I don't really have routines. What I seem to have, instead, are checklists. I rarely do the various things that need to be done in any fixed order, rather, I just work through the list, almost with a deliberate view to randomness. "I can't do dishes before my shower, because I did that yesterday. So today, I'll do them after my shower."
I have been doing this since I was quite young. I remember when I was maybe 6 years old, just becoming competent at tying my own shoes, and it was very important to me that I never tie them in the same order. Each time, I would think, "Well, which shoe did I tie first yesterday? If it was right, I should do the left first, today. But… if I have been alternating for a while, then I should do the same one, because alternating is a pattern, too."
It seems to be like a kind of inversion of the standard manifestation of OCD. I was aware of it more than usual, today, for some reason.
Taking this into account might explain the character of this blog, too.
What I'm listening to right now.
Arctic Monkeys, "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair."
Lyrics.
Break a mirror
Roll the dice
Run with scissors
Through a chip pan fire fight
Go into business with a grizzly bear
But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair
Find a well known hardman
And start a fight
Wear your shell suit
On bonfire night
Fill in a circular hole with a peg that's square
But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair
Ooh… Yeah yeah yeah [x2]
Bite the lightning
And tell me how it tastes
Kung Fu fighting
On your roller skates
Do the macarena in the devils lair
But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair
Ooh… Yeah yeah yeah [x3]
[daily log: walking, 1km]
Ah yes, I understand you much better after reading this! I’m going to try to get Henry to start doing this. He’s very attached to his routines, but perhaps he will find the intellectual stimulation of altering them more enjoyable than the emotional reward of keeping them the same. We shall see…