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By Leo Babauta
Very often, we can get caught up in a life of routine — we do the same things over and over again, until the days blend into each other.
Work is the same grind every day — we begin to lose our souls in a grind like this. Outside of work, we might be too tired or too caught in a rut to have fun.
So how do we break out of this life of dull drabness?
Just being willing to ask the question and explore this is a huge start!
Let me share some ways I’ve found to bring some light to a life where dullness and routine are the norm …
- Create a curiosity challenge for a week. In this challenge, you’d spend just 10-15 minutes a day getting curious about something. Maybe something you take for granted, like the trees near your house or sewer pipes. Maybe explore a new area of your neighborhood or talk to someone at work who you’ve never gotten to know. Let your curiosity be sparked. You can extend this challenge to a month if it feels fun.
- Let yourself find a passion or expressive outlet. There’s probably been something you’ve been wanting to learn or explore for ages — from learning an instrument to expressing yourself through art or writing, to learning to knit or sew or build chairs. Give yourself a few sessions like this every week, read up on it, watch YouTube videos, let yourself dive in with a passion. This spices up life, and gives you something to look forward to, and a new way to express yourself.
- Find fun and wonder in anything you do. Any activity, from washing dishes to tidying up your room to answering emails, can contain wonder or a sense of play. We just don’t usually approach things this way, so we don’t think of it. But try it! How can you create a sense of fun, play or wonder in any activity? Try to find it in at least one activity a day, but perhaps even more!
- Say yes to things that are intriguing. Sometimes you’ll get an invitation that’s unexpected — to a social event, a trip or conference, or a project that you wouldn’t normally do. Try saying yes to some of them! It’ll break you out of your routine, which will require you to step out of your comfort zone. This is where we learn, explore, and have adventures — outside of our comfort zones. Not easy, but so interesting!
- Make a game out of achieving micro-goals. I like the idea of making a game to play with yourself during the day, and in this game, you set some really small goals to achieve, and see how many you can achieve in a day or week. You’re not competing, you’re just challenging yourself. Some examples of micro-goals: instead of “workout regularly,” a micro goal might be “do 5 pushups.” Not a whole workout. Something small you can do in a few minutes. It’s motivating to make progress towards something you care about, but in tiny steps.
Of course, these aren’t the only ways to make life brighter and more interesting. You could do things that feel impossible — talk to a stranger, volunteer, be vulnerable. You could join a social group, or join a weekly board game night, or explore art galleries, or decide to train to run a 10K. You could devote the next month of your life to a grand adventure.
But try some of these! Let me know how they work out for you.
About Leo: I am is a regular guy, a father of six kids, a husband, a writer from Guam (moved to San Francisco in 2010, now living in Davis, California). But I have accomplished a lot over the last couple of years (and failed a lot) and along the way, I have learned a lot.
Leo's website: http://www.zenhabits.net and https://seachange.zenhabits.net
