Why Routine Is So Important

Are people who are always on the go truly happy? Is the world more fun if you’re always doing different activities? In this article we’re going to explore whether routine can make you happy, or whether it imprisons you instead.

Steve Maraboli said that “happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them.” Let’s apply this quote to our daily lives. Think about all the problems you have to face each day and how many of them have been solved successfully simply by repeating techniques you’ve tried before.

What’s it like to live a routine life?

Before we go through the benefits of living a routine life, it’s important to clarify what exactly we’re referring to.

Routine can be defined as a set of personal customs and habits. Logically, routine is necessary for successful integration into society. In fact, it’s very helpful for children because it gives them security and peace of mind. And it’s positive for adults too, because it reduces the amount of decisions that must be made. You make the decision one day, and it lasts for many.

Doctors Fredy González and Margarita Villegas have studied the advantages of routine, noting that it allows for space to understand one’s social environment from an individual perspective. It also allows for the development of the knowledge, abilities, behaviors, and attitudes necessary for the social self.

Benefits of routine

Now we’re going to try to remove “routine” from our mental dictionary of negative words. You’ll see that you don’t always have to be doing something different in order to feel happy and fulfilled. It really depends on the way you view and accept the world.

Comfort

Routine is particularly comfortable because all aspects of life are clearly defined. You have a set work schedule, defined family relationships, chosen friends, etc. In other words, it relieves you of a lot of pressure.

Routine provides you with comfortable spaces that offer security, like it does with children. It’s rare for things to escape your control. Of course, you do have to be prepared for possible changes so that they don’t become traumatic. It’s helpful to be aware that comfort is not eternal, but you can always go back and recreate your peaceful, comfortable spaces if you need to.

Security

Security is another benefit of routine. We never really stop being children on the inside, and as such, we tend to be insecure. But if we know that if we have our basic needs covered, we’re able to relax more and take the chance to explore new things, knowing that we have a solid base and an identity that won’t fade.

Habits allow life to be predictable, meaning we can expect certain consequences from our actions. That way, we can avoid mistakes, uneasiness, anxiety, and worry.

Time management

Routine facilitates time management. When you develop habits, you can manage your time better. The day seems to have more hours than normal because you can accomplish what we need to if you use your common sense to divide the day’s tasks.

Routine is associated with efficiency and efficacy. When your environment is well-organized, you can take advantage of your time better, prevent chaos from taking over, and find mental balance.

Routine as a pattern of learning

Routine can also set a basic pattern of learning. It takes persistence and effort to learn how to walk, talk, or read. We weren’t born with many abilities, so routine and habits can help us perfect beneficial skills such as these.

One of the most valued skills today is creativity, which isn’t just for adventurous or chaotic-minded people, that’s for sure. You can learn and develop strategies that give rise to creative solutions, and habits can help you get there.

As you can see, the negative connotations associated with routine are imaginary, at least in part. It just depends on how you handle it. Know how to set priorities, organize your time, and develop abilities that require more work the more necessary they are. People don’t enjoy things more just because they constantly seek novelty.