Novelty, reflection, and learning

I’ve observed that most folks settle into a professional routine (a rut, really) that intersects with the achievement of a certain level of competence. Once they learn the job and find efficient (if not effective) ways of doing it, they’ll rarely stray from the patterned practices of routine. It’s a case of “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” But it’s also a case of a non-thinking stance, “We’ve always done it this way before.”

The danger here is that a failure to reflect on one’s practices leads to stagnation and stifles the imagination. Donald Schon, in The Reflective Practitioner wrote:

Much reflection-in-action hinges on the experience of surprise. When intuitive, spontaneous performance yields nothing more than the results expected for it, then we tend not to think about it. But when intuitive performance leads to surprises, pleasing and promising or unwanted, we may respond by reflection-in-action.

Being caught up in non-thinking routine and habits may be a product of homeostasis; it may be a question of being caught in the lethargy of resistance to change. Imagination and creativity takes energy. They require lifting one’s sight beyond the mundane day-to-day grindstone and glimpse the horizon. Only then may we gain perspective and perceive ways of doing things differently. So, every once is a while it’s worth injecting some novelty into workday.