Feel bad about routine

[RudeBoy]

Hi Everyone,

 

Everyone will be pleased to know that work is getting better for me after my recent issues. I now have a mentor that is willing to understand.

 

Now this seems a very strange question but is routine bad or uncool ?

 

The reason I ask this is because I have created for example the weekly dodo sheet (It is called that because it's the rubbish I don't like doing but need to do, but forget to do)

 

I think I could expand this and have a routine, that if I can stick to it will make me more efficient. Especially as part of my issue is lack of "get up and go"

 

However I am prevented from doing this as routine, and having to rely on a routine will make me feel like a failure, inflexable and so geeky.

 

I didn't realise I already do this some times, or at least my partner tells me, but I don't realise I am doing it.

 

Example of where routine could help:

 

Getting to the gym (Thats a personal one)

Doing chores (Again, personal, but clustering it makes big jobs small)

Create work plans for me and my staff

Plan regularly what is going to happen with our busy work schedule

 

However I just feel it is a geeky thing to do and a sign of failure. What do other people think ?

 

Regards

 

RudeBoy

 

 

[call me jaded]

I think it's perfectly normal to avoid things you don't like doing. Finding a way to motivate yourself to do something you don't like is normal too.

 

Personally I try not to let anything I don't want to do go beyond Friday so I get all the horrible stuff done before the weekend. Sometimes there isn't enough time to do it all and that's not a sign of failure, just that I have too much going on and need to cut back on something to make room. I carry a mental schedule, but that's not enough I have to keep a diary and write in things like 'collect dry cleaning' otherwise I don't do them.

[av16]

I think everyone needs to keep to certain routines otherwise things get confused or not done. So I say go ahead and use plans and routines as much as you like especially if they make things easier. And definitely don't worry about what anyone else thinks or says - it's up to you(what you really want to do). Not sure whether your user name relates to your choice of music. If it does you'll recognise the phrase!

AV

[Tally]

Most people have routine in their lives. If routine helps you do the things you want to do, then I see no harm in it. If a lack of routine makes it difficult to get things done, then you are actually making your life harder and disabling yourself by refusing to have a routine.

 

Other people don't have to know about your routine unless you choose to tell them, so their opinions are not really relevant. Some routines can be considered a positive thing, for example, a person who turns up to work on time would be considered a good employee because he has a good morning routine.

 

A routine can make you inflexible if you stick to it rigidly, but you can decide on a case by case basis when to break your routine. If you get a really good offer, you can look at your routine and see if there is anything that can be re-arranged.

[Chris P]

I agree with everyone else. Sticking by a routine is actually a road to success if it lowers your stress levels and encourages you to be organised about your life. I have a very unpredictable kind of job - sometimes it gets confusing for me knowing what I need to do next. That's when making a list and working through it is really important for me. Your routine is personal to you - others don't have to know you are following a plan: do it right and you won't look geeky, you'll look efficient!

 

I'm on sick leave at the moment because I have got exhausted through not keeping proper routines, and simply rushing around like a circus juggler trying to spin plates on poles. Those who are helping me have realised that I need to create more routines and stick to them better. You don't have to be completely inflexible, but routines are a good way of making sure you do what's important, not just what sounds most urgent!

Edited April 2, 2010 by Chris P

[RudeBoy]

Hi Everyone,

 

Sorry for the slow reply.

 

Thanks for not making me feel bad about a routine. I know we like to do it as it assists us. A lot of us use lists to keep the world in check.

 

I just have a paranoia about them. However I will give it a go and report back! The original reason I asked was I just felt that if I start down this road I could be become more inflexible and obsessed. I tend to obsess on things once I start.

 

As for the name, I remember RudeBoy as a character from a film (or it may have been RudeDog) It's just an online name, as I felt if I used my real online persona, as it where, I could not be honest in what I said. The anonymity the net provides is good.

[Sally44]

Everybody needs to plan and organise their time. It just helps you get more things done.

 

About 50+ years ago, things used to be even more structure and routine eg. washday Monday - where the whole nation was washing clothes on the same day.