Using Patterns and Routines

by | Jun 6, 2022 | Change |

Patterns and Routines

Every night before bed, my laptop is put on the table beside a mug of water with a mint tea bag in it. Water is added to coffee machine as well as coffee. And every morning for past 3.5 years, I’ve woken up around 530 and written a blog post. Over the past 3 months, I’ve taken the dog for a 30-40 min walk before writing. Then, depending on the time and the day of the week, I either head out for a spot of weeding or I make the kids’ lunches for school.

It’s a routine. And it’s easy for me to follow. However, trying to get into a routine of running everyday doesn’t seem to work for me. Or even spending one evening a week in the garden. Certain types of activities for me are easier to include in my rhythm, others are not. The time of day also matters. Early in the morning, no one else is around so interruptions are minimal, while later in the day family and other people need to be considered. And yet, when there is a group activity like swimming lessons or scouts, the routine is again easy to keep.

We all have patterns in our lives. Routines or activities that are easy to keep or to adopt. While other or new activities are harder to adopt. Organisations are the same. Understanding ourselves enough to know this is helpful for change. Understanding our organisation enough to know this is essential for change.

So what is it you are trying change? In whom? And what are the patterns they find easy to follow? How can you use the patterns to provoke the change you seek?

Photo by Benjamin DeYoung

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