Break Your Routine

words Cheryl Guzman-Ng

Sometimes I choose not to drive and instead opt for the train and bus instead. The great thing about that decision to break away from the norm and routine? I learned a few new things. However, the biggest lesson of the day was the realisation that it is important to give yourself the freedom to break your routine once in a while because there is a lot to be gained.

How so?

1. You Learn

Instead of having to focus on the road and other vehicles, sitting in the train gave me the headspace to people-watch. Beside me was a middle-aged man reading the papers and from the corner of my eyes, I could see that he was circling certain sections. I thought he was job searching.

But curiosity got the better of me and I turned to ask what he was doing. He showed me the papers and told me that he circles nuggets of information of which he and his kids will trade their new findings every weekend for knowledge sharing (and to make sure they read the papers and stay current on global affairs).

He said to me “Did you know that half of marine life was wiped out in the last 40 years?”.

No, I didn’t sir, but now I do.

2. You Discover

I missed my stop because I was replying to an email. So I got off the next stop and decided to walk to my destination. I got a little lost but on the way, I stumbled upon a really quaint little shop which sold toys that I used to play as a kid many (not that many as I’d like to believe!) years back. Imagine my delight! Needless to say, I bought some pretty old skool toys.

3. You Appreciate

When you have been doing something for a while, it becomes a habit. What it means is that your brain has stored that automatic response in the basal ganglia, an area of the brain associated with involuntary actions. The downside is that you stop feeling the initial gratification and desire you felt before that action or process became a habit/routine. When you break free, you learn to appreciate things that you took for granted (and even your usual routine) because it’s like a wake-up call that brings the newness back to the old.

4. You Evolve

By the same breath, you might realise that whatever you have been doing is not the best for you. If you have been going about doing things a certain way all the time, you stagnate. To open your mind to other things gives you room for evolution. You might find a better solution for a problem, more efficient ways of getting things done, or a faster route to get to where you want to be. Give yourself the freedom to explore.

5. You Grow

When you discover, learn and have a renewed appreciation for certain things, you grow naturally with what life has to offer. The world becomes your classroom and playground where you meet new people and you allow new things to happen to you. You also create different opportunities that may not have come by if you’d walked the same path every day.

Just Do It!

So go ahead and break a routine or a habit once in a while. Jog a different path, explore a different section of the bookstore, take the bus instead of the train, or call instead of WhatsApping your loved ones. You have the freedom to create new experiences. You’ll be amazed at how it can change you.