When you're a charmer people respond; they can't see the hidden agenda you got going on (Aimee Mann)

 

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

James Clear on daily routines:

"Many people view their habits and routines as obstacles or, at the very least, obligations to get through. Making the morning coffee, driving your kids to the next activity, preparing the next meal—we often see our routines as chores to be completed.

But these are not moments to be dismissed. They are life. Making coffee can be a peaceful ritual—perhaps even a fulfilling one—if done with care rather than rushed to completion. It’s about the amount of attention you devote to these simple moments, and whether you choose to appreciate them or bulldoze through them on the way to the next task.

Find the beauty and joy in your daily rituals and you will find beauty and joy in your daily life. To love your habits is to love your days, and to love your days is to love your life."

I'm very much a routine guy and part of my routines at work involve loading and unloading the dishwasher, topping up the hot water urn, emptying the staff room rubbish bin, and putting chairs up for the cleaners on Friday afternoons.

Yes, I'm also the Campus Principal but I have no problem following these routines.

As I explained to my wife when she visited the campus on Friday afternoon - I'm always the first to arrive at school in the morning. Why would I not unload the dishwasher? I'm often the last to leave so topping up the water and putting the dishwasher on are just sensible routines.

But I also enjoy the routine.

I like being mindful while I'm doing them - I have set places where certain plates and cups go, and I put up the chairs in a certain order each time.

I certainly find beauty and joy in those routines.