To routine or not to routine?

I saw this tweet from Nikita Bier that I thought was very interesting.

Note: Nikita is one of my favourite shitposters on Twitter (Or X if you choose to call it that) and his strength lies in the fact that it is tough to gauge when he’s serious and whenever he’s shitposting.

Due to that lack of clarity, obviously it exploded with lots of folks taking it very seriously and got offended.

I am 90% sure he was shitposting but irrespective, it got me thinking - How rigid should one be with their routine? Yes, a good routine and habits keep you grounded - ensure you’re working out, eating right, sleeping well etc, etc. What happens when you’re thrown off your routine because life isn’t being mindful of your goals and 9 PM sleep time?

I know some super disciplined people, they’re up at 5 am, cold plunges , calorie-counted meals with a bazillion grams of protein, and the works. They live a pretty good life and are happy, and productive till one snag ruins their day and week. One '“unscheduled” coffee meetup after work and their entire schedule goes out of wack and they stress about going off track. All it took was a coffee? I know this because I was the unscheduled coffee meetup.

What is the point of discipline and daily routines if you become a slave to it? It’s meant to empower you! Not the other way around. I’m glad you have a functioning daily routine that keeps you productive (most people need it) but don’t turn into a robot in the process.

After all, how effective is your routine if it takes one coffee with a friend to derail your life?