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.
In college, I tackled what was, for me, a really difficult music performance major. I’d gone into college with almost no musical experience, and I was hanging on my by fingertips in classes that assumed years of training. I was working like mad just to survive the workload in a competitive field of study where you were never really done. There was always more practicing to do.
Things got better. I found myself more rested and able to push through the hard times knowing I had those breaks to look forward to. As time went on, I worked to expand the exercise into taking a full day off every week. In Jewish and Christian traditions, it’s called taking a Sabbath day. In the Bible, it’s even one of the 10 Commandments (see below). Why did it make one of the Big 10? I think it’s because God knew our human tendency to go like the Energizer Bunny. To constantly try to achieve something, to be busy. To become human doings vs. human beings.
One of the big objections I had to this idea early on was the belief that I had too much to do. That I didn’t have time to take a full day off. I was afraid I’d fall behind in my work and not accomplish as much as I wanted to. But I’ve come to realize that, over the long haul, the opposite is true. When I take a full day off, I am renewed, rested, and motivated for the rest of the week. I’ve found that I actually accomplish more in 6 energized days than in 7 tired days. And it’s a lot more enjoyable way to live.
Taking a day off a week isn’t being lazy. It’s not a wasted opportunity. It’s strategically taking the time to sharpen your ax. The concept of sabbath is recharging, renewing, and makes you more productive. It’s like taking a mini-vacation every 7 days. It gives you more joy in life and helps you keep perspective on what’s really important.