Yesterday got me thinking why we like order so much. Why do we thrive better in neat homes? What's so good about daily routines and habits?
Those who struggle with organization and order can feel a kind of "hyperactivity of the mind" - be it: *Physical order - of homes, rooms, workspaces, lockers.
*Time and task order - putting first things first and last things last.
*Order of the day - in a balanced way so that there is productivity without burnout.
*Ordering finances.
*Ordering and regulating focus, attention, emotions... Why do we thrive with order? Well, our brains are essentially pattern-making machines that look for sameness, routines, habits. The brain functions more smoothly with ingrained strong pathways.
Habits are good, in that when we act on autopilot, we can concentrate on more demanding tasks.
You can think of the decision-making part of your brain as a muscle. It needs to be exersised, and you get better at making decisions when you practice. But you can also experience decision-muscle fatigue from too much decision making. So, if you have routines in place, it takes the decision making out of the picture. For example, if I commit to exersising every Monday morning; I don't need to decide every Monday over and over again if I'm going to push myself to do it.
Order allows for calm, peace of mind and the brainspace to focus on what's challenging, novel, creative and interesting.
That's why our brains have a love affair with order, structures and systems. Sameness and routine can serve us.
