In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
—Albert Einstein
Some of you might be thinking, “yeah, this had better be a really great opportunity….”
Every morning now, my day starts with a walk through my mother’s Omaha neighborhood (which is a huge and weird neighborhood. Not quiet suburb, not quite city, very 1960s). It’s a simple daily routine, walking with some friendly faces, changing routes, a few conversations with neighbors and their dogs. But this walk has become more than just exercise. It’s part of my routine, my base, my bit of certainty when everything else is full of change.
I can think, process, plan, invent. And today, make this video (which might become a regular thing).
Why Routines Matter
A daily walk is standard work: something you do in a regular, repeatable (but not monotonous) way. Standard work is not rote, but it helps you write. It isn’t standardization, but it is a standard. You might choose a new path today, but you know you’re walking. You know the feeling of putting one foot in front of the other. That’s the reassurance and the power.
When life is turbulent our routines give us a steady platform. It might seem unimportant, even silly. Anything that brings predictability is the foundation you need to respond elegantly.
Elegance
Humans need a balance: stability and change working together. Too much unpredictability, and our brains go on high alert. We lose focus. We get stuck in fight-or-flight mode. If we let instability win, we can’t be fully present or effective. This is a battle. I’m sorry, but it is.
We will lose focus. We will become frustrated. But we must find that elegance of response…for ourselves, our work, or our loved ones, and perhaps generations to come. Right now isn’t a stressful time because of something small or immaterial.
“Don’t sweat the small stuff” … right now is not small stuff.
We need to respond swiftly, decisively, elegantly. So we start at a starting point.
We create our simple routine (walking, making breakfast, journaling, video games, music, anything that grounds you). We create the foundation. Then we build and build hard. Turn building into that routine.
This is the only way I know to focus and deal with the chaos, the surprises, and the unexpected.
Try It Yourself
Pick one daily ritual, however small.
Do it intentionally every day this week.
Notice how having that bit of certainty affects your energy and mood.
Add more, intentionally building a structure of reflection (learning) and action (doing).
This Video
The Rick Mercer walking around videos have been so overdone in the last 3 or 4 years that I was hesitant to do one. But on the walk, it felt right. And the weirdness of it likely will keep them short, plus maybe I can highlight things while walking. So expect more of them from time to time. Maybe I’ll make it part of my routine.
Want more? Come see us at Modus Institute and sign up for the VSM class…or drop me a line on LinkedIn and we’ll talk about doing a value stream mapping exercise for AI enhanced teams together.
Share this post