Don't Routinely Dismiss the "Routines"

From chores to cheers

- Smt. Sujatha Rao

Context

“She is a servant of routine” or “He is a creature of habit” are some of the refrains we often hear in a somewhat condescending or dismissive tone, as though having routines is not a very welcome trait. But come to think of it, everyone has a daily routine of some sort, because the days, months and years have a structure that keeps repeating itself. It is the natural order to do so.

For example, the Earth moves around its own axis and goes around the Sun relentlessly on the clock. What if the Earth and the Sun tire of their routine and stop for a while? We shudder to even think of such a world, where the natural order of things happens to be chaotic.

In alignment with the natural order of the cycles of day and night, our bodies fall into a rhythm, and we all know the impact of meddling with these circadian rhythms.

While it is also natural for us to crave for something fresh and new, because that is what brings in the much required requiem from the mundane and boring stuff of a relentless routine, it's also true that there is a need to safeguard the routine with zealous zeal.

Let us examine this seemingly contradictory phenomenon a bit in detail by understanding why routines exist, in the first place.