All of us have been conditioned to worship at the altar of efficiency. I’ve watched countless people try to optimize their schedules down to the minute, transforming their professional lives into a series of predictable patterns. But this relentless pursuit of routine deadens our capacity for wonder, to think outside of the box. It’s a fact that routine is the enemy of awe and discovery, and this enemy has infiltrated our work lives, our strategies, and ultimately, our innovation potential.
The legal profession is particularly susceptible to routine’s dulling effects. Take attorneys who draft contracts using templates, organize cases with standardized protocols, and approach problems through established frameworks. This systematic approach does deliver consistency, but at what cost? When forced to step outside these patterns it’s much easier to consider and come up with potential strategies for novel legal questions or complex legal situations. In such situations you need to be in a place to discover perspectives that remain invisible when you stay within your comfortable patterns. When you break free of routine and give yourself time to really think, understanding suddenly expands. This is how significant breakthroughs happen.
Consider how routine manifests in your own life. Your morning coffee from the same vendor, the predictable rhythm of weekly meetings, the familiar faces across the conference table. These patterns provide comfort and efficiency, but they also construct invisible barriers around your thinking. The predictable never produces awe. The expected never inspires transformation. The comfortable never drives innovation. The next time you find yourself moving through your day on autopilot, recognize this as a warning sign that you’ve surrendered to routine.
What separates truly exceptional business leaders from the merely competent is their willingness to disrupt their own patterns. Deliberately shake up your routines by changing your physical environment or seeking unfamiliar perspectives. Leaders create conditions where awe becomes possible. They understand that breakthrough thinking rarely emerges from methodical processes but instead from moments when our minds encounter the unexpected. When that happens we’re forced to reconsider fundamental assumptions. This gives your mind the space to come up with amazing thoughts and ideas.
The practical implications for you are substantial. Take the time to think through the calcified routines you’re in that are masquerading as “best practices.” Create deliberate space to get out of the routine or norm for a chance to have encounters with the unfamiliar. Business should reward team members who challenge established patterns with positive results. As an attorney, I typically advise clients on how to reduce unnecessary risks, but in this one critical area, I encourage precisely the opposite approach: risk the discomfort of abandoning routine to rediscover the competitive advantage of the awe and wonder of your mind and the world around you. The course of your future depends on it.