Another blog housekeeping item on my list is to look back on my theme word for 2013: routine. I noted at the time that this word is not very exciting. When I first thought of the word routine, I generally thought about staying in place or even stagnating. I came to learn that there is far more to routine than that.

I really tried to keep the idea “routine” top of mind and gained some incredible insights over the course of a year. In one area, diet and exercise, I excelled at implementing new routines and made a huge positive difference in my life. In other areas, I could have done better.

Even if I didn’t always succeed in implementing an actual routine in a particular area, by focusing in on what routine meant to me, I gained philosophical insights that helped me. The inspiration came from a variety of places: from my initial reflections, from my diet and exercise regimen, from travel and from reading good books.

Below are the 6 biggest insights I had about routine.

Did you choose a theme word for 2013? If yes, what were your biggest insights? Please share in the comments.