Yodeller

It's a new year. New start, new possibilities. Or same old, it's up to me.

I won't set any goals for this year. Not going to make that mistake anymore. I won't even start anything new. Not yet, but probably something along the way as the year passes. I keep going, continue what I have started. Keep improving, changing. Small steps, without goals. But with a direction.

I'm looking forward to many things I already know that are coming this year. Trips, larps, cons, festivals and other events. New experiences and new challenges.

I hope there will be some surprises like last year, at least the positive ones. I'll take whatever it brings.

A year from now I want to look back and see how far I have come. I wan't to see the change. I want to look back and remember great moments I have experienced alone, shared with my loved ones and everyone around me.

Have a great new year!

I have been writing about change. I don't mean it like a complete change, something big, major. Becoming new.

I don't want to be a different person. There is nothing wrong with me, nothing I don't like. Mostly I like myself. Like being who I am. I don't need to change. Not in that way.

The change I want is more subtle, small changes that will make me better at who I am and living up to my true potential. That means removing blockers that are holding me back, preventing me from doing things I want. I also need to pay attention to those things I don't like. Stop doing them. The most important thing is to improve the things I like. Even if I'm good at them and happy I can always be better. And even if I'm bad at something shouldn't hold me back if I like it. Eventually I can become good at those too if I don't give up on them.

To change first you need to know what is worth changing for. You need to know yourself. Identify the things that make you who you are. Maybe there are things that are holding you back. And things you don't like. Finding yourself is the most important thing. First improvement. Only after that can you truly start the change. You can't change what you don't know.

If you need to do something over and over again, many times on a repeat it's better to have a routine for that. Repetitive tasks are boring. It's better to be able to do them without thinking.

I have many routines. For example my mornings are quite well laid out. I wake up, dress, go to bathroom, make coffee, feed cats, sit down to write these posts and enjoy the coffee and so forth. It takes me 55 minutes from bed to door. Mostly I don't even think about what I'm doing. I think other things, like what to write today, what's waiting me at work. More important things than having to think about did I already brush my teeth.

Having a routine for those kind of tasks help. You know exactly what you need to do next. You do all the steps, no need to think if you have forgotten something. You know how long it will take. You don't have to waste a thought about it. You can even spend that time thinking something else. You can free your mind from the boredom.

Making decisions is expensive. We spend way too much time on deciding what shirt to wear. Why not just pick the topmost from the pile, or just have all the your shirts the same kind.

Not having to think about boring, meaningless stuff can make you a lot more efficient. Saves your mental energy for the meaningful decisions and leaves more time to think about interesting things.

Sometimes routines can turn into obsessions. Or at least seem like one.

One of my routines is the morning coffee at the office. When I arrive at work I drop my bag at the desk and head to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. A simple routine, but the devil is in the details. Or in the cup in this case. I must have one particular kind of cup. If there aren't any of those kind clean I'll wash one. I can't drink from any other kind of cup.

Originally I chose the cup based on the fact that it's one of the most common kind of cup among all the cups at our office. It's also the same size and shape as the cups I usually use at home. It's effective and also familiar, safe. It's the same thing as with the shirt: I don't have to think about it. Another benefit is that it's easier to recognize my cup. Sometimes I move a lot arond the office and leave my cup in odd places. At least I can say it's not my cup if it's not that kind. Also if I have to wash one I usually also wash all the other dirty cups lying at the counter.

Routines can turn into obsessions and sometimes it might be hard to change. You do something because that's how you have always done. You are too used to it. But often there might be valid reasons for those obsessive looking routines.

In extreme cases, yes I can drink my morning coffee from other kind of cup. I won't let that ruin my day.

Having routines can make you efficient, but unexpected thinks can also be good for you. Studies have shown that encountering unexpected situations can boost the development of the brain. They can also bring inspiration and new ideas.

But how to be both efficient and ensure you don't dull your brain? You could have part of the day controlled by routines and then throw yourself to complete chaos. Or you can have your routines allowing a small variety, have some randomness in them.

The randomness can be natural. Like in my morning routine: somebody might be up before me and already fed the cats and made the coffee. Or the shirt: it's always a surprise which one I'll pick for the day.

You can also have randomness part of the routine deliberately. Alternate the order of things you do. Take a different route. When you have a strong routine you can still pretty much run on automation even with some randomness. But it still adds a bit of a challenge for your brain. And maybe you also notice something new along the way.