All of us drive. We do it everyday. More often than we brush our teeth. It is almost second nature for us to get in our cars and go somewhere. We don’t give much thought to how to operate the car.
While we sometimes complain about bad or impatient drivers, for the most part, our car travels are peaceful and productive. Excluding traffic slowdowns due to high traffic volume, driving our car is almost friction less. We go where we want, park where we can, and go about our business.
Underlying our driving though, is quite a bit of structure. We have maps and roads. Stripes on the roads to keep traffic going one way on one side. Some roads allow us to go fast and others slow. There are traffic lights and speed signs. Specific lanes to turn. All users are trained and have to demonstrate proficiency in the rules they are expected to follow. Specific places for us to park or areas where no cars can park. Stop signs and warning signs.
You see the structure around driving, makes driving a car very productive and almost friction less. We all know the rules of the road. Following them is the habit that leads to good results.
Without all of this structure there would be chaos. People driving cars every which way. We would have a very hard time driving even five miles to get somewhere. Not only would it be hard for us to drive, but others would be driving any way they want causing us anger when they drive across our front lawn to get around something.
Structure inherent in any habit, routine, discipline or process can be powerful. Especially when needing to provide consistent results. Sadly, many times we don’t think of slowing down to create structure around what we do on a regular basis. Nor do we have the discipline to follow structures that are in place for our own good.
Be reminded of structure, the next time you drive. Thinking about where more is needed in your daily routine to get better, consistent results.