erinspencerot
Dec 29, 20253 min read
Autonomy vs. Automaticity: The Importance of Choice in Daily Routines
Much of daily life can be organized around the idea of automaticity . We’re encouraged to build habits so ingrained that we no longer need to think about them—wake up, brush teeth, answer emails, make dinner, repeat. Automaticity is often framed as efficiency: less effort, fewer decisions, and more productivity. But for many people, automaticity does not always create ease. In fact, it can quietly erode autonomy, increase internal resistance, and drain meaning from daily acti















