The Uncomfortable
Routines can often be beneficial in creating healthy habits; other times, a comfortable life on autopilot can hinder personal growth. Doing anything uncomfortable in life takes more energy than something that is comfortable. Whether that be watching a different tv show/movie on Netflix to going to a new restaurant over “the usual”. Decision fatigue contributes to the challenge to do the uncomfortable but isn't the only factor. Just the mindset of doing something out of routine can be more energy draining.
One way to ease the amount of effort/energy required to anything outside of your comfort zone is to do things which are uncomfortable frequently. Once, someone told me he liked to do things that challenge him and are uncomfortable in order to make other uncomfortable things seems less challenging. He took on climbing mountains and other difficult challenges to prepare for challenges that he may face in other aspects of his life, including his career. (Podcasts and books are great resources to hear other people's stories)
I do not think that one can grow efficiently while in a constant state of discomfort. Reflection is just as important as doing things that make you uncomfortable. Just reflect on what makes you happiest and give you the most meaning. Those things probably made you nervous at first, but the results were worthwhile.
Reflection of the benefits of doing certain things can also ease the hurdle of doing the uncomfortable in the future. You should question why you do certain things in your life and ask yourself how you could improve yourself. The love the Japanese concept, Kaizen; the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices, personal efficiency, etc.
When contemplating what to do for the evening, you should weigh the various options. For example, you could ask yourself "Would it be more beneficial to go to that event rather than watch on your couch watching Netflix?" Going to the event isn't always the "right" choice as you could possibly need time to recharge or need time to reflect.
Life is more interesting when you do things outside of your routine. It can promote spontaneity and serendipity. It will probably expose you to perspectives you haven't seen. One way of doing this is making a habit of doing different things; Adventure Wednesdays is a great idea! (In short, a group of us would do something we normally wouldn't do every Wednesday; majority of the time, it was something we had never done before)
Lately, my goal of becoming a photographer (adding it to my identity) has pushed me over the past two years to do things I would not have imagined before starting my goal. I've pushed myself to get more comfortable photographing people, expanding how I see light, and pushing the limits of what I am comfortable photographing. This will be a neverending process.
Yes, it takes more energy to do the uncomfortable. But it can be worth the effort if you go about it the right way. For me, regret is often my motivator.