For a long time, I found comfort in having a routine. Knowing what my day was going to look like and having a plan for everything made me feel organized and at ease. However, I have recently started to realize how easy it is to get so caught up in the same routine that you forget to actually enjoy your everyday life.
Especially now that school is back in full swing, it is easy to fall into the habit of doing the same things every day. You go to the same classes, eat lunch at the same place, and head to the library at the same time. Before you know it, your days start to feel repetitive, and it becomes harder to find excitement in the little things.
While having a routine can be helpful, I think it is just as important to leave room for the more spontaneous things. Sometimes, doing something as simple as grabbing a fun drink, going on a walk with a friend, or stopping into a store you love can make a regular day feel a little different. We can get so caught up in our routines that we forget how much there is to experience outside of them.
I think one of the hardest parts about getting stuck in a routine is that you don’t always realize it’s happening. Especially in college, our days can become so centered around classes, assignments, and other responsibilities that we forget to make time for anything outside of them. We wake up, get ready, go to class, study, and do it all over again the next day. Eventually, it can start to feel like we are just going through the motions rather than actually enjoying what the day has to offer.
I also think it is easy to convince ourselves that we will have more time for fun once everything else is done. I know I always tell myself that I can do something exciting after finishing an assignment or that I’ll make plans once I have a less busy week. But there will almost always be something else that needs to get done. If we are constantly waiting for the perfect time to enjoy ourselves, we might miss out on the little moments.
Breaking out of a routine does not have to mean making huge changes to your life or completely rearranging your schedule. Sometimes, it can be as simple as doing something a little differently than you normally would.
I think the important thing is to give ourselves permission to be a little spontaneous. Not everything has to be planned out, and not every moment needs to serve a specific purpose. Sometimes, the best parts of our day are the things we never planned on doing in the first place.
It can be easy to get so focused on what we need to accomplish that we forget to enjoy where we are right now. We spend so much time thinking about the next assignment, the next class, or what we need to get done tomorrow that we forget there is more to our everyday lives than our responsibilities.
At the end of the day, our routines are only one part of our lives. We should not become so caught up in them that we forget to experience everything else life has to offer. Sometimes, all it takes is a small change to remind us that there is so much more to our everyday lives than doing the same thing over and over again.