Habitual

My routine is so regular and repetitive that it has become, as in the title of this article, habitual. When I refer to my routine, I am actually describing my day-to-day existence. Some of you may find that you are more like me, a creature of habit, than you realize.

The dictionary lists the following for the word habitual: done or doing constantly or as a habit: regular, or usual.

We humans all have similar patterns of behavior. Whether this is a good thing or not, humans form habits.

My daily morning ritual follows the following script. My alarm is set for 6 a.m., but over half the time, I am already awake by then. The first step along the road of my day begins at the Bunn coffee maker.

My coffee is not just the first action of the day, it is one of the single most important. If you were to encounter me any morning before I had the opportunity to enjoy that first cup of Folgers Gourmet Supreme, you would not like me, I assure you.

As the coffee brews, I head for the drugs. My morning medications remind me of my grandmother's chickens and the pellets she fed them, when I was a kid. I line these pills up in order so I can keep them straight, and my doctors assure me I need every single one of them.

My recliner, the morning paper, and the remote control, encompass the next hour of the day. I actually read the Nevada Daily Mail online these days. I can zoom the print on screen, and it is so much easier to read, without having to use my ever present reading glasses.

My remote control assures me that I will not have to view any commercials. I hate commercials, so I just move from channel to channel, surfing as if I had been born in Hawaii.

My morning choices include, local television stations, CNBC (I just love to see how much more of my money the Wall Street boys have lost for me), the Weather Channel, ESPN (I did not incur enough punishment the night before watching my Royals get beat, I need to see it replayed again), and for a short time, one of the 24-hour news channels. I don't watch nearly as much of the news channels as I once did. It seems to me that most of these stations have an agenda, and they fit the news coverage to match their beliefs.

Hygiene comes next on the daily schedule. Once again, there is order to my actions. Each step is measured and follows long practiced patterns.

Whether it is brushing teeth, shaving, or taking a shower, my actions would feel totally alien, if I did not follow the script.

When I shave, I follow the same steps every time. I always begin on the left side of my face. To be totally correct, I begin by cutting the area at the very bottom of the sideburn. Were I to begin elsewhere, I am sure my hands would be so unsettled, that a resulting cut would be likely.

The same it true with the shower. The orderliness of shampoo, bath soap, even the proper act of using my towel to dry, proceeds along set lines.

I know just how secure I feel in my set ways. My steady, tried and proven methods are put to the test on occasions, like the times when I am traveling. In a motel room, for example, where the bed, bath, and furniture are so different, I have to adjust and alter what I do at every turn.

The familiar areas where I find the toothpaste, shaving cream, brushes, and sprays, are not where I can locate them without thinking. Each motel room has its own layout, which is very different from my home. Items that are within familiar grasp on the vanity top, now have to be searched for in the overnight kit.

My weekly schedule is just as precise as the daily grind. I have certain days that I do laundry. There is one day that is set aside to do the weekly shopping as well.

Certain events appear in order. I play golf in my weekly men's league during the warm months each Wednesday. If an unplanned schedule change forces me to miss one of these regular scheduled happenings, my entire sense of timing can be thrown out of balance.

The list of things I do time after time, the same way each time, is lengthy. I could write a book about them. But, what are the reasons that I find it so compelling to follow such set ways? Is there a fundamental human need for this disciplined behavior?

Somewhere, a psychologist or scientist probably has some theory to answer these questions. I prefer my own thoughts on the subject.

My intuitive guess is pretty simple. I think we humans form habits for two main reasons, efficiency and comfort.

If a person had to complete every task of their life by thinking about each step, they would likely burn their brain completely. Take my shaving as an example. It was only as I reviewed my daily routine that I actually remembered each part of the process.

On most days, I shave without ever giving it a thought. My mind can actually focus on something else. The shaving is a practiced habit that needs waste little of my valuable thinking time.

Comfort is likely the most important reason for our regular tendencies and practices. Humans like a good repeat performance. Like a child who will only go to sleep with a certain blanket or toy, we humans love the familiar.

We should never feel bad about habits. Habits are both practical and ever so comforting to all of us.