The figure of Charles Dickens is evoked to introduce the idea that human beings are "creatures of habit." Contrary to the modern management view that associates routine with unproductivity, the text argues that without it, peace and the capacity for intellectual and artistic development would not exist. Figures like Pythagoras, Picasso, or Rimbaud, and even Kant with his strict hourly discipline, based their work on recurring structures and habits.

In the business and technological sphere, routines act as a "protective membrane" that facilitates the generation of ideas, process transformation, and the creation of "artifacts" – that is, useful or even dispensable objects. Whoever denigrates routine is labeled an "inquisitor of creation," a preacher of incessant activity who ignores that true creation and deep thought often arise in moments of apparent inactivity.

The presumption of needing to "travel and have fun" by nature is criticized, suggesting that someone "obsessed" with their habits, trapped in their "comfort zone," can become unbearable and limited. The ability to be comfortable with oneself, to "talk to oneself" as Antonio Machado suggested, is seen as a precursor to the ability to relate to others. Introspection, visits to familiar places, observation of "trivialities," and reflection are part of the routines that nourish passion.

The example of Isaac Newton, secluded due to the plague and discovering gravity when an apple fell on him, is presented as a fortuitous discovery ("serendipity") that, however, was facilitated by a "moment of inactivity and rural routine." Routine, far from being a "purge" or an obsession with order, is defined as "personal and non-transferable organization," similar to an ID card, which can be both bureaucratic and liberating, driving progress and beauty.

In contrast, "addiction to distraction" generates boredom, arbitrariness, and inefficiency, potentially leading to "evil" and the "forgetting of compassion." The film Oppenheimer is mentioned as an example of how routine can be the "infantry of genius thought," although the author remains inconclusive as to whether his own reflection is due to routine or principle.