How to Make Life Feel Less Repetitive

Co-authored by Sandra Possing

Last Updated: January 5, 2023 References

Our lives are cyclical and repetitive naturally in cycles of birth, seasons, and death; and culturally in schedules and routines that we establish to help organize our days. Sometimes the redundancy of life can take the excitement out of everyday living and cause feelings of boredom or even mild depression. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to add spontaneity and unpredictability to your daily life.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Spicing Up Your Life

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Make personal changes. Sometimes a change to your appearance can be a catalyst for bigger changes in your life.
- Get a haircut. Sometimes a new cut and color, especially if it's drastically different from what you've had before, can be just the ticket to elevate your mood and get you out of a rut. Just be sure you talk with your stylist first to ensure that the look will be flattering on you-- you don't want to end up with a cut you don’t love. Studies show that our hair has a profound effect on our self-esteem and mood.^{[1]
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- Get a tattoo. More permanent than a haircut, a tattoo can be a fun way to document your values, friendships, or milestones. Be sure you consider carefully what you want and shop around for the best artist.
2
Do things that scare you.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Sandra Possing
Life Coach
Expert Interview. 13 August 2020.} Step out of your comfort zone and try something new to get yourself out of your routine. You could take a dance class, talk to someone new, or travel somewhere new. Life becomes much more interesting when you're able to try new things.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Sandra Possing
Life Coach
Expert Interview. 13 August 2020.}

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3
Make adjustments to date night. If you and your significant other don't have a date night at all, set aside time each week (or at least each month) to be together doing things you love; it can help strengthen your relationship. If you do have a regular date night but it has become a predictable routine (dinner and a movie, anyone?), add some variety to your time together so that your relationship does not start to feel predictable and boring.^{[4]
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- Think of date night as a chance to reconnect and get to know more about each other. Even if you've been together for years, seeing each other in new settings and trying new things can be a fun way to get to know parts of each other you haven't seen before. Do something outside your normal routine; consider taking dancing lessons, going rock climbing, taking a couples' painting class, or taking cooking lessons.
- For a cheaper alternative to art and cooking lessons, improvise at home: buy a nice bottle of wine and a few canvases and paints at your local hobby store, then shop the ingredients for a fancy gourmet meal (the internet is full of great recipes). Add some romantic music and your evening is set!
4
Add some spontaneity to your friendships. Sometimes we get into a rut with our existing friendships and forget how to make new ones. Studies show the more relationships you have with people you care about and who care about you, the less likely you are to experience depression. Friendship also helps you deal with stress and rebound from disappointment.^{[5]
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- If you and your best friends always end up talking about the same subjects when you are together, it might be because you don't have enough common frames of reference to make interesting conversation. You need to share many experiences in order to build up a base of memories and common friends, instead of meeting up for coffee or drinks, think outside the box when you plan your girls' or guys' night out.
- Catch a great concert, set fitness goals together (for instance, to train for a marathon), or learn a new hobby or skill together to give you more great topics for conversation.
- Making new friends can be tough; the key is to try to find someone in the same stage of life as you.^{[6]
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  Research source} If you're single and/or childless, try going to a new club, church, bar or other social setting; look for other folks who seem eager for someone to talk to and chat with them. If you have young children, plan play dates with other parents or look online for local meet-ups and playgroups.
5
Think about changes to your work routine. Work comprises the majority of our waking hours during the week, so make changes to ensure that your work isn't what is dragging you down with its redundancy.
- Finding a new route to work. Stop driving or walking down the same old streets. Take a bicycle, or ride the bus, or just find a new route along different streets in town. Starting your day with a new perspective triggers creativity and can set the tone for your workday.^{[7]
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- Ask for a new assignment. If you've been working on repetitive or uninteresting projects, ask your supervisor if there are any other projects you might work on.
- Look for a new job. If your job is the main culprit in your feelings of repetitiveness, consider what types of careers might be more interesting and offer more opportunities for different experiences each day. Try taking a career aptitude test (search online for many examples) to see what you're well-suited for, then start looking in your area for a new position. Be sure you don't quit your current job until you have something else lined up in writing, or else you might end up out of work.
6
Change up your routine. Even if you can't change other aspects of your life, you can alter the parts that are in your own control to add more variety.
- Wake up earlier. Instead of rushing to get ready in the morning and then running late, get up an hour earlier than you normally do and go for a run outside. This will help your mood, alleviate your anxiety, ward off illness by boosting your immune system, and let you enjoy the best part of the day as you run.^{[8]
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  Trustworthy Source
  MedlinePlus
  Collection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of Medicine
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- Try a new bar or restaurant. Sticking to the same haunts every weekend is dull and prevents you from meeting new people and trying new things. Consider an ethnic cuisine you've never had or a bar with local music.
- Pick up a new hobby or art form. Perhaps you have always wanted to try needlepoint, tennis, or rock-climbing. Something new to do on weekends can help alleviate your boredom and add variety to life, and give you something to look forward to when the week feels long and dreary.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making a Bucket List

