Albert Einstein is broadly credited with exclaiming “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”.
In somewhat of a similar vein, a routine is something that has come to scare us, doing the same thing over and over again is something that strikes us as monotonous and machine-like.
But… a consistent disciplined morning routine can provide structure to your life and start your day on a more positive and confident note.
It can also help clear your head. If you know exactly what you want to do for the first hour let’s say after you wake up, if these actions have become “muscle memory”, your mind is unobstructed and focused. Yes, you may be eating the same breakfast or doing the same yoga routine and breathing exercises day in and day out, but that’s not really the point, is it? The point is to clear the way in your mind for more important thoughts, or even to clear your mind to focus on your breathing or yoga.
And of course, little by little, you will see progress, improvement in your body and mind, but without expressly focusing on it.
Breaking your routine – once you’ve established it and commited it to memory – is equally important, the mind needs to remain “plastic” to achieve good performance, so every now and then change it up a bit, surprise yourself, try something new, adapt to it and either reject it or make it part of your routine.
So no, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results may not be that insane after all 🙂
Here is my morning routine, almost unchanged for the past four years: