When Good Habits Get In the Way of the Best Part of Hard Work
The case against blindly following good routines and habits
During one of the numerous pandemic-era walk-and-talks, I asked my friend how he likes to spend his free time. This may sound like a question you ask in a beginner’s Spanish class, but I was intrigued by his ability to constantly learn new skills. I knew he had transitioned to computer science from a business background without ever spending a minute in an engineering school. Perhaps he had an interesting strategy towards managing his time. My friend explained how he might fiddle with some kind of VR development program all Saturday long. He would begin testing a new feature like how an object can be lifted in a VR setting without needing to use any physical controls and, all of a sudden, he would realize it’s late at night and he hasn’t eaten anything all day.
I remember wondering when I had last been so immersed in an activity that I would have forgotten to check the time. I have always believed that good routines and planning were the secret to getting things done. But while they made me highly productive, perhaps they were limiting my ability to spontaneously immerse myself in the activities I decided to pursue. Was I missing out on something due to my carefully crafted daily agenda?
When the pandemic hit the world in 2020, it took me a while to get a grip of some kind of daily routine. Losing most of the structure I had come to take for granted, suddenly it felt like the biggest challenge to wake up at approximately the same time in the morning, get work done and exercise. But after the first few painful months confined inside the four walls of my home, I realized I needed to bring back some of my routines and good habits. And since I no longer needed to commute to work, almost an hour and a half was freed up for reintroducing old habits but also experimenting with new ones.
And that’s exactly what I did. I had already been meditating fairly regularly for a while, but I extended my practice to 15 minutes in the morning. During the fall, I took up stream of consciousness writing or what’s often called “the morning pages”. And in early 2021, inspired by the “Iceman” Wim Hof, I added yet another layer to my morning routine: I began taking cold showers after waking up. I tried going for a quick walk after lunch and working out right after closing my work computer. In the evenings, I started to shut off all screens by eight or nine p.m. to read physical books instead.
Many of the books I read underlined one key idea: consistently working on something is not only the key to making progress but also being creative.
In addition to experimenting with new habits, I sought out numerous books, podcasts and talks on learning, creativity and productivity. From the book Atomic Habits by James Clear I learnt that even the smallest effort could lead to significant progress in the long run given that it was done consistently. Clear’s book informed and inspired my approach to building new habits and structuring my day. To name an example, earlier this year, I began to write before work days and not only on the weekends. By waking up early and linking the writing to an existing habit, the morning pages, I often manage to sneak in 30–45 min of writing before work.
The book Originals by Adam Grant introduced me to the idea that procrastination can actually be valuable for creativity. Somewhat unintuitively, we may benefit from stepping away from the task at hand when it’s unfinished instead of completing it in one sitting. Unfinished tasks bother us so our unconscious mind keeps working on them. By the time return to the text, the piece of music or the painting, we have accumulated a plethora of new ideas.
On a more general level, many of the books I read underlined one key idea: consistently working on something is not only the key to making progress but also being creative. Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic as well as the author Steven Pressfield’s appearances on various podcasts have helped me understand the value of sticking to a routine instead of relying on inspiration or motivation. As my favorite podcast host Rich Roll likes to say: mood follows action.
I reasoned that if only I adopted the right habits and structured my day properly, I would feel more energetic and focused as well as have plenty of time for pursuing meaningful goals.
Armed with all these insights, I was convinced that the key to making progress, being creative and learning is spreading the work over several days and conducting it in fairly small increments. I reasoned that if only I adopted the right habits and structured my day properly, I would feel more energetic and focused as well as have plenty of time for pursuing meaningful goals.
I can’t say I was wrong. I managed to get rid of most of the debilitating fatigue and brain fog I was suffering from for months. Reading books in the evenings improved my sleep. Being strict about the use of social media made me more focused at work and allowed me to carve out time for writing these blog posts and editing YouTube videos. But the conversation with my friend had made me wonder whether I had become too focused on following a rigid agenda. Had I come to underestimate my ability to focus for extended periods of time? And more importantly, was I stripping away the joy of sticking to a challenging activity until the bridge of agitation was crossed? I had little interest in the newest VR technology, but I was intrigued to learn more about the difference in my friend and I’s approaches.
On another walk with my friend, I asked him what the process of developing new VR features feels like: “There’s a period when you feel like you’re stuck and it’s going nowhere. But you keep trying out different ways to solve it and see how it plays out. Eventually, you figure it out and it feels great. And then you do this over and over again trying out new things. The hours fly by for sure.” The image of my friend immersed in a VR development program made me think of the times when I had felt a similar type of flow.
