The Unusual Motive I Preserve Posting My Wordle Rating On Facebook

In this photo, taken in Krakow in Poland, you can see Wordle on a screen of a mobile phone. … [+]On January 23, 2022. (Photo taken by Jakub porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images).

NurPhoto via Getty Images

Why is it that we do what we do?

For me, it’s a continual mystery.

I am often surrounded by a sense of regularity and trying to find ways to make things stay the same. It is the familiar that I long for when things are changing in the world.

To my surprise, new routines developed during the pandemic. They were completely different from what I would have thought possible a few years back. It’s not something I do every day, but it seems normal to watch entire seasons on Netflix. I would have never used Uber Eats in a million years, now it’s second nature for me. I’m still prone to go for a drive for no reason than to simply go somewhere. My neighbor bought me his BMW and I was able to drive it for less than a dollar.

We humans tend to choose the most stress-free option. Because change is often stressful, most people prefer to stick with familiar and predictable routines. Even if the decision doesn’t really make sense we might follow a certain course only because it seems more predictable.

One curious routine that is almost inexplicable to me is that I’m known to post my Wordle score on Facebook each day. I have a few friends who like my posts, but honestly it’s now just part of a process I’m following to make the events of the day seem less chaotic. Each morning, after journaling and studying for a while, I’ll do the Wordle puzzle and post the results.

If you follow this column, you know I’m not always enamored by Facebook. Facebook is not known for its charitable efforts. The company makes money when people click on ads. While there is value to the social networks we have, scrolling through photos of people we don’t know or will never meet isn’t exactly the highest calling.

And yet, I’m still posting my Wordle.

I’m not sure my closest relatives and immediate family members care about my score. I don’t even care about my score. It’s a way to fend off the vagaries of inconsistency. It is easy to predict what will happen next. Repeatability makes it easy to manage it or learn from it. This allows us to grow, mature and possibly even improve our abilities. I see this “productivity engine” as so important, I even wrote a book about it.

Wordle seems to be for those like me, who are unable to let go of routine activities and want to make progress in life. Looking for some relief? Do not change too rapidly Do at most one little activity each day. It is slower to see progress than it is fast.

Surprise! While I am embracing the daily routines of life like posting my Wordle score, I’m also surprised how much I’m willing to try new things. Lately, it’s bubble tea and sushi, tomorrow it might be skydiving and playing video games again. One thing is certain: We need a base, somewhere we can put our feet down and claim our place in the world.

While the course may be full of twists and turns along the way, at least I can see my Facebook page and my puzzle games that are never changing. This is how I see things.