I certainly don’t always act this way, but I enjoy putting things in order. I like following habits of behavior. I like the feeling of a clean, orderly home with things put away.
There is a lurking danger in this pleasant experience. I seem to take such satisfaction in it, and so I am wary and cautious of the hidden effect. Is the satisfaction of brushing my teeth the same way every day at the same time, in the same place a stroking and encouragement of my own ego. “There, I did it right again,” I seem to feel when I am done. I’m not sure I want that.
Such deliberate consistency can be a source of pride that I can act such and such. What I really want most is to experience, to understand to be aware. Acting rightly, properly, and consistently is not what I want.
Habits can be very convincing that there is order and permanence in my life. Things will always go well, they will turn out in a predictable way if I just do the right thing. I get so attached to this habit of acting correctly that I develop the illusion of permanence. My own repeated actions can conspire to convince me that acting correctly is the Way. My following an orderly path can convince me that the future can be predicted and controlled. I can be robbed of the very experience that is constantly new, brings awareness, develops insight.
Perhaps, unlike the advice I give my son, I am better off if I don’t always place the silverware correctly on the side of my plate. Maybe if I don’t always find my silverware in exactly the same spot, I may be more aware that the silverware is there. I may actually experience the silverware, not pick it up out of habit from its customary place.
A plan can be a useful thing to get me through the day, but its value in guiding me some kind of right action is over-rated. The value of a habit is that we can do things without thinking about them. I don’t think that is so important, and may actually be unhelpful.
Consistency in my behavior can bring a certain order in my day, but it can also undermine awareness and insight.