Routines are comfortable. They are familiar, predictable, reassuring, and they allow you to act automatically and with little thought. The more you can act on habit, the more energy, both physical and mental, you can reserve for other tasks. Most people develop a number of daily routines for each area of their life and could easily bring them to mind with a bit of thinking.
However, life continually puts you in new situations. Maybe your best friend gets a new job in another state and moves away, preventing you from seeing each other regularly as you’ve done for years. A place you go to dance and have fun can be suddenly shut down. Interactions within the same groups of friends can vary greatly over the course of a year. Some of these changes can be upsetting, but other changes are welcome. There’s a great sense of relief when a loved one wins their battle against a dangerous disease. You could get a new job that you prefer and which pays you more than your previous job. Or, on a simpler level, maybe you discover a better way to structure your daily activities.
Some people prefer routines and are hesitant to accept change. They enjoy the comfort and familiarity of knowing what to expect in life, which helps them prepare for the future. Other people are more open to change and less comfortable with routines. The unknown and the possibilities therein excite them and interest them more than sticking with what they know. While each side has its merits, focusing too much on either can easily lead to being stuck with the worst of that one and missing out on the good of the other.
There is a balance between routine and change that allows you to get the best of both while simultaneously minimizing their negatives. I’ve developed routines that have improved my communication skills. I work on them in my usual circles but I’ve also found them useful on trips. My communication routines help me relax and feel more comfortable around other people, especially when I first meet someone in a new place, and make me feel that the exchange is going to go well. This makes it easier for me to have the courage to travel more and try new things. Since change is inevitable in life, it’s important to accept it and make the most of it, and bringing in a bit of routine helps out a lot with that.