Break Your Ruts by Challenging Your Assumptions

I love ruts.

I thrive in routines. They are comfortable. They are reliable. They make me more efficient.

They are also limiting. Fresh ideas, bursts of creativity, and breakthrough solutions to vexing problems are seldom born of routine. I was reminded of this by a recent article:

More than 90 percent of 61 British companies that participated in a test of a four-day workweek said they would continue trying out the policy, with 18 of them saying they were adopting it permanently. From June through November 2022, the companies shifted their 2,900 workers to working four days a week, or 32 hours, at the same pay. The companies logged “sharp drops in worker turnover and absenteeism while largely maintaining productivity,” The Wall Street Journal reported. The idea of shortening the conventional 40-hour, five-day week gained supporters during the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly half of the employees in the study said their mental health improved. Fifteen percent said “no amount of money” would convince them to go back to a five-day week.

the week magazine, february 22, 2023

The concept of a four-day work week is not new, but to my methodical, head-down-and-grind way of thinking, it’s a radical idea. The companies in this study demonstrated a willingness to challenge long-held assumptions and embrace out-of-the-box thinking. I deeply admire that.

As someone committed to personal development, I know this is a growth edge for me. Becoming the best emotional, mental, and spiritual version of myself requires an openness to new perspectives and the commitment to question familiar habits. While it may not come naturally, it’s necessary. What is normal is not necessarily what is best.

How about you? What emotional, mental, spiritual, or physical ruts are you in? List them. Analyze each one honestly. Hold no routine sacred. Brainstorm new approaches. Experiment with change. If you do, you may find a jolt of energizing growth, and you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.