Does it have it's roots in rebellion?  I've just recently begun (at my very ripe age) to have a handle on routines.  For years I lived without them.  I believe for me, as a free spirit, it was a reaction to being regimented by school and work.  I'm an artist , so I felt resentful of these expectations.  

I'm starting to realize that routine can work for me, vs complying with what someone else wants. 

PS: I'm not really an artist -- just a wannabe.

Hi Faeren...routine at home was not a natural thing for me either.  I had to adapt to a routine when I was working full time with 3 boys to get ready for school, hockey, swimming, etc.  I was very routine oriented at work, so it might have been a stubbornness issue for me.

I find now that I've learned to do things routinely (make the bed when I get up...take meat out for supper before I head for the coffeeshop, etc.) that it has actually given me a lot of freedom in my head.    I don't think about these routine things and they are done automatically...it's worth catching on to...good luck to you!

Faerenach, it is very difficult to be environmentally friendly, believe you me - I have, as my partner would testify, hundreds of those enviro bags because of course I would wind up at the store without them, feeling guilty about killing plastic trees I would purchase more.

I thought, ooh lets be clever and put the bags beside the shoes and coat, so that when one leaves one will take them with one, nah, get distracted as I'm putting my coat on, out the door we go.

Yesterday I was good, remembered the bags but forgot to go shopping.

I'm like a puppy - ooh look there's a butterfly, ah there's a treat, oh a leaf...

LB - what's that behind me!   Oops gotta go, wait look at that....

You could be writing about me.  I've got two kids, and I work outside the home.  I have to take my "pill" everyday to keep from getting more (still b-feeding, so other options like the patch don't work).  I've stuck the package atop my  mirror so that I remember when I brush my teeth.  But, like you, I don't always brush my teeth on days when I'm not working.  More then once I've gotten halfway through a day and ran home to take the pill I've forgot.   (I'm off today, so I actually just ran upstairs to take the one I've forgotten)

It is harder to be less organized when you've got kids though.  Fortunetly I've got a husband who doesn't function WITHOUT a routine, and he does most of the childcare activities in the morning and during the day.  So they're getting the benefit of a consistent routine, without me having to do it.

For me I think it's that I have so many other things I'd rather do.  And I get bored.  I'm much better with creating, building or renovating things (projects) then maintaining or cleaning (routines).

The funny thing is that I'm super organized at work.  Everything is filed away, and I can always find whatever I need.  The key there, is that I schedule everything in my calender, and I don't keep any paper copies of anything.  Nil, nada, nothing.  I take my laptop to meetings to take notes.  I do a lot of interviews as part of my job, and need to take notes.  I just explain to people before I start that I'll be typing as we talk.  If I do need to print something out for a meeting (normally an agenda for the other party), if they don't take it I'll recycle it once I get back to my desk.  I don't have any clutter or anything personal on my desk (actually, I really need to put up photos of my children), and it's easy to clean if I have no paper.

At home, my house seems to always be verging on disaster.  My husband feels like he's always going around picking up after me and the kids.  We've started trying to take 1/2 hour after supper each day for a family clean up.  I set the timer on the microwave and off we go.  So far, so good.

 I am glad it's just my birth control pill and not anything life threatening that I have to take.  To Wolfie's point, I find it harder with kids to leave the pills where I'll see them and not keep them in the toddlers reach.  Vitamins had to come off the table, and pills are actually stuck high up on my bathroom mirror.

Things you don't want to hear include your husband saying, as he shuffles your 2 year old out of your bedroom, "Honey, what day ARE you on?"

I think for everyone, habits are hard to break. Some people here have mentioned that they are routine oriented in one place, but not another. So, it doesn't seem like it's an issue with being routine-oriented versus not at the personal level, but more like what someone has gotten used to doing (at home, at work, at school) during their life. The good news is that you can BECOME routines oriented because whether you adopt routines or not, it just has to do with what you've got used to, not who you ARE as a person.

Of course, there's also the matter of ENJOYING routines or not. I guess people who like things neat and organized tend to encorporated routines into more parts of their lives, but that's because they like them, and want them. Whereas those who want to be spontaneous (and artistic?) try to stay away from them. So the bad news is that adopting routines is going to be super hard (even though technically possible) if you don't really WANT them because of what they stand for. :-)

A lot of health regimens rely on routines though, whether they are medications, diet, exercising, or adequate sleep, so I think that's why routines tend to be recommended. Also, for depression when I really don't feel like doing anything, a routine keeps me from giving in to that and getting through one...more...day... . And it DOES help.