When we think of the word “habit”, it is often as a negative – something that needs to be broken. Similarly, the word “routine” conjures up images of boredom, drudgery. But there’s a flip side to habit and routine.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about lately, as a result of the completion of my ‘Great Australian Reno’. You see, the place where I used to leave my keys/ phone/ wallet when I walked in the door at night has changed. It’s gone. It is not a big deal (and I love the new renovations), but I found it odd that such a small thing was so unsettling. Until I realised that my old routine of walking in the door and ridding myself of the objects of work (keys, phone etc.) signalled that I was ‘off duty’. It was my equivalent of ‘clocking off’.
We’re all essentially creatures of habit. We develop routines around our daily duties, but also routines that create moments of rest – Friday night takeouts; newspapers and coffee on a Saturday. We create spaces that encourage productivity – kitchens full of gadgets; ergonomic offices. But we also create personal sanctuaries – a favourite reading chair; a workspace personalised with plants or family photos.
Life is busy. And it is not just the world that runs at a cracking pace, it is our minds. We can – and often do – scan the day’s news and weather reports, respond to emails and check out what our friends are up to,
even before we get out of bed.
Life is busy. And it is not just the world that runs at a cracking pace, it is our minds
It is difficult to rest. And when you’re running your own business, it’s even harder. So I’m wondering if the answer is to critically examine the routines and spaces we’ve created, to work out a personal cue to rest; and to look at the habits we can practice that work best for us.
For example, I’ve created a habit of always having water at my desk so I don’t forget to stay hydrated and, straight after I put my bag down at work and turn on my computer, I go next door to grab my coffee and have a
banter with ‘my’ barista.
Other members of the mivision team have different habits, routines and workplace sanctuaries. Our graphic designer goes AWOL for a 15 minute walk every day. It keeps him sane. One of our journos plugs into headphones. Music is her place of sanctuary. Nikki, our Production Manager uses the daily postal run as a brief respite from being our general controller (should that be and/or instigator?) of chaos.
As eye care professionals, you’re constantly telling office workers to rest their eyes – to take a few minutes every hour to stare into the distance.
So shouldn’t you do the same? Shouldn’t you actively create habits, routines and spaces that provide moments of rest – not just for your eyes, but for your mind… after all, to stretch, to gaze out the window, to take the time to share a joke with a co-worker, is sometimes all that’s needed to refresh your energy and make a difference to your day.
