I’m a routine person. I thrive in a steady, consistent pattern. As a work-from-home writer, my daily schedule consists of morning centering (mediation / prayer / reading), working out, email, first writing session, afternoon break (eating, watching TV, taking a walk, household tasks), second writing session, reading, sleep. I even wear the same “uniform” of Gryffindor pajama pants and a Call of the Wild sweatshirt. I love it.
While having a routine saves me time and mental / emotional energy by eliminating a variety of daily decisions, I’ve found it healthy to regularly break my habits. Like taking a day off each week. Fridays are my Sabbath, where I free myself from normal responsibilities and take time to just rest and play (for more on the benefits of Sabbath, see my post here).
On an occasional basis, more dramatic breaks are needed. While I know how good they are for me, I often struggle to take them. It’s a hassle. The planning. The expense. The effort. The coordination. It’s so much easier just to stay home and stick with my routine. So four months ago when an author friend reached out to my wife Lisa and me with the idea of going on a writing retreat with some other authors, I had a choice to make – was I going to embrace the work involved and take advantage of this opportunity or stay in my comfortable routine? Before I could talk myself out of it, we committed.
Fast forward to now. As I write this, I’m sitting in a recliner in a Log Castle (yes, that’s actually what it’s called on vrbo.com, and yes, that’s an accurate description) on Whidbey Island off the coast of Seattle gazing out at the water watching seals swim by. It’s every bit as wonderful as you might imagine. We’re here with three other writers, old friends and new, all working on our various books, sharing meals together, talking about the joys and trials of author life, playing poker, and generally having a lovely, relaxing, and productive time. I can feel myself recharging in a way that just doesn’t happen in my normal routine. The planning, expense, and effort have been more than worth it.
What’s your relationship with routine? Is it a friend or a foe? Does it come naturally or is it a struggle? Look at your life and save yourself some hassle – automate the important and ritualize the regular. But once that time and energy saving routine is in place, schedule times to break it. You’ll be glad you did. And you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.
It’s been almost exactly a year since we moved from our house in Phoenix, AZ to our apartment in Sacramento, CA. As I recently reflected back on that move, I was reminded of an important personal development tool that helped get me through that stressful season. I’m reposting what I wrote about the practice during that time in hopes that this will be helpful to you. Read on – stress relief and guidance are only 10 minutes away!
It’s a big change for us, but we’re excited. Along with that excitement, however, comes stress. Moving to a new state after fourteen years in one place is a logistical challenge. Completing the planning, organizing, packing, cleaning, decluttering, and neglected home maintenance projects, all while keeping work and the normal responsibilities of life going, has been a struggle. A few days ago, I was succumbing to the pressure. My mind was whirling with all the things that needed to get done, and I was feeling moody, anxious, and overwhelmed.
Then I remembered something I read in a book my accountability partner gave me, 
My honest thought in the moment was, “I don’t have time for that!” The irony was not lost on me. It is precisely for moments like this that the practice was developed. I realized I couldn’t afford NOT to do this. So I set a timer on my phone for ten minutes and lay down on the bed. I made myself breathe deeply and just let my mind wander. Gradually my swirling thoughts slowed, and I felt myself start to relax. I gently opened my mind to receive whatever God or my own brain chose to bring up.
When the timer went off after ten minutes, an amazing thing had happened. I was calm. I wasn’t moody or anxious anymore. My perspective had been reset. My to-do list no longer seemed so overwhelming and had diminished to an appropriate level of importance. And most surprisingly, a clear plan for a more efficient way to accomplish the tasks ahead of me popped into my mind without effort.
So how about you? Are you feeling stressed or overwhelmed? Too much to do and too little time? Take a moment to pause. Go to your favorite chair. Lie on the bed. Sit under a tree. Embrace the silence. Breathe deeply. Let your thoughts wander. Listen to what God or the universe or your subconscious has to say. You may be surprised by what you hear. Invest just ten minutes of time to recenter, refocus, and refresh your mind by putting yourself in “receive mode.” If you do, you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.
