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Sara Dias's avatar

You are not alone! If a routine is comfortable, it's worth keeping -- although it's fine to question it, of course. Also, factory work isn't as monotonous as you might think, but it can be enjoyable: filled with routines that you switch between all day.

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Norm's avatar

I guess what I did at the library was kind of like factory work. I did something different every hour, but I did the same things day after day after day. Thanks for your comment, Sara.

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Kate Cassidy's avatar

I don't know if I should share this with the world, but I find your habits quite normal. Let's face it. We are in a comfort zone in our home....at least we try to be. It gets more familiar every day, as so our routines. I am also OCD. It's gotten much better since I made a deal with myself I would no longer accept doing OCD things, like how I put the dishes away and stack different color bowls separately so they don't match in the cabinet. It makes it more creative looking when I open the cabinet. That's all I got on that. It's my way of trying to balance the world in a better way. I know you get this theory. I even get the blanket thing. I want to be sure my blanket on top has the label on the bottom of the bed. that way if I just get in under the blanket, I'm not going to be smelling my feet in case I put it in upside down. Not that my feet smell....but it's just a thing. I hope this makes you feel better. It's good to break from habits, but I can't tell l you how. It's easier to remember things if I just keep doing them the same. And, it's very boring. That's part of it....I don't have to think about regular things, I just do them and sometimes forget if I did them or not. I need to break habits though or I get stuck in my own mental muck. I have a substack and I like to paint. I gave up painting last year to do substack, now I have great guilt about not doing painting, too. I'm afraid if I try to do both, I will let one of them down and only be half as good as I think I am. It's a very difficult world we live in, isn't it? Any music is good. It's basically my life to listen to music to remain relatively sane these days. Be yourself. Stay safe.

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Norm's avatar

Thanks for your comments, Kate. Always a pleasure. Most of the time I’m fine with my little habits and quirks. I mean, really, who cares? I’m going to do what works for me. There will be moments of self-examination that may cause me to question this or that, but I’ll get through it, and keep on going. Gotta let my freak flag fly.

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Kate Cassidy's avatar

I know you're okay. I say things like that because I'm trying to tell myself I'm okay, too. Sometimes, tongue in cheek okay.

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