It sounds like a self-help title, but here goes.
I try to do one new thing every day.
It doesn't have to be a big challenge — sometimes it's just trying a restaurant I've never been to for lunch, or walking a street I don't usually take.
I'm basically conservative. The more my days settle into a routine, the more comfortable I feel.
Even so, I don't have plans packed into every day, so I end up with quite a bit of spare time.
Conservative but easily bored — an annoying combo — so a few years ago I decided to try something new every day.
I keep a daily journal, and I write down the new thing I did that day too. It feels good when I manage it.
I'd like to never miss a day, but on late work nights I sometimes can't — still, the habit has held.
Even for "something new," I set a few rules. Buying a new book or downloading a new app doesn't count — there's little physical change of place, and not much tension, so it's too easy. (A new bookstore is fine.)
On the other hand, if it makes me a bit nervous, even an extension of something I already do is okay. (ex: negotiating price with an existing client)
Doing something new every day becomes a kind of excuse to act, which I recommend. Even when you feel reluctant, just doing it anyway might be one of the more important things in life.
For example: I'm curious about a shop, but I can roughly picture what it's like, so maybe I don't need to go — then I think, I haven't done anything new today, and I walk in. That happens a lot.
Or I've barely talked to a coworker beyond hello, and there's no special reason to start a conversation — but if I ask what they do on days off, or why they chose this job, we get closer and my curiosity gets fed. Sometimes nothing much happens, but as an experience it's still valuable.
While keeping this habit, I noticed a funny pattern — maybe it's just me.
If I do one new thing early in the day, a second and third tend to follow. Morning: a bakery I've never tried. Lunch: a clothing store I'd been wanting to visit. Evening: a new café. Night: a new movie theater. Activity just stacks up.
Time constraints make that somewhat obvious, but I think the real enemy of doing something new is vague anxiety. Once that's cleared, things get easier — and when you pull it off, something dopamine-like kicks in and the brain wants more. (It resets after a day, though.)
I said I'm conservative and easily bored, but thanks to this habit I started because of boredom, I've also built new routines. A café I finally tried felt so comfortable that I started going regularly, and so on.
Doing something new every day can tire you out if the challenges get too big, and if the bar rises too high you've defeated the point — but as a way of continually optimizing your life, I think it's a really good habit.
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