A Routine Can End and Still Have Worked

When I think about sustainable routines, I notice how easily repetition gets mistaken for progress. A regular check-in may keep happening because it is familiar, even after it stops helping anyone make a decision or move shared work forward.

Imagine a small team reviewing a weekly meeting. Instead of asking only whether people attended, they could ask: What became clearer or easier because this happened? If there’s no useful answer, the group can change the format, pause it, or close it—with one person owning that decision and a date to review the new arrangement.

Ending a routine isn’t proof that the effort failed. Sometimes the useful outcome is recognizing that the purpose has been met, or that this is no longer the right way to serve it. A shared commitment can have a clear finish line, too.