When we think about an optimal daily routine, we often imagine the perfectly curated workout, nutritious meal, and mindfulness exercise that will set us up for success. But Jay Shetty, host of the number one global health and wellness podcast On Purpose, tells Fortune, we are missing one critical component that will improve our well-being—the unknown.
Shetty likes to welcome a touch of randomness every day.
“I’ve definitely added a little bit of creative reflection every day,” he says. “What I mean by that is allowing some free time to do something random.”
When embracing randomness, we focus less on having optimal performance and more on the joy of the unknown. Instead of being beholden to rigid and repetitive daily routines circling TikTok—cue the “5-to-9 before my 9-5-trend”—doing something random can get us out of a rut and spark creativity. “I think I live quite a disciplined, diligent life, and I love the idea of randomness,” Shetty says.
The science of randomness
Randomness is unplanned and often means engaging with, reading, or visualizing something or someone new. Research suggests novelty helps the brain establish neural pathways that can stimulate us and serve as an antidote to boredom. If the task feels interesting or good, the brain releases dopamine, or the feel-good hormone, in response. Trying something new also forces us to be in the present moment solely based on a curiosity for what the randomness will bring. Kevin Mitchell, Ph.D., an associate professor of genetics and neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, wrote in a TIME essay late last year that randomness can help our brains retain more nuanced information and improve our ability to “think outside of the box” on future problems.
What are some ways Shetty embraces randomness? One day, he’ll scroll through his contact list and see where his finger lands. He’ll text the person about how it’s been a while since they’ve connected or mention something that reminds him of them. On other days, he’ll grab a book on his shelf, flip to a random page, and read it out without context. While it may seem pointless—or dare I say random—it can energize and stimulate us. And better, it can take fewer than 30 seconds.
For the next week, following Shetty’s lead, I’ve challenged myself to try something random each day. Since I love cooking new meals, I’m going to randomly scroll through a recipe book in my apartment and pick a page, make the meal, and hope it goes well! Another day, I want to try Shetty’s approach of reading a random page and contacting someone new. I also consider randomness to be wandering into a new store on my walk home or taking a new route to work. I’ll scroll through online articles and choose one at random, shuffle my Apple Music playlists, or watch a random episode of my favorite show.
Randomness is about the willingness to embrace something new without the pressure of perfection or excelling for long-term gains. It reflects the science of hobbies, which tells us that trying new things for the sake of learning can bring us a sense of joy, self-accomplishment, and newfound passion.
“I’ve messaged some random people that I’ve not been in touch with for a while, which has been really beautiful to reconnect. I’ve read pages of books that I may not have read if I tried to read the whole thing,” Shetty says. “I love embracing randomness.”