
But really, it isn’t hard physically or intellectually – it’s hard emotionally.
I think we all struggle with things we know are good for us, and the more we struggle, the better we get.
P.S. James Clear also publishes a free weekly Thursday newsletter called 3-2-1 Thursday