I know that the reason I fit my meditation, writing, and fitness regimen into my day is because I wake up early and because I have a routine that I maintain. In fact the idea of routine maintenance is normally a bit of an oxymoron for me because when I’m running my routine there is no maintenance required. My alarm goes off and my routine begins. No maintenance needed. No motivation needed… It all just gets done.

Then comes a holiday and suddenly the routines are out the window. Now I need to think about when I’m going do the things that I normally do without thought or effort. And since thinking, effort, and motivation are all required, it all gets a lot harder to do.

There is the running joke that if you need to get something done, give it to a busy person. Well, that sums up my routine tasks. Give me a small window and say, ‘All this needs to be done in this short time,’ and I get it done. Give me a whole morning to do the same, and it will take me all morning. Parkinson’s Law in effect: “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”

So now as I start thinking about enjoying my summer I’m also thinking about routine maintenance… something I normally don’t usually have to think about at all.