Chained To The Rhythm

How do routines affect us?

By Matthew Charles

The concept of setting up a routine is nothing new. The goal is to have control over what happens in your life, understand what to expect, and make sure there is no unknown.

But why is this important? How does it affect people’s day-to-day lives? Do we think routines are positive or negative?

Students across Temple’s campus have a lot to say about their routines.

“I get up, get ready, do work throughout my day such as a job or school work, then have some leisure time where I game or watch a show, and then get ready to end my day, and then it’s bedtime,” said sophomore Jose Mendez. “As school always started early, it took up a majority of my day, and the end of the day is where I had most of my free time.”

When asked if this was a positive experience for him, Mendez had this to say: “To be honest, it’s only slightly negative. I’m not really a morning person so getting up early really tires me out, and then since I have most of my free time at night, I might accidentally stay up really late, which affects my sleep. But it’s cool; I don’t care too much.”

Another student, junior Amelia Schneider, had a similar story behind her routine.

“[My routine] got started because I used to get burnt out having classes for several hours a day straight. This way, I get enough work done to have free time and still make all my commitments, which allows me to practice what I need to.” When asked if she felt this was a positive for her, she laughed for a long time before simply replying, “No, I’m still stressed.”

The recurring theme with all of these stories is that their routines are mostly planned to accommodate their busy life as college students. However, there’s no true allegiance to this, as demonstrated by junior Elijah Bigham.

“I did my routine just out of convenience, as it’s the natural way to cover all my needs. There wasn’t much deliberateness to it.” Bigham also notes that he’s not a slave to his routine either. “I would like to add some more activities so that my routine is better for my mental health. For example, I’m thinking about going to the gym or taking guitar lessons.”

Mental health is a really important factor that can’t be denied. While these routines accommodate school life, they also give people a chance to decompress after stressful events. Routines are an important part of people’s lives, but they aren’t afraid to break them if it benefits them. Despite this, in general, having a to-do list and being able to check that off and know something is being accomplished feels fulfilling, and that’s why people have them.