Reading - Daily Routines (A1\/A2)

Routines help us deal with the many decisions we make every day. But sometimes, routines can feel like a prison for some people.

For example, former US president Barack Obama had many suits that looked the same. As a leader, he had many big decisions to make, so he didn’t want to waste time deciding small things like what to wear.

Artists can be different. Francis Bacon, an artist, had a messy life and liked to stay out late. But even Bacon had a routine. He started work early, drank strong tea, and then went out in the afternoon for a glass of champagne.

Everyone has different thoughts about routines. For most of us, routines help make life easier. But too much routine can feel like a prison. Why is that, and how can we find a good balance?

Making decisions can be hard because many of us are not good at it. Often, we don’t know what we really want, so even small decisions can confuse us.

In experiments, people are asked to make simple decisions. For example, they might choose between £4 or a 50% chance of winning £10 or nothing. These decisions are harder than they seem, and people often make different choices when asked the same question twice.

Studies show that we are often inconsistent in our choices. This is why routines help. Instead of deciding everything from scratch, we can follow a simple plan: choose the same thing we chose before and try to keep our choices the same.

This is the beauty of routine! We wake up at the same time, eat the same breakfast, go to the same workplace, and do similar tasks. This helps us avoid making too many decisions.

But routines can also be bad. Too much routine can make us feel stuck. Some people, like those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, may repeat actions like checking doors or washing hands over and over. But for most people, too much routine can become boring.

Many of us are fine eating the same breakfast every day because it saves us time and energy. But we might not want to eat the same dinner every night.

Finding the right balance between routine and change depends on our personality and social life. Some people may explore less because they stick to habits, while others may avoid routines but struggle with the chaos.

We might also think we want more variety than we really do. In one study, people planned to eat different flavors of yogurt every day, but when choosing day by day, they often picked the same one.

People who feel stuck in their lives may look for more variety, like choosing different foods. This can be because they feel they don’t have control over other parts of their life.

In the end, life is a mix of routine and new experiences. Routines are necessary, but it’s important to decide which parts of our life should follow a routine and which should be more flexible.

Like Obama, we can focus on what really matters and let routines take care of the small things. This way, routine can help us live a more interesting life.