Routines

Dictionary.com defines routine as:

  1. A customary or regular course of procedure.
  2. Commonplace tasks, chores, or duties as must be done regularly or at specified intervals; typical or everyday activity
  3. Regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative, or rote procedure.
  4. An unvarying and constantly repeated formula, as of speech or action; convenient or predictable response

As you can see from the definitions, the word ‘routine’ can carry negative connotations as well as positive ones.  Especially in my youth, I thought of ‘routine’ as something mundane and boring.  Who wanted that?  But as I’ve gotten older, I relish my routine.  My routine is no longer boring or mundane, it is a welcomed, even necessary part of organizing my day by day activities. 

When I was a kid and we visited my grandparents in Maine, our mornings were always scheduled around my grandfather’s routine.  It never varied and it included him sitting in his chair and shaving with his electric razor for 15 minutes.  Then he would splash Aqua Velva on his face and wait a few more minutes for it dry.  Now, 15+ minutes was like an eternity to a kid who was ready to go out and have fun.  So with all the kindness of a spoiled child, I would groan and complain throughout the whole process.  Looking back at the orneriness of my grandpa, he probably shaved for 5 minutes when we weren’t there, but he was all about teaching me lessons.  He accomplished his task.  But I often wonder if he knew that it would take me many years to understand and appreciate his lessons.  I bet he did.

Generally, when we were young, we yearned for excitement.  We were happy if no two days were alike.  We steered away from routines except for maybe school or sports.  Then as we aged, routines became more necessary.  College, jobs, families etc. demanded at least a semblance of a routine.  Even more so as our families grew.  Getting one child to football practice, another to ballet and a third to the library after working all day; and making sure homework got done, lunches were made, and clothes were washed took a regular organized effort – otherwise known as a routine. 

Think about it.  Jobs and schools have routine schedules, routine procedures, and routine meetings.  We care for our cars with routine maintenance.  We care for ourselves with routine physicals.  We are surrounded by routines!  However, even though routines may be necessary, they must be kept in proper perspective.  Sometimes people can be so focused on their routine that their lives become “all work and no play”.  This can be as detrimental as the “all play and no work” lifestyle of having no routine.  Life must be kept in balance.

A routine can help us keep our priorities straight and make sure we have time for the really important things in life.  Things like reading our Bibles, prayer, going to fellowship or church, family time, date nights, even relaxation should be part of our regular routines. 

Time marches on and we reach retirement age.  The kids are grown.  Our jobs are done.  No more routines.  Au contraire!  Routines become a crucial element of keeping us productive.  It can be easy, without the structure of a job or family, to become lazy or at least unfocused.  You hear about it all the time.  People retire and end up sitting on the couch and watching TV all day.  Not much of a life!  Routines can help us avoid that fate. 

When you think about it, it’s actually exciting.  You get to determine your own routine!  For most of our adult lives, we worked and /or raised families.  Our routines centered around the requirements of those responsibilities.  Now we can determine our own activities and make our routines accordingly.  The things that we always wanted to do, but never had enough time for, can be built into our routine.s  Of course, even in retirement we have responsibilities, like my husband still wants to eat and we still need clean clothes, but our time is much freer to plan and enjoy other activities.  Hobbies, classes, exercising, book clubs, volunteer work, even writing a blog can be worked into our retirement routines without the concern that we’re taking too much time away from other duties. 

I will admit that thoughts of retiring arose in my mind a few years before I actually retired.  Some of my friends had started retiring and that sounded very enticing.  But at that time, I realized that I wasn’t ready for retirement because I needed the structure of a job to keep me on track.  I didn’t have a real plan for my future.  I didn’t have goals or ideas to pursue in retirement.  I would have become one of those couch-sitting TV watchers! 

During those years, however, I began to develop my goals and aspirations for the next phase of my life.  I made lists, I talked frequently about my ideas and formulated my thoughts.  So when the actual day of my retirement came, I was ready. 

Much has happened since that day.  And I’m still working toward my goals and aspirations.  But I’ve learned that without some kind of routine, it isn’t always easy to accomplish what I want to.  There are days when my brain just wanders around bumping into things as it tries to figure out what I should be doing.  There are days when my will fades into oblivion (those are TV watching days).  And there are days when I just get sidetracked.  In any of these situations my routine helps me get back on track.  It reminds me of what I need to get done and gives me ideas for my extra time.  It allows me to be successful in the things that I want and need to accomplish.

Routines are a good thing, and a positive aid for managing our time.  But we can’t get so caught up in our routines that we miss out on the glorious things of life.  Remember to always include love, laugher and giving in your routine.  Don’t be afraid to deviate from your routine schedule if you just need to have some FUN!  But if you find yourself sitting on the couch all day and doing nothing – dust off your routine and get moving! 

Note to my readers:  My blog is a big part of my routine.  Not because it’s a duty, but because it’s a joy.  I hope you continue to enjoy reading it.