As man evolved and moved from the jungles and caves to the kind of lives that we lead now, so did the emphasis on timings and routine.
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TThe other day, I heard a sportsman say, “I have my routine and I try to adhere to it.” In our daily lives too, most of us, I would like to believe, have our routines. Because of factors beyond our control, if ever the routines in our lives get disturbed or disrupted, we often encounter guilt or frustration or both or an added determination at times to correct the glitch.
What is the purpose of a routine? Or does it have a purpose at all? There is a clock and a calendar but as to whether we have to follow them is left to us, right? In my opinion, routines help us to order and prioritise our lives. One would actually get an idea of the value of routine, if and when we do not have a routine or decide to give it a pass.
Routine inculcates a sense of discipline and adherence in our lives. A life without a routine can become meaningless. It can lead to confusion and a cluttered mind. Disruption in routines because of travel, health issues and the like makes one want to get back to routine as quickly as possible. I suspect that the saying that “one’s home is the best” also stems in a large measure from the fervent desire to get back to one’s routine.
This also brings up the seminal question: is routine applicable to, or practised by, only humans or does it apply also to other animals? I remember watching, a few years ago, in the jungles of Congo, an alpha-male gorilla leading his troops to a clearing in the forest where they all lay down and indulged in some serious grooming. Once this activity got over, they trudged off to the large bamboo trees for their regular feed. Was this a part of their daily life routine?
As man evolved and moved from the jungles and caves to the kind of lives that we lead now, so did the emphasis on timings and routine. Increase in activities, which I guess would have happened over time, demand a greater adherence to timings and routines. Timings are an integral part of routines.
Routines have different dimensions. While there are some routines such as brushing our teeth which we have been conditioned over several years and right from our childhood, there are some others which we are required to follow because of our training and functions in life. A footballer or badminton player invariably does some warm up before a match. This is also a routine and helps him or her to get the body loosened and ready for the match.
As we grow in age, some routines undergo a change based usually on changes in our circumstances, our mindset, or it could even be a part of course correction. Some new routines get added or some older routines get discarded. If for instance one joins an online yoga class, one has to make time available for this and to do this one has to either push back some other activity carried out around the same time or advance the same.
Routines are without a doubt important and can have a huge bearing on our lives. It is important, therefore, to choose them carefully and wisely.
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