“Baggy Routines”

“Get a routine baggy enough to live in.” -Matt Haig

I’ve become obsessed with this quote…

It’s from “The Comfort Book” by Matt Haig,  and this particular sentence was embedded in a list of items of a short piece called ‘Plan.’

There is basically no other context. He just dropped this little gem and walked away so we could feel whatever it meant to us.

These 8 words conjured such imagery and comfort for me, and I want to talk about it.

If we think of our routines like clothing…

I believe our culture’s association with ‘routines’ is the equivalent of tight-fitting workout clothes or crisp, starched businesswear: tight, tailored, pressed, flattering…perfect.
A way to impress.
We wear our routines as a badge of honor to signal, prove, and display power and/or perfection, and assess our level of ‘worthiness’ of success. Look how strong I am. Look how disciplined I am. Look how successful I am. Look how “put-together” I am.

Maybe it’s just me but if I find if I spend a day in those clothes. I cannot wait to get out of them and into something comfier the second I get home. 

(Please note..I’m not suggesting you wear your bathrobe to work. Keep reading). 

A routine should NOT exist to impress or prove.
A routine IS there to serve us…

…to help us do the things that matter most to us, and keep us moving through life's challenges with a sense of self, purpose, and groundedness.  

Maybe a “routine baggy enough to live in”  is the t-shirt, sweatshirt, sweater, or sweatpants you’ve had for a decade (or more).

Dependable, predictable,  and supportive… yes,

but it also needs to be durable, breathable, comfy, grounding, multi-purpose, and FLEXIBLE. Just as we should be in our ever-changing lives. We need enough room for variation.

You can dress to impress whenever it feels right. You can refresh your wardrobe whenever you want. But you always have these staples ready to climb into when you get home. 

And maybe that’s what a good baggy routine is at the end of the day: A staple that helps us come home to ourselves.

What might you add, delete, or replace from your routine to help you feel more grounded, comfy, and at home with yourself each day?