Making and Breaking Habits

Leigh Ann Roman finds value in adjusting the productivity mindset and finding rest — even when it's not Sunday.

I am a creature of habit, as my family members will attest. And I have been known to hammer home the importance of developing good habits. But sometimes, I think, it can be fruitful to break habits — even good ones. 

Let me explain. My mornings can be a little overwhelming. Before leaving home for my full-time job, I do spiritual reading, prayer, exercise (running or walking), and my own creative writing. While that has yielded some dividends, including publishing fiction and staying in decent shape, I have noticed that it also has led to some burnout. 

What to do? Maybe in this case, the answer is less.  

I enjoy my morning coffee and quiet time, but wedging a three-mile run and an hour of writing in before getting ready for work can be exhausting. I’m beginning to wonder if less stress could lead to more creativity.  

The Importance of Being Human 

Something I’ve always told my children but have struggled to remember for myself is, “You are a human being, not a human doing.” The idea that I need to earn the right to be on this planet is hard to let go of. 

But even God values rest, as He proved when He was creating the world. On the seventh day, He rested. And He included the directive to rest in the Ten Commandments by instructing people to set aside a day to rest — not only for themselves but for their family, visitors, slaves, and livestock. 

While I have gotten better about avoiding chores, shopping, and housework on Sundays, I admit that I find it hard to relax on other days of the week. I always see something that needs to be cleaned.  

But this focus on productivity seems to be robbing me of creativity, and I have noticed that it prevents me from being present to my loved ones, too.  

The Value of Being Still 

The other day I was so tired that I decided I wasn’t going to do anything productive after work. I sat on the back porch and watched the birds and squirrels at the bird feeder. My husband joined me, and then our daughter. It was quiet and relaxing.  

 It reminded me of one of my favorite Bible verses, which I discovered on the back of someone’s T-shirt at a local Catholic Church one day:

For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust shall be your strength. But this you did not will. (Isaiah 30:15)

That reference to the will is particularly telling. Although I try to start every day by turning my will over to God, I often look up later that day to find that I have taken my will back and am running the show again. 

It is also interesting that God chose to emphasize rest — not just for Himself but for all of us. It’s almost as if it is a necessary part of life. Recognizing my need for it and ordering my life around that reality could be an act of humility: a counteracting of my desire to earn or achieve my place in the world. If I do that, I will be focused on God’s goals, not my own, and that would be the beginning of a new habit. 

Perhaps with practice, I will be able to make a habit of humility. 

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Copyright 2025 Leigh Ann Roman
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