Vitamin R (or Routine) — MAGGIE DANIELLI PECORINO

Routine is like a vitamin. It’s good for you — especially over the long term. Taking Calcium for one day doesn’t strengthen your bones.

Routine is a fact of life. I don’t care whether you like it or not. It helps us get things done. And getting things is done is hard. Honestly, we need all the help we can get.

This summer in Amsterdam, I established a routine of sorts for myself that has proven productive. Not that productivity is the end-all, be-all of life… but it was time for me to get some shit together. One of those to-do list items was writing (and sharing) once per week — in the form of this post. Whether or not anyone actually reads it is, for me, besides the point. It’s just a matter of doing it.

And I’ve been doing it. More often than not, on Mondays or Tuesdays. My therapist likes to tell me to knock off the most difficult tasks first. I agree (and I wonder if he takes his own advice.)

But yes, weirdly, this brief piece of generally train-of-thought writing tends to be one of the hardest parts of my week. It probably has something to do with the limitless possibility of it all. Since no one’s reading it, I really can say or do whatever I want. And if I don’t see much value in whatever it is that I’ve written, who cares? I’m the one reading it.

Right now, I have nothing to say. But here I am on the train to Berlin, writing on a Tuesday, per usual. Because I know myself, and I know that there is a 1% chance I complete my task of weekly writing if I do not stick to routine. Here I am. Here we are.

Queries about Routine:

Routine is intrinsic to environment. Or… no. Environment is intrinsic to routine. Thus, a change of environment constitutes a change of routine, and a probable shift in productivity. A downwards shift, more often than not. My question at present is: how does one who would like to continue traveling for the foreseeable future, who energetically thrives on a constantly changing day-to-day, harness the power of routine?

Does routine expand or retract the ability to be mindful in the present moment? Do you know what I’m saying? Do I?

If one somewhat mindlessly complies with routine — as I am doing now — is it still an agent of productivity? Or is it just… roboticism? In some cases, is the act of simply adhering enough? (Enough for what?)

When is routine harmful? When does pattern and habit exert a negative influence over the day to day? When does it stop a person from genuinely experiencing the moment to moment of reality? When does it become The Matrix?

Will I come up with more questions tomorrow? Or will this be the end of the post?

—

It’s not the end of the post. Not because I have more questions, but because I had to let everyone (myself) know that I still came back and tried.

Let it be known that as chaotic as these next few days in Berlin will be, I am still taking my vitamins.

Until next week.