Lots of (boring) routine in solopreneurship… how to make it interesting? 🤔
I’ve been creating content, usually several pieces per week, since 2014. I’ve also been a solopreneur running all aspects of my business since 2009. Naturally, I’ve had to deal with a lot of routine — tasks that must be done over and over…
A client asked me:
How do I handle the boredom of routine?
We know that consistency is key to progress. We have to keep showing up, day after day, to write the posts or make the videos, to serve the clients, to clear the inbox.
Yet, a part of us is restless. We want to do new things, not the same things again and again.
So, do we just force ourselves to get comfortable with the grind, or is there a better way to work with this natural desire for variety?
There are a few paths forward…
1. Change Your Environment
If you have to keep doing the same task routinely, you might try altering the sensory experience around it.
Instead of doing a task in silence, you could try changing the audio environment by playing different music.
Or you could change the aromatic environment with a different essential oil or scented candle.
You could even change the physical location. Don’t just use your office; try the kitchen table, sit in your yard if the weather allows, or visit a local café.
These external shifts can be enough to keep the task feeling fresh.
But there are also deeper ways to approach the boredom of routine…
2. Deeper Practice
You and I probably share the value of prioritizing personal and spiritual growth in our lives and work.
So, let’s try this — let’s reframe a routine task as a stage for your spiritual practice.
The more boring a routine is, the more room it leaves for you to focus on your inner state.
Consider this: when you’re doing something exciting and new, it demands your full attention. For example if you’re playing a fast-paced video game, all your focus is on the game. It’s difficult to practice mindfulness in that state because you are completely engrossed in staying alive and not losing the game.
But when a task is boring — when you know exactly what to do without thinking — a lot of mental space opens up.
For example, your hands might be doing the dishes, but your mind is free. You can use that freedom to focus on your breath or to practice your connection to your spirituality.
Or if you’re doing bookkeeping, as you look at the numbers, you could practice bringing a sense of love or gratitude to each item you’re tracking.
Every single thing we do can be reframed into a more beautiful action.
This means there are really only two kinds of tasks in your life:
- Tasks that are interesting and engaging on their own.
- Tasks that are an opportunity to deepen your spiritual practice.
How wonderful is that? The more mundane the activity, the more profound the potential for inner growth. How you do the task becomes more important than what the task is.
3. Creative Play
By the way, “spiritual practice” doesn’t have to be all seriousness. You could use the task at hand to practice creativity and playfulness!
Let’s use bookkeeping as an example. Your environment might be the same — same desk, same chair, same silence. But what if you played with the task? “Hmm, what’s this number for?” you ask in a funny voice. “Oh, that’s for the software subscription!” you answer in a playful voice.
This is a silly example, but hopefully, you get the idea. Every single task, no matter how routine, has the potential to be enlivened with playfulness. Any moment can be a chance to practice your creativity muscles.
It’s a workout for your mind and your playful self :)
4. More importantly… does it need to be done at all?
Of course, before you try to make a boring task more enjoyable, it’s worth asking if you should be doing it at all.
This brings me to a framework I call EASE: Eliminate, Automate, Share, En-joy.
We want to not only make any task more meaningful, but also continually create more spaciousness in our calendar for the work that is most aligned with our strengths and goals.
Ultimately, there’s not a single day, nor hour, that needs to be boring.
Every task is an opportunity for practicing something deeper, more playful, more meaningful.
Every moment is an invitation to be present, creative, and connected to what matters most!
