Monday, March 29, 2010

Seven tips on how to change your routine every day




















This morning my roommate said he was off again for another day of routines. That didn't really sound like fun. Not at all, actually. Yes, we all have our daily routines. We are 'animals of habit' as we say in Dutch, 'gewoontedieren'. Apparently, people even need routines to stay sane. Or so doctors tell psychiatric patients.

But routines so quickly turn into a drag. The Dutch word for drag is 'sleur'. To me the sound of the word expresses its meaning. A bore. Everyday the same scenes, the same tasks, the same impulses. But it doesn't have to be like that!

For years, I've had a postcard. It hangs in my office now. It says "Verander dagelijks van sleur" which means change your routine every day. And that's what I try to do. You should too! How?
  1. Vary with your breakfast (don't eat and drink the same thing each day. I make different juices here in Indonesia)
  2. Take a different route to work (try a new road, see where it goes)
  3. Focus on one specific thing on your way to work (the sky, people wearing backpacks, the shape of windows)
  4. Try someone new (A different taste, leave at a different time, have lunch with different colleagues)
  5. Do something scary (ask someone a weird question, write a letter to your idol, hang a post-it with a compliment someone's computer screen)
  6. Bring your camera and take pictures of the normal things (you'll find even a boring office can have an inspiring angle)
  7. Play music (different songs have different moods and can really color my day)

1 comment:

  1. I will recommend your blog to people at my workplace. We need to change the lunch routine! :-)

    ReplyDelete