04: Making Habits Stick, Returning Home From Vacation, Summer Inspirations

Have you ever come up with a great idea to begin a handful of new habits, only to find yourself a few weeks later not doing them? It can be easy to think that starting a dozen new habits will magically transform your lifestyle from overwhelmed to tranquil. 

It’s tempting to make a list of everything you’d like to improve and come up with strategies and routines. It may go something like this: You want to have a more productive work day so you come up with 8 new habits. You work hard the first few days to make those habits stick. You succeed and are motivated. But then reality kicks in. The routines become challenging to live up to. And the pendulum swings back to a state of frustration and overwhelm. 

The human brain is a fascinating object. When training our minds to adopt a new habit, there are two possible outcomes– success or failure. I believe (from personal experience) that the reasons why we fail to make habits stick are because of 2 basic situations.

1. There’s no immediate reward. Many of the habits we begin don’t usually come with instant gratification. The reward might be more long-term, so it’s effectiveness comes from faithfully putting the time into doing it. But once these types of habits become hard, we’re likely to give up. Take flossing your teeth, for example. It’s a tedious task that doesn’t give an immediate reward. It’s through constant persistence that the pleasure is found. 

2. We set unrealistic goals. When we try to begin too many new habits in a short period of time, it’s likely that failure will result. Why? Because in the first few days and weeks of a new habit we’re being fueled by the excitement of change. It’s easy to overcommit when you are in this “honeymoon” period. 

Fortunately, there’s something we can do to make habits stick. And it’s really rather simple– stop trying to do too much and start small. Start so small, in fact, that you end each day eager to do even more. During the “honeymoon” period, it’s important to leave a bit of motivation in the tank for the next day instead of trying to change everything all at once.

When we allow ourselves the time and space to focus on doing one or two habits, we’re much more likely to internalize these new changes to the point of becoming second nature. 

So when trying to begin new life changing habits, start small. Focus on one area of improvement and commit to making that habit too easy not to do. After you’ve mastered that one habit, use that motivation to begin another. I love this quote by BJ Fogg, author of the book Tiny Habits and his perspective about choosing the right small behavior. 

“If you pick the right small behavior and sequence it right, then you won’t have to motivate yourself to have it grow. It will just happen naturally, like a good seed planted in a good spot.” – BJ Fogg

On returning home from vacation

It’s summer and the season of vacationing is here. Bring on the sunny days of laying by the beach and getting caught up on my reading list! Okay who am I kidding, it’s more like chasing my toddler around the beach and as I simultaneously attempt to dig seashells out of his mouth, and maybe cracking open a book once or twice as a hopeful gesture.

But vacations aren’t only a chance to seek adventure and escape from our regular routines. Many studies have shown that taking time away from your job can have quite a few physical and psychological health benefits. After vacationing, people have been found to have lower stress levels, less risk of heart disease, a more optimistic outlook on life, and more motivation towards pursuing their goals. 

So go ahead, take those vacations and soak in the extra health benefits that can result. But while you do, think about how you can carry those stress-free thoughts and behaviors over to the days when you return home. 

Several years ago when we first began our simple living journey, I realized that returning home from vacations seemed to be a daunting task. Everything that I neglected to put away or tidy up was waiting for me when we arrived home. 

So I decided on a few small habits and intentionally made the time to accomplish them before leaving for our next trip. Since then, I’ve been mindful to take time to do these tasks before shutting the front door. And it’s made returning home much more peaceful and enjoyable. Below you’ll find a list of the 9 habits that I’ve found to be the most beneficial. 

So do a few, do all of them, or even none at all if that’s what matters to you…this list is certainly not a prescriptive way to prepare for a vacation. It’s something that’s worked well for me, so do what makes your life easier. 

Take out the garbage. Don’t leave a trash can filled with anything that can cause a bad smell. You don’t want your first breath of air as you walk in the front door to be the stench of a rotting tomato at the bottom of the trash can. 

Run the dishwasher. I’ve left dirty dishes in the dishwasher before and after several days of sitting unwashed, it’s not a good smell. Run the dishwasher, even if it’s not a completely full load. You’ll have clean, fresh smelling dishes when you return. 

Put fresh sheets on your bed. You’re likely exhausted from a day of traveling home, so coming back to clean, fresh sheets is a great day to unwind.

Give a quick vacuum. I don’t want to be reminded of the crumbs under the kitchen table or bits of leaves scattered by the door. Give your main floor a quick vacuum so when you walk through your door, you’re greeted with one less task to do. 

Remove perishable items from the fridge. Depending on how long you’ll be away, think about what food has the potential of going bad (and starting to smell) if left in your fridge. Keep only items that you can use after returning and discard the rest. 

Put away the laundry. You’re likely to have plenty of laundry to do when you return home, so make sure to put away all the clean laundry before leaving. 

Plan a meal. Before leaving, make a plan for the next meal or two when you return home. Maybe it’s a frozen dinner that you can quickly toss in the oven. Or maybe you budget an extra $20 to stop for pizza on the way home. 

Clear off the countertops. Having a cluttered countertop is one of the main ways to make a home seem more stressful. Clear off flat surfaces so you have room to unpack when you get back. 

Tidy up the house. I know it can be chaotic trying to get everyone packed and out the door, but coming home to a list of items to clean up and put away is even more overwhelming, in my opinion. Have the kids help to put every item back in it’s home.