1
Make a bucket list. A bucket list has become a popular way to put on paper all the exciting, challenging, or fun things that you hope to do before you die (or "kick the bucket," hence the name). Creating such a list, and then actually doing the things on your list, can add variety to your life.^{[9]
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- Your list should contain at least a hundred things, so get to writing! Also don't be afraid to add new things to the bottom of the list as you think of them over the next few weeks, months, and years.
- Be sure to list both big and small things-- not just expensive or dangerous things like visiting Russia or skydiving, but also those littler things you always wanted to try but just haven't yet-- like trying that little restaurant downtown, singing in the rain, or getting a facial or pedicure. Remember to set some goals that will be hard, and others that are easily attainable; otherwise you might get discouraged. Be sure your list includes things that are free or cheap as well as things that cost money. If you're at a loss, search the internet for ideas-- there are thousands of things you could include!
- Include places to visit, things to see, experiences to have, achievements you like to make, people you'd like to meet, things you'd like to experience with a friend or loved one, skills you'd like to learn, goals you'd like to meet (such as health, financial, or personal), things you'd like to say (perhaps to specific people) and people you'd like to thank.
2
Categorize the list. First create categories that make sense for the things on your list, then put everything on the list into a group.
- Make categories for expensive things, relatively affordable things, affordable things, and cheap or free things (depending on your budget, these will vary; but one idea is a column for things that are $1000 or more, things that are $500-$1000, things that are $100-$500, and things that are less than $100).
- Make categories for things that can be done spontaneously (like trying a new restaurant in town) versus things that require advance planning (like a trip to Greece).
3
Try to do one thing on your list every month. If you're feeling very ambitious and/or you have the time and resources, you can up it to every week. By adding in a totally new experience every month, you automatically keep life from being too overly repetitive.
- This is why it's so important to be sure there are items of all types (expensive, cheap, free, difficult, easy) on your list-- but avoid the temptation to just do the easy items first! Challenge yourself and mix things up.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Dealing With Repetitiveness

