For a decade, I lived in a townhouse in the south side of Lexington, Kentucky. My morning routine require me to wake up and get to the training studio to see clients in early hours of the day.

As I rushed to get ready and be on time, I would find myself driving down Hartland Parkway, taking a right turn onto Tates Creek Road and follow that all the way into Chevy Chase. I would then navigate my way to the studio, heading down Ashland Avenue.

One of the things that was a constant irritation was sitting at the Tates Creek and Man ‘O War stoplight. It seemed to last forever and I would always get stopped by it. However, despite the irritation, I took that route day after day.

As I look back on that behavior, I am amused and confused at the same time. If I had just evaluated those habits and asked myself, “are there any other options”. I could have easily found that there is a route that would have allowed me to approach the Man ‘O War and Tates Creek intersection from a different route that would enable me to turn right. Due to the early time of day, I would not had to wait long at that intersection, even at a red light.

The question that I have asked myself since I realized this behavior, is “Why did I not make this observation?”

My answer is that it’s a common part of human behavior, for myself and many others. We develop routines to help limit the amount of decisions we make each day. These routines limit the cognitive load we encounter, allowing our decision making to be dedicated to more critical analysis.

When you look at the routines and patterns that exist in your life, how many of them are automatic?

• Your morning routine in the bathroom.
• Your first 5 minutes after you get home from work.
• The way you tie your shoes.
• The way you park the car in the driveway.

How many of these regular activities, do you have to spend mental energy on?

There is value in having these patterns. As noted, it allows us to focus our attention on more critical decision making. However, these patterns can also create problems for us when we are trying to live happier and healthier lives.

For example, my happiness was less than it could have been, simply because my route to work was on autopilot. What about the Starbucks coffee, which I added to that routine at some point? What happens if that coffee is loaded with sugar and fat? How often do we turn on the television at night and can not find anything enjoyable to watch, yet we continue to search out of habit?

When you understand that these routines can be positive or negative, it becomes important to review and analyze the patterns overtime. Have you developed helpful patterns or harmful behaviors? Once you understand what your routines are, it is important to ask yourself how you can change them?

This entire behavior change program is about establishing routines, by starting and growing positive behaviors. That being said, there is one strategy that I have found beneficial over the years to break me of these routines and providing enough space to evaluate what those behaviors are.

That strategy is to change your setting and environment.

Think about the last time you were on vacation, what did it feel like when you woke up in a new room and had to get ready in a different bathroom. It was pretty strange, correct?

At the moment I am in a pretty blessed position to have been in the Black Hills of South Dakota for 5 weeks. In the time here, I have had the following priorities:

• Prepare for brother’s wedding
• Write
• Run
• Work on programming jobs
• Finding new work

What is interesting about having this opportunity is that many of the daily activities I have while at home, are no longer necessary. It has provided the space necessary to look at what some of those activities are and question if they are critical. When I return home, I can decide if I will keep them, eliminate them or replace them.

The reality is that I have had an opportunity like this previously, then upon returning home, I quickly fell back into my standard routines. That observation highlights the power of settings and environment. The routines and behaviors have a way of returning when we put ourselves back into the original setting. While you may not have the opportunity to remove yourself from your day to day environment for several weeks, I would encourage you to be observant of your routines the next time you have a vacation. Even if that vacation is being gone for a day.

Here are some other actions you might consider to take advantage of the power your environment has on our behavior:

• Move the living room furniture around, so your seating and television are in different locations.
• Take a different route to work everyday.
• Reorganize your kitchen cabinets, especially the pantry.
• Reorganize your refrigerator.
• Change the decorations in your office or cubicle at work.
• Change the air freshener scent in your car.
• Move your bathroom items to a different bathroom and use it for your morning routine.
• Rearrange the bedroom furniture.
• Remove anything from the bedroom that doesn’t have to do with sleeping, dressing or sex.
• Eliminate any distractions, primarily televisions, from the dining room.

The value of routines in our lives can not be understated. There are many daily habits we develop that are carried out without any thought. The environment that we live in reinforces many of those behaviors, as our minds work to limit the amount of decisions it has to make each day.

Changing your setting not only provides an opportunity for you to evaluate those behaviors, it puts you in a position to be more successful as you develop routines that lead to greater happiness and health.