Is Your Routine Limiting Your Growth?

Posted on February 5, 2008
Filed Under Embrace Your Highest Path and Purpose, How To Develop Your Intuition, Spiritual Development |

We’re all terribly busy. For many of us, our weekdays are tightly scheduled, filled to the brim with work, errands, trips to the gym, family dinner, a little TV time to unwind, and off to bed, only to do it all again the next day. Our weekends may be equally full of pre-planned activities as we try to fit in our hobbies and social activities.

With all this activity, it’s easy to fall into a routine. Routine may be the only way we can handle the amount of activity we “have to” engage in. Our days organize themselves into predictable patterns that we find comfort in.

But with all this routine and scheduling, is there still room for Spirit to move us towards our highest path and purpose? When inspiration and guidance comes, is there space in our day to act on it? Or do the brilliant ideas and sudden flashes of inspiration, the book recommendations, the excellent pieces of advice we receive, get relegated to the back burner only to be forgotten by the end of the day? Are we too locked into our routine to make room for Spirit to guide us towards the change necessary for continued growth and learning?

Tune In to Your Routine

How many of your activities do you do simply because they are what you do every day? Do you get up and immediately check your emails – with no intention of actually replying to any of them? Do you have three cups of coffee every morning, not because you are tired, but because that’s what you always do? Do you order the same thing every time you go to a certain restaurant? Do you engage in the same leisure and social activities every single weekend? Do you do the same exact spiritual practice, day in and day out?

There is nothing wrong with any of these routine activities. Routine gives us a sense of security. When we do what we’ve done before, our mind can indulge itself in the illusion that we know the outcome of our actions. If we do what we’ve always done, we get what we’ve always gotten, right? But if routine governs your life, where is growth and change going to come from?

Do Something Different

Try cooking something else for dinner. Take a different route home. Do your shopping at a new grocery store. Call instead of emailing. Try out a new hobby. Put yourself into situations in which you cannot know the outcome of your actions. Suddenly you are in a state of detachment, because you have stepped outside of your current frame of reference. You are open and receptive to what the Universe may manifest in your life, even in small ways.

Or perhaps – don’t be surprised! - you suddenly find yourself in a state of fear or insecurity. Be open and receptive to this, too. Discomfort in the face of change is excellent information, allowing you to address limitations of which you may not previously have been aware.

Gather information as you try new things. We cannot know a path until we have walked it for a few steps! Perhaps you will discover new passions. Perhaps you will uncover what truly does not serve you. Perhaps you will transcend yourself in ways you never considered possible.

Create Space for Spirit

Set aside a little unscheduled time every day. Embrace an hour or so of your time with the conscious assertion of “I don’t know what I am going to do next.” Resist mentally filling this block of time with activity until you actually get there. Allow yourself the freedom to act out of inspiration. Perhaps this will result in a walk around the block, a journal entry, or couch potato time in front of the television. Either way, be present to how you feel and what energies you are creating within yourself.

Loosen Up Your “To-Do” List

If you keep a daily “to-do” list, loosen up the time constraints. Does it really matter if you get an item done today or tomorrow? Sometimes we have very real deadlines to meet, of course. But often we impose deadlines upon ourselves. If inspiration is lacking, we are creating struggle. I’m not advocating laziness. I’m advocating moving within the flow of inspiration as much as possible. Try a weekly “to-do” list and see what happens.

Confession time – I don’t keep a “to-do” list at all. I have a calendar of my scheduled appointments, and that’s it. Surprisingly, I still get a great deal more done than a lot of people I know.

Chaos Is Creative

We unfold our lives out of a balance of chaos and order. Order gives us a sense of stability, security, and linear progression. Order allows us to build. Too much order, however, creates stagnation. Chaos, on the other hand, is the creative element in our lives. In the face of too much order, it becomes seemingly destructive. Have you ever watched someone’s well-structured life appear to suddenly crumble, only to have something far better emerge from that chaos? Perhaps this has even happened to you in your own life.

Too much chaos, of course, causes us to become ungrounded. But when we introduce a balanced amount of uncertainty into our every day, we allow inspiration and guidance to work creatively within our lives.

Give up the Illusion

We all like to believe that we can change our lives in a controlled, predictable manner. This is why we make plans. We like to think that we know the outcomes of our actions. The truth is, however, that if you do something you have never done before, you cannot foresee the consequences of your actions. And that is a good thing! Through change, Spirit can move us forward into a reality that is far better than anything we could have possibly imagined for ourselves.

Comments

9 Responses to “Is Your Routine Limiting Your Growth?”

Suzanne Bird-Harris on February 5th, 2008 2:00 pm

Woo-hoo! I’m free!

Andrea - the ‘to-do’ list is officially trash for today! Thanks! I really need some ‘think’ time, anyway, so fooey on all that stuff that doesn’t HAVE to be done today.

It’s cold and rainy here today - I think after I click submit I’m going to go run a hot, bubble bath and take an hour to just soak and think - in broad daylight, no less!
Patricia - Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker on February 5th, 2008 2:07 pm

Giving up the illusion of control has been one of the best gifts that I have ever given myself. Just by doing that, I had so much new growth in my life.
David on February 5th, 2008 2:30 pm

I have been very blessed this last six months in that I have had a lot of free time as far as activities and obligations on the physical plane are concerned. Finances have been scarce but that has kept me home regrouping, recharging and growing Spiritually, which is what was needed. My Guides are telling me this period is now over. The Wheel of Fortune is turning again.

