Some time ago I wrote about the perils of having a routine.
Stick to the Routine

Having a routine is good. It’s the number one way to break habits.
It’s also the number one way to start habits.
You just start a routine. Or just stop a routine.
Really, it’s that simple.

It can also cause you grief if you don’t pay attention.

When I first started to negotiate contracts, I had to develop a routine, or a system, that would help me better prepare. If I wasn’t prepared, I didn’t do very well at the bargaining table.
It’s how I came up with my book Reaching Resolutions. Reaching Resolutions 10 Rules for Success.

But this post isn’t about how to start a routine. It’s about the pitfalls of having a routine. Of not thinking about what your doing with your routine. I am a survivor.

Once, in the early hours of a cold wintry day I went out to snow plow my driveway. My normal daily routine consists of simply making a cup of coffee. That morning was so cold I was anxious to come back in and have my morning cup. What happened next was one of those pitfalls.
I made my coffee.
I then drank the cup and savored each sip.
It was so good and warm.

Except for one thing, which I only noticed when I went to make a second cup.
I hadn’t put any coffee in the maker. I drank a piping cup of ….hot water.
Yes I did,

That’s what can happen when we simply go about our routines without thinking of what we’re doing.

Everyday, I run into people who tell me all about how they can multi task. Like it’s a good thing. Their responsibilities are so many that the only way they can get everything accomplished is my doing multiple tasks at the same time.

I know I’m slow, but if I tried to do more than one thing at a time, well, I’d end up drinking more cups of hot water. I have to focus on what I’m doing. Every time. If I don’t my mind starts to wander and I lose that focus.

And I’ve discovered something else along the way. Focusing on each task I’m doing and not my routine.Not letting my mind wander, I find I’m living in the moment.

No longer thinking of the past or the future. I can focus on the right now.

The pitfall of having a routine?
You still have to think!
You’ve been warned.

Papa don’t take no mess
papa don’t take papa don’t take …
JT