Routines help us experience the benefit of things that require effort. As we all know, sports can be exhausting and the effort required to workout can be immense, especially in the morning prior to trekking off to the office.

At least two to three times a week, my drive to the Munich IDEO office is combined with a 60-minute stop at one of the most beautiful swimming baths I know. On the river Isar and five minutes from work, there’s the Müllersche Volksbad, a Jugendstil-style (or art nouveau) swimming bath that was built in 1901. I have yet to experience the bath’s saunas; still, simply walking through the bath’s entrance puts me in a different time zone. I become relaxed and slow, and I am surrounded by comforting material such as old stone and wood.

I first head into the changing room, which both men and women share. The mixed situation doesn’t matter, though. The gender-divided changing rooms are farther from the big pool, and that makes for too much effort. I cannot wait to get into swimming mode, as I slide into my bathing suit. From a balcony above the pool, I can see, smell, and hear the space before moving down to the pool.
Between very old swimmers and professionals, I find my rhythm and enjoy the experience. Still, this 7:15 a.m. routine is a pain; yet, it’s showed me that even painful routines – like frequently doing sports in the morning – take time to appreciate, to love. A routine requires time to become an attitude, a behavior. Places like the Müllersche Volksbad help with this transition.