{Challenge} Change Up Your Routine

Life can start to get a little rutty when you're doing the same thing day in and day out. Like you're fastened to some conveyor belt of wash, rinse, repeat until you feel you're about to burn out. That's usually when we go off on vacation, relax, and try something new for a few days only to come back to our regular lives and check right back into the monotony. Studies have shown that changing up your routine is a good way to keep your mind challenged with new stimuli, more engaged in the activities you're doing, and improves memory retention. There have been so many times when I'll be going through the motions only to be interrupted by something and then I'll either misplace an item I was holding or completely forget what I was doing because my mind was just not along for the ride.

So why don't we challenge ourselves to mix up our routine this week? It can be big or small, but you might find that breaking your routine will help your brain focus on the present moment rather than slipping into autopilot. You might even discover new sights, people, tastes, or sounds you like and new inspiration that spark your creativity. Regularly give your brain different input and who knows what ideas might pop out. Below are 15 ideas you can try out this week:

1. Brush your teeth while holding your toothbrush with the other hand.
2. Give yourself enough time to take and explore a different route to work.
3. Change up the order in which you do your tasks.
4. Try a new hairstyle or an outfit you wouldn't ordinarily choose.
5. Say yes more often if you always say no. Learn to say no if you always say yes.
6. If you're self-employed, change up your work hours or days.
7. Smile and say hello to a stranger.
8. Try a new recipe for dinner or order something new from a familiar menu.
9. Wake up earlier and go to sleep earlier or pull in a late night and sleep in the following morning.
10. Call a friend you have a text message relationship with or send some snail mail.
11. Unplug for an entire evening and nestle in with a book or a hot bath instead.
12. Do something that forces you out of your comfort zone.
13. Go to the gym before work instead of after or vice versa.
14. Block social media from your phone and computer during working hours.
15. Take a day off and do anything you want...or absolutely nothing.

Image: infelice.tumblr.com