I was the kind of child that loved activities that called for concentration and patience. When I was seven years old living in Germany, I got really into “Malen durch Zahlen” painting canvases. They have pre-marked and numbered areas that are supposed to be filled in with a specific color of paint. Considering the level of skill required, the paintings can turn out quite remarkable as long as you can focus on meticulously painting the marked areas. When I discovered these painting kits, I could sit in my room for hours on end filling in one tiny shape at a time to see how the picture of a cat or dog gradually came together.
More recently, when I was in the final weeks of writing my master’s thesis in early 2020, I regularly experienced the joy of immersing myself deeply into something. I had a basic routine I followed each day. But I had also accepted that for the time being, the thesis was my main focus and the remaining parts of my life would somehow need to come to terms with it. I deleted my Instagram account, I didn’t see my friends much at all and instead of sticking to a workout routine, I often just danced to some groovy music at the end of the day to get my mind off of things. Writing the thesis was definitely not easy, but on most days, I didn’t feel overly stressed. I knew I would make progress if I just focused on the task at hand. I felt excited when my analysis began to make sense after playing around with the research data for weeks. I also enjoyed the endless rounds of editing which gradually led to more polished text.
Reflecting on the conversations with my friend and my own past experiences, I realized that I had turned my habits into more of a goal in itself as opposed to a means to an end.
Reflecting on the conversations with my friend and my own past experiences, I realized that I had turned my habits into more of a goal in itself as opposed to a means to an end. They had helped me get my life back on track after the beginning of the pandemic, but now that I was feeling better, perhaps it was time to also break my routines every now and then. And while the numerous books and podcasts had taught me effective tools and mindsets, they had made me think of creativity and focus quite conceptually. I had lost touch with the kind of state that can be accessed through extended periods learning or working on a project. The kind of state that combines challenge and joy.
Especially for people like me who tend to enjoy planning and structure, it can be valuable to occasionally break the routine and try what it feels like to live differently. If I let the highly organized side of my personality dictate, I might miss out on many exciting things. The key is understanding what actually brings joy and meaning into our lives. On some day, it may mean going through your routines diligently and enjoying the mundane moments like brushing your teeth and brewing tea. On another day, it may mean calling up a friend and just talking late into the night. On yet another day, it may mean closing all contact to the outside world and writing a blog post about habits and routines.
Is there a possible dark side to pursuing these extended periods of deep focus? Yes, definitely. Back in 2001, after having spent several days hunched over the “Mahlen nach Zahlen” artworks, my neck began to hurt so badly that my parents took me to the doctor to make sure I was fine. After the doctor found out about my new hobby, she told me there was nothing wrong with me. I had just been sitting in a static posture for too long and should consider taking some breaks in between the painting. When I talked to my friends after my thesis writing process, I could see they’d been somewhat concerned since I basically disappeared for several weeks. In the long run, spending excessive amounts of time immersed in a single activity is not necessarily sustainable. But sometimes letting go and allowing yourself to not look at the watch is what it takes to enjoy the process.
The role of these immersive bouts in the larger context of life reminds me of traveling. When I travel, I can explore the different neighborhoods searching for that one special hole-in-the-wall restaurant, spend the entire day visiting museums or spontaneously join a barbecue of a friend’s friend. But as much as I love traveling, I often feel relieved once I’m back home. I know right away which bus to take home from the airport, I find my favorite rye bread at the grocery store and, when I open the door to my apartment, I recognize the familiar smell and the subtle creak of the wooden floor. I believe that occasionally allowing ourselves to go all in allows us to appreciate the comfort and value of daily routines.
While habits can be valuable in themselves, their true potential lies in how they crowd out less desired behaviors.
While habits can be valuable in themselves, their true potential lies in how they crowd out less desired behaviors. We live in a world in which it takes effort to remain undistracted for extended periods of time. We are constantly bombarded with information, ideas and impressions: the cat video my sister sent me on Instagram, the news about a new vaccine and the discount on ground beef. If we are not careful, we can easily be lost in the mere act of consuming content. If habits help you avoid these traps, for all means, go for it. I definitely will. Probably the most effective habits I have adopted are the ones that help me limit the use of social media or any platform that requires checking in regularly. Sometimes we need rules, habits and routines to clear off distractions and create a space for thinking, learning and curiosity.
However, as much as I love my routines — especially my morning routine from cold showers to stream of consciousness writing to meditation — I try to approach them as a frame for focused work and learning as opposed to a rigid structure to be blindly followed from day to day. When I notice I’m letting routines dictate my actions, I try to pause and become conscious of my motivations. On the weekends, I often skip meditation because I feel like going for a walk instead or getting straight to writing. I also try not to interrupt myself unnecessarily if I’m feeling particularly engaged in an activity. This way I ensure I don’t miss out on the best part of hard work: the joy that comes from sticking with something even when it feels challenging and making the tiniest breakthroughs along the way.
