My relationship with routine
Assalamualaikum!
Some people fall in love with adventure. I fell in love with routine. Not the boring, robotic kind, but the quiet, comforting rhythm that gives life a soft shape. For me, routine isn’t a prison — it’s a promise. A promise that no matter how chaotic the world gets, there is still something I can return to, something that grounds me.
I was at peace through repetition since everyone was pushing the spontaneity and surprise in the world. The chai broken at the same time in the morning, my quiet walk, the same group of songs, they are not boring. They cure me. Such small practices often remind me that you do not always have to be loud in order to feel alive.
However, just as it goes with all relationships, my relationship with routine is not always perfect. And sometimes routine is so snug, as though it were a coat that has grown too small. I want to be surprised on given days. I would like to shake things, I would like to get out of the circle. And when I do, I somehow feel alive in another way but somewhat lost. Since liberation is exciting, but it is dizzying to lack a point of reference to which you can come back.
Routine is not about restriction, as I have learnt over the years it is all about rhythm. It is all about making a flow where your energy is preserved, your discipline is developed, and your mind is tamed carefully. It does not necessarily have to be the same thing all the time. It is able to develop. An efficient routine adapts to you just like an old friend, which develops with the years.
My routine isn't perfect. It sometimes slips, stumbles, or stretches. But it always finds its way back. And when it does, I feel whole again.
So if you’ve ever struggled between chaos and calm, between freedom and structure — know that it’s okay. Your routine should serve you, not suffocate you.
And in that balance, you’ll find a version of yourself that feels most at peace.
Wasalam.