Daily Routine
I don’t have one, but I should.
If a person puts even one measure of effort into following ritual and standards of righteousness, he will get back twice as much.
—Xunzi
Xunzi was one of the three great classical Confucian philosophers best known for his lessons on how to build self-awareness by engaging in continuous education and practice of ritual activities, in other words, a daily routine.
That probably sounds boring to many people today. After all, we have an endless supply of entertainment and distraction sitting right in our hand. But what is all that distraction buying us? Is it opening our mind and soul to discovery of ourselves? Is it showing us the path to excellence? In most cases it is doing just the opposite.
There are many ways to establish a routine. The important thing is to have one. How does having a routine open our mind and soul to discovery and accomplishment? An orderly routine allows our mind to open up. Chaos only serves to keep us distracted and unfocused. The freedom to go about life differently every day is not freedom, it’s chaos. Good habits, a routine, give us a certainty that allows our mind to focus and opens it to new ideas. Self-discipline means success in our endeavors.
I opened by saying I don’t have a routine. I actually do, I just haven’t given it much thought. I write almost every day, usually in the morning. I read (but not on any particular schedule). I ride my bicycle — I also try to get other forms of exercise. The goal for me is to recognizing the activities that are good for me and make time for them each day, preferable the same amount of time and preferably on the same schedule. That is the difficult part. We get the best performance and satisfaction out of our lives when we are not constantly guessing what to do next.