Like many people, I get a bit wary of change. Even though I enjoy new things, like a new technology, new toy, new great band, when something threatens an established routine my first instinct is to be be opposed and want things to stay the way I am used to.

An example today was how the blood tests are carried out at Crawley hospital. You used to go along to that room at the end of the corridor in the Red Wing, take a number from the dispenser like you are at the deli counter in a supermarket, take a seat and wait for your number to be called. Simple. You knew where you were – which was often sitting in a room full of people staring at their phones for what seemed like ages – and there was no planning or preparation; you just walked in off the street.

Well that has changed and now you need an appointment. When I had some blood tests recently I avoided the hospital and just arranged to have them done at the GP surgery at the same time as some other stuff. I was going to be there anyway so why not do it all together? It saved having to do something new and different.

Today I needed another test, because they forgot to test for cholesterol last time, and decided it would probably be quicker to go to the hospital than wait for an appointment with the GP’s nurse. So I popped to the surgery to pick up the necessary paperwork, did a search for ‘blood test crawley hospital’ and got straight to the right website. I saw there were lots of free slots for the afternoon and picked one.

When I got to the hospital there was a touchscreen instead of the ticket dispenser. Fortunately, exactly the same sort of thing as the Guildford hospital outpatients department where I had so many appointments. I just put in my birthday etc. and went off to find a seat. There were lots of them. Only one other person was in the room. I havered a bit over which one to sit in, and was just lowering myself into it when my name was called. My cheeks did not even get to make contact properly.

The whole experience was a lot faster then before. With the only problem being the inevitable multiple attempts to actually draw some blood. I have very shy veins I think.

It was the same when a booking system was introduced at the local tip. Lots of vocal complaints and uproar about it when it started but it turned out to be a much better experience. It is easy to book an appointment, even for the same day, and when you get there you never have to queue, and there is always a place to park up without waiting around. Previously the queue for the tip could back up to Halfords or beyond and cause gridlock. You could end up in that queue for 15 minutes or more just to get onsite. Now it takes less than that for me to make an entire round-trip if I don’t have a lot to take there.

I am pretty sure I would now kick off if anybody suggested going back to the old ad hoc system that I was so keen to cling on to.

I intend to use these two examples as a reminder to embrace change a bit more willingly in the future.

But I bet I don’t.