Do you think everyone benefits from a routine? Why or why not?

            I appreciate how dense this compact question is. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to adhering to a routine. Before I answer this question in a most subjective yet rational way, I would like to state why routines garner such benign and detrimental aspects in one’s day-to-day life.

Routines are predictable, safe, and adaptive to one’s individual place in the world. It is easy to abide by something that is so trivial. Little thought and energy is given to doing things that one normally does. Routines allows one to experience a sense of safety and security, reassurance, especially in times of discomfort or distress. It is like a safety net, something to fall back on, and something to rely on. One’s comfort zone is a place of familiarity and tranquility. It distills the pressures that life presents, the uncertainty of the future, and the fear that follows close behind.

On the other hand, routines can also refrain one from trying new things or explore differing realms of understanding the world. People genuinely fear the unknown and constructing routines is a way one adapts to the changes that life presents us. Routines can render us from taking necessary risks. They could dissuade us from breaking free of complacence. There is a whole world out there to interact with, to learn from, to experience, but routines can ultimately hold us back from fully harnessing our potential.

To say the least, the most sensible answer I can come up with is moderation. It is perfectly healthy to construct and modify routines from time to time. However, taking a leap of faith sometimes is a great way to grow as a person, even if we make the wrong choices, especially if we make the worst choices. Perhaps more primitive things like waking up, taking a shower, brushing your teeth, etc. is a beneficial routine while something like driving the same route to work or even rushing straight home after work rather than trying something new could essentially prevent one from fully enjoying life. I think I should practice what I preach. I am a creature of habit. I don’t know, maybe everyone is. But does everyone benefit from a routine? Sometimes. Sometimes we do.