The time has allowed me to pursue spiritual growth at an accelerated pace, beginning with a Soul Realignment from you, Andrea, then a ten day Vipassana meditation retreat, followed a couple months later with Reiki 1 & 2 and Master’s courses and attunements. I’m spending a lot of time with my eyes closed meditating these days.

I don’t seem to be physically or spiritually inclined towards routine. I never have been. Every aspect of my life recycles itself every few years. The longest job I’ve ever had was five years in the 70’s when I was a lead singer in a heavy metal rock band and was in a different city every week. There wasn’t much routine in any of that five years.

Spiritually, my life is the same way. My Guides bust me out of whatever routine I try to get myself into. I settled right into vipassana meditation and had thoughts that I would always practice vipassana as strictly as life would allow when low and behold they steered me to Reiki for the self healing. Now instead of an hour of vipassana meditation in the morning it’s an hour of Reiki then vipassana in the evening and I think they may be about to steer me in another direction then too. Japa meditation seems to be showing up a lot lately.

At times I envy people who can manage to establish routines for the security of it. I have in the past spent considerable time and energy concerned about the shaky ground I’ve found myself standing on. But then, I’m the one who said, “I surrender, do with me what you will.” So far I haven’t missed a meal or slept on a park bench.

As I’ve said before, Andrea, I’m a human being, not a human doing. Most of the busy work people are so determined to fill their lives up with seems a monumental waste of time at best. At the worst it makes life so hectic one doesn’t have the time to notice what’s happening right now in this moment as they are constantly concerned about getting to the next meeting, civic obligation, meditation group, drum circle, whatever. They are so busy trying to live a full life and/or ‘achieve’ enlightenment that they are missing their life entirely which is only in this moment right now. It’s the only thing that is real. The rest is dust in the wind.
Stacey Apeitos on February 5th, 2008 4:19 pm

Hey Andrea

Spontaneity is the spice of life! I agree we need a balance of routine and spontaneity.

I used to be a big fan of the To Do list, but I always felt guilty when tasks didn’t get accomplished by the deadlines I set for myself.

In his popular book “Getting Things Done” David Allen suggests ditching the prioritized ‘Things to Do’ list in favor of a ‘Next Actions’ list. It is a prompt of the stuff needing doing, without the pressure of doing it in a particular order or by a certain time. He suggests if we write down the things that need doing, it frees our head space and gives us permission to relax. We know we won’t forget something important because it is on that list.

I’m not like you, sadly, able to work with only a calendar. Writing, mind-mapping and list making are tools I like to use to explore ideas and concepts, plan AND keep track of my multiple projects. Because it is written down, I can get on with my life - including the non-routine things - confident that I need only glance at a simple list to jog my imperfect memory and stay efficient.

And I find this part is important: I celebrate and pat myself on the back when the bigger tasks are achieved. I shout hooray and dance! And often I reward myself with some extra creative time in my art studio - even if it is the middle of my ‘work’ day. (Lucky that I am self-employed.)
Andrea Hess on February 5th, 2008 6:56 pm

Suzanne - Go for it! I hope you had a fantastic bubble bath and that inspiration now abounds!

Patricia - You are so right. It’s really a relief to admit that we are not “in control” of much in our lives. We are in charge of our thoughts, emotions, actions, and words … but not their outcome. So we may as well relax …

Blessings,
Andrea
Andrea Hess on February 5th, 2008 8:25 pm

David - Thank you for the great comment! It’s wonderful that you are open to receiving guidance - even when it points you towards something unexpected. I’m a regular meditator and I work hard on my spiritual development. At the same time, there are days and weeks where spiritual development looks like taking long walks rather than sitting down to meditation. Every tool has its season in our lives - it’s great that you are practicing non-attachment and going with your intuition.

Stacey - I love the idea of a “next action” list vs. a “to-do” list. And I know that living without a list isn’t for everyone! Although I would support anyone in trying it out for a week … sometimes what seems so important to our heads flies right out of our memory because, in actuality, it isn’t important at all. I think we do remember the truly and authentically important stuff! However, I know that keeping things written really serves some people in uncluttering the mind.

I love that you reward and celebrate yourself! Otherwise, what are we doing it all for, right?

Blessings,
Andrea
Tom Volkar / Delightful Work on February 6th, 2008 9:26 am

Thanks Andrea for guiding my thoughts in a different direction. It’s funny, about two weeks ago I put more routine in my life regarding checking within, releasing concerns and being open to greater guidance. It was an attempt to make sure I put some being in front of my doing.
But even a routine of well intended actions can restrict freedom and lessen inspiration when they begin to feel a little stale.

I’m going to mix it up more and be open to the chaotic creativity that you suggest. This was an extremely well-written post. Thank you.
Goal Setting College on February 7th, 2008 4:59 am

Andrea, thanks for a wonderful reminder! I guess as bloggers, we’re so used to the conventional wisdom of “keep a to-do list!”, “post consistently”! That we’re forgetting the big picture of growth, often stifled by a lack of creativity as a result of monotony and routine.

Cheers,
Ellesse
sadhana on June 26th, 2008 9:48 pm

andrea ,i seem to do things similiar to u. i dont have a to-do-list to follow. i am free in all aspects of my life.i practise vipassana,japa, and reiki.i like to do reiki as seva.