25 Ways to Shake Up Your Routine (Or, What I Learned from Taco Bell Fire Sauce)

A few weeks ago I was working on a day-long project with several students. I decided to buy lunch for them at Taco Bell, the local fast-food favorite. My plan was to get a bunch of tacos, and before I left one of the students said, “Make sure to get a lot of Fire sauce packets!”

I have eaten at Taco Bell many times over the years but have never given much thoughts to the condiments, particularly the Fire sauce. But this time I decided to give it a shot, just for kicks. I emptied a packet of Fire onto my taco and took a bite.

Hmmm. It’s got a great flavor, and a little kick. I think I like this stuff.

And from that moment, I was hooked. Now when I eat at Taco Bell, no item feels complete without The Fire. I even keep a little stash in my college office in case of a culinary emergency.

I don’t know about you, but I am prone to getting stuck in a rut. Even with a website and a podcast dedicated to the creative journey, I tend to stick to the routine. The problem with the routine is that it’s, well, routine. Which by definition doesn’t allow for change, growth, or new ideas.

And that, my friends, is a place you don’t want to be. It’s a town called Complacency, and it’s just down the road from Boringville and Stagnant City.

Sometimes we need a little push to shake things up and get out of that rut. Here are 25 ideas for trying something new. Pick one or two of these and leave a comment with yours thoughts and ideas!

1. See a new movie.
2. Watch a new TV show.
3. Read a different type of book than normal (i.e. fiction, non-fiction, graphic novel). Look at the Amazon Bestsellers for ideas.
4. Try a new restaurant.
5. Order something new at a familiar restaurant.
6. Strike up a conversation with someone new at your workplace or church.
7. Take a different route to work.
8. Try a new flavor of your favorite drink (I recommend Coke Lime).
9. Buy a different kind of toothpase.
10. Go to the library and browse through a different section than usual.
11. Follow someone on Twitter who posts interesting updates.
12. Get a cool photography app on your phone and take some fun pics.
13. Join a new group on Facebook.
14. Ask a friend to explain why they like a certain sports team.
15. Take a different route on a neighborhood walk.
16. Visit an Art museum. (Here’s a list.)
17. Listen to a podcast in a different category than your normally listen to.
18. Buy a new clothing item, or wear a different color than normal.
19. If you normally dress down, dress up (or vice-versa).
20. Style your hair differently. (Some of us have less to work with than others.)
21. Mow the lawn in a different pattern.
22. Get up earlier. (Check out Andy Traub’s Early to Rise.)
23. Listen to new music (that’s the beauty of iTunes and Spotify).
24. Find the closest kid younger than 10 and build or draw something with them.
25. See if you can spot Jupiter, Saturn, or (if you’re got an eagle eye) Mercury using the StarWalk app or this page from Sky and Telescope. If you use good binoculars or a small telescope you can see Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s Galilean moons.

Variety is spice of life. Try something new this week and shake things up. Who knows, you might even learn something from a tiny packet of sauce in a fast-food restaurant.

What other things have you tried to help get out of a rut? Don’t keep it to yourself–let’s hear about it in the comment section!