Wake up. Commute to work. Type, type, type. Click, click, click. Sit inside a building all day until it’s dark out. Commute home. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
As the workday comes to an end, time seems to be working against you. “Is it 5 yet?” The clock reads 4:30. You check it again every 2 minutes. Finally, the clock strikes DONE, so you order your Uber home because you can’t be bothered to take public transportation. You arrive by 6. Blink once. Now it’s 10:45. Netflix is asking “you still there?” At least someone is checking up on you. You try to forget about seeing last night’s dishes laying in the sink, knowing you won’t clean them tonight either. You get a notification on your phone. It’s a reminder that you have a 2020 planning meeting with your boss at 8am. You brush your teeth. The clock reads midnight as you turn on your white noise machine. You let out one big sigh before setting your alarm for 6:30 am, knowing you didn’t do the things you wanted to do today.
Routines are important — but they can also completely F you. They can enable a structured, organized day and help us remember to do the necessary tasks as they become muscle memory. Some of our daily habits are planned, others, subconscious. The reality is — your routine tasks literally define who you are as a person. Who you talk to, what you consume, where you go, when you schedule, how you arrive. Why do we make these…