1
Practice mindfulness.^{[10]
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Expert Source

Sandra Possing
Life Coach
Expert Interview. 13 August 2020.} Mindfulness is a concept that originated in Buddhist meditation practices and has been adopted by many people around the world as a strategy for dealing with stress. It involves focusing the mind on the sensations and experiences of the moment rather than thinking about the past or worrying about the future. It also involves accepting how we are feeling or experiencing the world instead of considering our responses to reality "good" or "bad."^{[11]
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Trustworthy Source
Greater Good Magazine
Journal published by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living
Go to source}
- Practicing mindfulness, even for just a few weeks, has been shown to increase the body's ability to fight illness, stress, and depression as well as increasing empathy, satisfaction with life, and even our ability to create meaningful relationships.^{[12]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Greater Good Magazine
  Journal published by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living
  Go to source} As a way of dealing with repetitiveness, it has the potential to help you overcome frustration and accept your daily life moment by moment.
- You can incorporate a formal practice of mindful meditation into your life (with ten minutes of meditation each morning), or you can simply work mindfulness into your routine and make it a part of how you experience the world. Focus on the details of each moment, especially when you are feeling stressed. Concentrate on your bodily sensations, especially your breathing but also the temperature of the room, the feeling of your hair on your neck, the gentle breeze. Notice all the sensations: sights, sounds, smells, feelings, tastes, especially the things that you normally overlook.^{[13]
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  Sandra Possing
  Life Coach
  Expert Interview. 13 August 2020.}
- Over time, you will begin to focus on the experiences of the moment rather than worrying about things that have already happened or things that are going to happen (including the redundancy of life). This can help you to be grateful for each moment as well as accepting that the moments of your life do not define who you are.^{[14]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Greater Good Magazine
  Journal published by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living
  Go to source}
2
Learn to accept that some jobs are redundant. Many necessary jobs are repetitive in nature-- assembly lines, fast food jobs, accounting, and many other professions tend to do the same types of things day in and day out. Unfortunately you may not have the ability or resources to simply quit your job and find something you enjoy more.
- Instead, think of ways to occupy your mind while doing redundant tasks. Listen to music or books on tape on headphones if you can. Engage your co-workers in meaningful and challenging conversations. On your breaks, do something that engages your mind like learning a new language.
- Consider setting small goals for your workday and promising yourself particular rewards if you meet them. If you do redundant tasks, studies show that having incentives can help make it more bearable.^{[15]
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- Find the positive aspects of your work: are you making the world safer, healthier, smarter somehow? Are you helping to keep people fed or bringing joy to people's daily lives? There is some glimmer of positivity to be found in any occupation. If you can put your finger on what it is, you can focus on that and commit yourself to being your best at your work even despite how boring it might be at times.
3
Find meaning in the changes of life. Sometimes our frustration with life's repetitiveness comes from feelings of powerlessness. Finding meaning in life's changes can make what was once a repetitive and frustrating cycle into something beautiful and precious.
- Each morning at dawn, consider that the day is new and unwritten, a blank page to fill with whatever you desire. Today, you have made no mistakes and you can direct the day any way you choose. Fill it with love, kindness, generosity, and charity to others.
- Consider the meanings of the seasons: symbolically, each season corresponds to processes of human discovery. While it might seem like the meanings of nature and weather are just social constructions, the effects of seasonal changes are actually tied to our psyches and how we experience life.^{[16]
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  Research source} Spring is about transformation and birth, when plants and hibernating creatures come back to life. Summer is a time for celebration, warmth, and life, as nature is at its peak. The autumn is a time for harvest and abundance, thankfulness and gathering together. Winter, often thought of as a time of death, is actually a time of rest and renewal-- trees and plants allow themselves to be overcome by the cold in preparation for the reward of the spring.
4
Develop a spiritual or philosophical practice. Humans throughout history have struggled with the realization that all of life is a repetitive cycle, and one way that many people have been able to accept and make meaning from the cycle of life is through religious, spiritual, or philosophical orientations toward life.^{[17]
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American Psychological Association
Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists
Go to source}
- Consider joining a church or religious organization. All faiths have practices, rituals, and teachings that harmonize the repetitiveness of nature and culture with higher meaning.
- Learn about existentialism or other continental philosophies that deal with the nature of reality and the purpose of life. Existentialism posits that there is no meaning or predetermined reason for our lives, and instead we must make daily choices that give our lives meaning. A philosophical orientation to the redundancy of life can help us take responsibility for our roles in life.
5
Seek help if you feel depressed, anxious, or suicidal. Sometimes the repetitiveness of life combined with a mental disorder can contribute to dangerous thoughts of self-harm, erratic behavior, or even suicide.^{[18]
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HelpGuide
Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources.
Go to source} It's important that you seek help immediately if you feel that your frustration is interfering with your daily life.
- In the United States, call 911 or call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. In other countries, do an internet search to determine the right number to call or talk to your mental health care provider immediately.

Expert Q&A

Question

How can I make my life less boring?

Sandra Possing
Life Coach
Sandra Possing is a life coach, speaker, and entrepreneur based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sandra specializes in one-on-one coaching with a focus on mindset and leadership transformation. Sandra received her coaching training from The Coaches Training Institute and has seven years of life coaching experience. She holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Sandra Possing

Life Coach

Expert Answer

Try something new that scares you! You could take a class, try a new sport, or start a conversation with a stranger. Getting out of your comfort zone will definitely make things more interesting. You might even find a new hobby in the process.

Warnings

When trying things you've never done before, stay clear of practices that might eventually end up destroying you or someone else, like street racing or hard drugs.

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