Routine and Social Aesthetics

As I was reading Highmore's piece, one passage in particular was very relatable to me. On page 311 he writes, "Routines and habits can be hard to acquire and harder still to break. In this sense everyday life is often experienced as something deeply ambiguous, as simultaneously comforting and frustrating." He then goes on to detail a pattern of wanting to change, but reverting to his old habits every night. I think this is something that many of us can relate to. In my own experience, I often find myself resolving to change in some way. Read more, procrastinate less, go to the gym more. I make up my mind to do all of these things, but when my free time comes I wind up just doing the same old things that I had done every other night. The act of deciding to change my routine has become somewhat routine.  I know that a change could be more beneficial to me, but I also know that my current routine still (somewhat) works for me. I think this is the danger in our every day lives. The monotony of completing the same tasks everyday becomes stale after a while, but it is still seen as good because it is familiar.