I’m a creature of habit. I love routine. I love the known. Since California’s stay-at-home order, my routine has drastically changed. These are absolutely unfamiliar times; well, they are for me. I don’t typically fare well with change and I’m doing my best to adapt.
My routine is fairly simple and straightforward. I’d wake up at 6:30 for work, leave right around 8, order breakfast once I got into the office, and then leave around 5. From there, dinner, and basketball on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights. I loved my loop. It was comfortable. It did the job.
It’s not in my nature to try new things. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fairly risk-averse. In my opinion, a sheltered life isn’t necessarily a bad one. I know what I’m getting, I know what I have, and there’s no letdown. Why set yourself up for failure?
Since I’ve been home, I’ve been working to find new ways to break the loops I’ve created. I’ve also been rewatching Westworld so if I tie in the show like I just did, you know why. I’m trying to use the time to challenge myself, to develop new habits, and mainly, become adaptable.
Now that I’m looking to find a balance between my old routine and the one I’m building, I’m looking to find additional ways to grow as a human being. I’ve fallen into a rut over the last year where I’ve become stagnant with personal development. I define personal development mainly by the knowledge I acquire. I tend to fixate on politics lately and getting caught up in the occasional Facebook debate (since my account tends to skew toward a different ideology than mine). I enjoy the banter but I haven’t quite found that stimulating.
Now that we’re heavily immobile, I’m working on setting goals. Mainly, I feel lost without routine and each day can’t pass with work, minimal exercise, and binging on shows.
Here’s what I’m hoping to achieve:
Reading More than Social Posts - I’m trying to enhance my knowledge philosophically as well as learn new tactics that I can use each day on the job
Exercising - I can’t stream forever
Feeling Comfortable with Change - What better time than now to work on something I haven’t historically succeeded with
Less Tech Time - Honestly, typing that made me feel a child. However, I work in digital for a living and I’m coming to value my time away from my phone more and more. I’m well past the point of being able to scroll through Instagram and not angle how the content can fit our brand or what Content Strategy is being used
Write More - The last day I was in the office, I went to therapy in the morning. That was the first time I saw in therapist in 15 - 20 years. The first thing the therapist recommended was to write. I’m here and writing and hoping to put fingers to the keyboard without much of an agenda, just freely flowing
Adapt - Probably the biggest goal here. I don’t want this to be a temporary fix… I want this to last once things begin to feel like the old routine
I want to set myself up for success. I want to continue to grow. It’s unfamiliar territory.
If I fall back into a routine, I’d like to add more to it. I’d like it to be more diverse.
I appreciate things I know and I don’t appreciate the things I don’t as much as I should. What better time than the present to change what I’ve done, what I’ve been doing, and what I can do.
I can’t keep saying I’ll get it done tomorrow. I can’t keep pushing it off. On that note, I plan on getting a jump start on my goals sometime soon. Hopefully, I’ll try to read tonight.
Today’s the day is catchy but I’ve never owned it. I will. Soon.