Why routine is important

I recently lost my keycard for work. I have absolutely no earthly idea where it is. My best guesses? Somewhere in the library or the city dump. Luckily, I can get a new one for $5 and no one really cares. But still, it's embarrassing.

Why did I lose my key? Because I didn't follow my routine. I didn't put it back in the exact same place that I always put it and now it's gone forever.

I've always had fairly strict routines in my life, doing certain things in a certain order and following a pattern. We all do it, but I think sometimes that I take it a little far. I can remember being 5 or 6 years old and having a routine that I set for myself for getting ready for bed. Even at work, I follow a very careful routine with each job I start. I always thought I was kind of weird, but now I realize that it's actually a fairly essential survival skill that I've developed.

The fact of the matter is that I'm an extremely disorganized person, no matter how much I'd like to pretend I'm not. So the only semblance of organization I can get into my life is a routine by which I can keep track of what I'm doing and where I'm putting things. Without that, all is lost. I find a remote control in the bathroom or the keys under the cat (both of which have actually happened).

And now that I'm killing myself in school, my routines are even more important. For example, earlier this summer when I was getting ready in the morning, something threw me off my routine and I got all discombobulated. By the time I got to school (for my 7-hour class), I realized I had forgotten to brush my teeth! Who does that? I mean, seriously, what grown, responsible adult forgets to brush their teeth.

Me, apparently.

So to keep from losing anything else or completely disregarding my personal hygiene, I'm embracing my love of routine. It's a crutch I can lean on.