A routine gives our busy lives a rhythm.  It helps us stay focused and productive and it would be pretty hard to operate without one.

But too much routine isn’t a good thing either.  It’s hard to think creatively if your days are getting monotonous.  If there’s no room for improvisation it’s easy to get stuck in a rut.

That’s why it’s good to throw out the schedule every now and again.  It gives you the chance to start fresh and that’s a powerful thing. When you’re open to change you’ll have more ideas and you’ll find new ways of doing things.

So give yourself the space and freedom to improvise. When Miles Davis recorded A Kind of Blue he let go of all structure. Everything on the album happened in the first take.  Dr Frank Barrett, an expert in organisational behaviour, explains that what Davis and his fellow musicians were doing was experimenting, exploring and allowing change to happen.   ‘They were noticing, creating and discovering all simultaneously.  They couldn’t rely on old routines and habits.’  They took risks and it lead to some of their best work. Change happens when you try going where you haven’t gone before.

The human brain takes shortcuts by doing what’s familiar.  Studies show that almost half of our daily behaviours happen at the same place and time.  We can get a lot done on autopilot but if the autopilot is doing most of the work then things can get pretty boring.  When you seek out the unfamiliar you come across new experiences and this kick-starts the imagination.  Your brain can’t rely on its old shortcuts. When you break your routine with intention and self- awareness you can stimulate new thinking and encourage flexibility of thought.

Every good routine needs to allow for evolution because the unexpected will happen.

Are you open to it?