In this episode, we discuss: The life-ruining power of routines. We are joined by Markham Heid, he is a Journalist with TIME and New York Times.  We chat about the following:  How do we optimise our lives without falling into the trap of routine?Do we need routine and structure to be productive? Are you busy because it’s necessary? What’s the right balance between routine and creative space? How can companies get involved in breaking routine and encouraging creativity? References:  LinkedIn Article - The life-ruining power of routines Website Biography:  Markham has worked as a staff writer at both a major metropolitan newspaper and a national magazine, but for the past 12 years he’s worked as an independent (freelance) journalist. Markham has written about England's Jurassic Coast for Travel & Leisure, covered workplace culture for an HR quarterly mag, and explored Germany's transition away from nuclear energy for Vox. But most of his writing has been in the health and science space.  Between 2014 and 2018, he wrote a weekly health column for TIME.com, which was called You Asked. Since 2018, Markham has done something similar for Medium, where he’s followed by ~350k subscribers. He’s still a frequent contributor at TIME, and he also writes regularly for the New York Times. His work has received awards from both the Society of Professional Journalists and the Maryland, Delaware, and D.C. Press Association.  He’s originally from Detroit, but right now he lives in southeast Germany with his wife and two kids.   Summary: The negative impact of routines and habits on personal optimization. 0:05Bethany aims to increase income by securing one more board seat.Markham Hyde argues in Financial Times article that routines lead to suffering, not personal optimization.Routines, productivity, and spontaneity in adulthood. 3:15Brandon: Routine-oriented, wants to package boring tasks for productivity.Bethany: Automate, eliminate tasks to free mental load, not create routine.Bethany and Brandon have different approaches to exercise and structure in their lives.Brandon has lived in different countries and jobs, categorizing his life by chunks of time, while now as an adult with a family, he questions whether that's possible anymore.Routine, spontaneity, and finding balance in life and work. 8:21Bethany suggests finding balance between structure and unstructured time to pursue interests and passions.Moderation is key to happiness, rather than being too rigid or spontaneous.Bethany suggests creating a routine to overcome fear and find inspiration (0:11:02)Bethany and Brandon discuss the balance between routine and spontaneity in business contexts (0:12:41)Innovation weeks in companies, with a focus on structure and culture. 14:04Innovation week at a...