Today is my first day not having to go in to work. It's Friday, and I got up like I did yesterday, got dressed, but yet did not do my normal day. Nor did I do a day similar to any day I've done in... well, ever. It doesn't feel like the weekend, but I'm not going to work. The sensation is odd.
Next, where do I get my coffee? Sure, this might be a trivial thing for some, but I had my weekday coffee place (Cups cart at Calit2, Peruvian Organic was the best), and then I have my weekend coffee (at Coffee Bean), but where do I get coffee on a day like today? I was already planning to go to UCSD to go to the gym, maybe I could go to my favorite coffee cart one more time. No, time to move on.
It took me about an hour to figure out that all of this relates back to what I'm going to set out to do -- create software that changes people's habits. Having myself done the same routine for the last 2 years, it's tough. I had to conciously force myself to abide by a new model for the day, one which included an 11am workout. Being there was odd, partly because I've been struggling to keep a gym routine, but partly because I don't think I've ever been to the gym at that time of day.
All of this is unsettling a bit. I am home, but uncomfortable with what I should be doing right now. What's more unsettling, is that I'm only 28, and having been a fulltime employee has been my norm for just the last 6 years. Nevertheless, it has me really accustomed to habits and routines that I now may have to learn to undo. But what about other people, who have 20 year habits? If I'm thinking through tools to help others change small, but routine health habits, how do you fight such a strong sense of comfort / familiarity / routine? My guess is to replace the missing ones.
Tomorrow is the weekend. I'm going to use that opportunity to plan out for Monday's habit-breaking crisis. I have two days to find a good bag of coffee, the creamer that I like, and start a new habit to make coffee at home. Why? Because it's cheaper, it's something I can get behind, and a new habit I can embrace.
Lesson learned. New habits, hard, breaking old habits, much harder.