Routines make you feel at home

Novelty has always attracted me far more than what was already obvious to me. It always promised better future plans, while I looked at my side, staring at that static and boring present with a face of indifference, making it clear that I was ignoring it.

I always thought routine was suffocating—until I discovered it could heal.

Because everything depends on the kind of routine you find yourself in. A routine that is good for the soul can never be suffocating, and it was clear that, at the time I had those thoughts, I wasn’t in a pleasant routine.

I’m writing these lines from NODE Coffee in Taipei. It’s one of the few cafés that opens early in the morning, so it has become my place of pilgrimage whenever home feels too small or when I simply want to be outside.

Here I am, counting the stamps I have left for my free coffee, practicing my embarrassingly low level of Chinese, trying to greet the café staff with a Zao an (good morning).

I’m learning to recognize the notes of the La Marzocco coffee machine as it hums endlessly, over and over again. Meanwhile, I wait for the different actors of my day to appear, as if I were the protagonist of The Truman Show: the lady who always comes with her cart to buy coffee, greeting everyone; the man who always sits in the last outdoor chair, cigarette in hand; and finally, the suited man who looks like he stepped out of a Yakuza movie, always carrying his Starbucks cup.

When you enjoy a routine, everything becomes easier, clearer, and more beautiful. You notice the details better, like when you rewatch a movie. You begin to understand the gears that keep these people’s lives running. You appreciate novelty even more because it shines brighter when not everything is new.

That’s why I know the key in life isn’t to escape routine but to create one we love—one that makes us walk around with a smile. And when that’s not possible, one that helps us regain a bit of sanity before losing it completely.

People who have met me in recent years always tell me I’m a routine-driven and highly organized person. The truth is, I never saw myself that way—until I realized that routine was good, that I didn’t have to run from it, and that I had to pack it with me on every adventure.

Everything I once hated—doing the same thing every day, seeing the same people, walking through places I know with my eyes closed—is now among the things I value most.

We never know when we’ll do something for the last time. That’s why repeating it daily is a way of being grateful for being alive—a way to feel a little more at home, even when we’re traveling around the world.