Shaking Up Your Routine

In the past week my routine has been shaken and more is coming over the next two weeks.  Instead of stressing me out, it has actually energized me!  From the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) perspective, I have a preference for Perceiving.  In other words, always searching for more information rather than pushing for closure, spontaneity, and starting projects.  Like seemingly everyone in the Washington, DC area, I am usually tightly scheduled around a constant routine.  Teaching three new classes in less than a week and preparing for two new volunteer commitments has challenged me to stretch into new areas and use old skills with a new group of people.  Both things are extremely rewarding to me, in large part because of my Perceiving preference.

So how does a person with a Perceiving preference function in a predictable routine?  For me, there are things that have to happen at certain times.  There is barely enough time to get my work in during the hours my son's school is open when you count in commuting time.  For me, I am constantly striving to learn new things at work, volunteer my time with people who share similar values when I can, and learn new things with my son.  Right now, I would say I am at an all time high with all three and I usually don't even mind that they all seem to fall into a fairly predictable routine.  But when that routine is shaken there just seems to be a little extra spring in my step.  (For clarification, getting food poisoning and being sick for three days is not the kind of shaken routine I like.  What I like are those shaken routines where you are active and productive just in a new way.)

What does shaking up your routine do to you or for you?  Is it a bit of a buzz similar to the feel of a triple shot mocha from Starbuck's or does it feel like a weight on your shoulders?  How do you help yourself balance the push for closure and the need for spontaneity to make sure you are able to handle multiple types of situations that come along?