Humans are creatures of habit. We like routine. So much so, that we even keep doing things that we know aren’t serving us. You know, like staying up late and hitting the snooze button.
My job is a nine month position, so I get a full three months away from the office during the summer. I chose this schedule so I could have some devoted time during the year to pursue things I enjoy…like creating this podcast and completing projects around my home. I love having the time to myself…everyone else in my house works year round…and the openness of my schedule often frees me up to get creative when the ideas hit. The free flowing nature of my summer also has its downside…a lack of routine. Sometimes it takes me nearly all summer to feel like I’m in the swing of a good routine only to have to change things up again when I’m back in the office. That, and the nature of my job is such that every day is different. I never know who I’ll be working with or what tasks I’ll need to do. Add to that the changing course schedules and each new semester brings a new routine.
So, what’s the point of that story? Well, it’s really just to illustrate that some of us have daily routines that stay pretty consistent and some of us are having to reinvent the day on a pretty regular basis.
No matter which group you fall into, if you are someone who intentionally creates and follows a routine to help you day go smoothly, you are a math person.
At this point, you may be wondering if I’ve lost my mind. What in the world does a daily routine have to do with math?
Let me explain.
A routine is a pattern of behaviors.
Those behaviors get repeated over and over. If you’ve been around here long enough, you already know where I’m going with this one because this idea of a pattern keeps popping up in nearly every topic we discuss. When you boil it down, math is really the study of patterns. So, creating patterns is a mathematical skill. A routine is a behavior pattern, so when you create and follow a routine, you are using your math brain.
That makes you a math person.
Sometimes, we realize we need new behaviors. Like we need to get up earlier during the school year than during the summer. Or we want to start walking after dinner or heading to the gym after work. Or we need to add flossing to our tooth care routine. Finding ways to include these new behaviors into our existing routines often involves a little problem solving and logical thinking. You probably wouldn’t floss your teeth when you cook dinner. It would make more sense to add that to the tooth brushing portion of your day, right? Or, you know you want to start being intentional about working out, so you have to figure out how to shift some things around to make time for that.
That’s problem solving and it’s logical thinking. And both of those are math skills. So, in my book, that’s even more evidence that creating routines makes you a math person.
Same same when you discover a routine isn’t working well and you switch things up to see if a different order or a different time of day makes things feel easier. Like making lunches right after dinner instead of in the morning. Or prepping tomorrow’s dinner tonight to save time when it’s time to cook. Can you tell most of my routine issues revolve around food? I struggle so much with meal prep I could use any tips you have about creating a sustainable routine. It’s one of those areas where I tend to have more of a fixed mindset and I really want to change that, but I also am not super willing to put the time into learning how to do it well. I probably have some stories playing in my head that aren’t entirely true…
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. We have routines for all sorts of things during our day. Some of them we just do by habit, like how I get into the car, put my bag in the passenger seat, and buckle up before starting the car. Other routines we do more intentionally, like how we take the trash and recycling to the curb every Thursday evening because Friday morning is pickup day in our neighborhood. When we have small children, we often create morning routines, mealtime routines, naptime routines, bath and bedtime routines. You create and manage those while you are also creating and managing routines for yourself and even for your pets. We have these routines for budgeting & bill paying, for self care, for grocery shopping, for hobbies, and how we spend our free time.
Recognizing them for what they are, patterns created for a purpose using logical thinking and problem solving skills, goes a long way to helping you realize you are a math person. Remember, to be a math person requires only two things…1 – that you are a person, and 2 – that you interact with some kind of mathematical idea. It’s pretty obvious you are a person and, if you are creating and using routines…patterns of behavior…in your daily life, you are interacting with a mathematical idea.
The only logical conclusion is you are a math person.
And if you happen to make checklists and charts to keep track of routines for yourself or for your children, that is even more evidence that you are a math person. Planning, organizing, sequencing, tracking…It’s all mathematical thinking when you look behind the curtain.
So, the next time you find yourself creating, modifying, or following a routine, take a moment to bask in the awareness that you are using your mathematical brain and celebrate that this is what makes you a math person.
I know some of you might find it hard to believe when I say I would love nothing more than to continue this conversation! It is one hundred percent true, though. I love hearing your thoughts and ideas and questions, so send them to me by commenting below, messaging me on Instagram, or emailing me (je******@************pi.com). I promise it’s just me on the other side…just waiting to hear from you…and it will always be just me responding.
One more time, just to drive the point home…If you are someone who creates and follows or tracks a routine for yourself or for someone else, you meet all the requirements for being a math person.
If you’d like to hear this instead of read it, check out the podcast!
