What is your life like witout routine?

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Routine has never been something I enjoyed. I prefer life to surprise me every now and then and give me something to do to prevent me from trying to surprise myself by thinking about the condition of life, thereby sinking into an existential crisis and ask myself what life is really for. Additionally, I can't make any plans proper enough to get me through two weeks that are only slightly comparable. I've promised myself to get into a routine often, but I've always ignored those promises and went on doing things I liked whenever I wanted to and talking my way out of the rest.

It's only been recently that I have discovered that I like routines, that I function much better with them, and am a bit out of sorts if they are broken. I grew up with very little routine imposed upon me, and I now think that I would have benefitted in many ways if I had routines while I was growing up. It's really hard for me to deliberately develop routines now ( I'm sure a lot of that is the ADHD); it's a lot easier at work than at home- the atmosphere at work encourages it. But I have found that I have fallen into some routines that have developed over time, and if they are broken, even if I enjoy whatever spontaneous event is breaking them, I'm uneasy and a little annoyed because feel like I should really be doing whatever my routine entails.

My sleep routine is very important. Other aspects of routine, not so important.

I have a destructive concept called a "wasted day". The way it works is, if I wake up too late, or start my work too late in the day, or miss my morning run, then I start to think that it is a "wasted day" and I find it hard to recover from.

I like to have a basic routine, but I would be bored if I couldn't change it. I usually enjoy little changes, like taking a different route to somewhere I go often. Big changes, like moving to another town, make me stressed and anxious but I usually adjust well.

About four/ five years ago I lost "my routine", which was highly connected with my special interest, which I spended 24/24 7/7 on (my SI on that level was dependant on outer influences, which caused me loose the routine).
At that time I realized, that I didn't put effort in any socializing at all or things like "planning a future". I didn't improve in that until now
Since then I am very lost and very disfunctional.
But there are new interests coming and I am starting to integrate them into a new routine.

In two words:
A mess.
To-do lists are a must and even they are similar each day.
My eating routine actually stops me from 1) starving 2)Having a hypoglycaemic reaction and 3)Over eating.
The bedtime routine is important too because if I go to sleep any later I wake up all hyper or unfocused, cranky, and other pleasant things.
My routine provides me structure and comfort.

I do _not_ like surprises: even surprises anyone (including me, after thinking about it) one would expect to be pleasant.

I feel very out-of-sorts when my routine is disrupted and it is difficult for me to get much accomplished (as a student). At the same if my days are more structured I find I am far more productive. Since my natural sleep schedule does not conform to the normal 24 hour/diurnal model I find that I tend to prefer independent-study type classes that allow me to sleep and work as I need.

If I know what my main goal for the day is, then routines tend to get in my way because I like to change up each day to make life a little more interesting. But if I'm going to do something I've never done before and there's a schedule to follow, I'll use that routine on that schedule until I feel comfortable enough to do my own thing.

I have not had a routine for two years, it's been hell.

You wake up with the sun on the horizon and you can't say whether or not it's going up or coming down

You get up at 1 AM and go to sleep when everyone else gets up, you even lose contact with the people you live with

You lose your sense of purpose and motivation, everyday meshes into the next in one long blurred mess

You forget to eat, sleep, get dressed, clean yourself, it erodes you horribly.

Someday I'll get out of this rut though

I pretty much have to go by a routine. Without it, I am much more stressed and anxious.

Without routines, I'm a complete mess.

If something interrupts my routine, I will either be skating the edge of a meltdown or going full-on into a meltdown. On one occasion that I can recall, an unexpected change in my routine caused an apparent regression, in that I stopped using a lot of the skills I've learned as an adult until I could resolve the situation.

If I go to a restaurant and have to order the "wrong" dish for whatever reason, I'll obsess over it until I can go back and order the correct dish. On one occasion it became nearly impossible for me to eat until I found a way to correct the problem.