So you’ve been away from your usual routine for a few days. You’ve been away. Maybe it was business. Perhaps a visit from the family. Or you went on holiday. Possibly you were just really busy. In any case, you’ve lost the thread of your routine. You have a full inbox, laundry basket, and blog reader. By contrast, you’re running on empty when it comes to food, what to wear and change for the bus.
Basically, you need to ease yourself back in. Particularly if you’ve been on holiday. There’s no point in getting all relaxed if a return to routine is massively stressful.
Before you go
If you know that you’re going to be away from routine make some preparations in advance. Organise the following for your return:
- 2-3 days worth of outfits. Avoid worrying about getting clothes clean and dry. Unless you’re a minimalist you’ll have something you can pull out for your return.
- Meals. Make the decision in advance that you’ll buy rather than make lunch. Likewise, know what you’ll be eating for dinner, and keep it simple. This is a time for jacket potatoes, pasta and beans on toast.
- Bus/parking money. Ensure that you’re not scrabbling for change by setting it aside in advance.
On your return
Don’t rush back into your old habits too quickly. Stagger your pick up of daily tasks. Your morning yoga practice can wait a day or three to resume. Writing your next blog post isn’t urgent. Your readers can probably wait for your next blog post. Likewise, the multiple inboxes that you monitor don’t all need to empty on day one. Take it easy on yourself. This could be a great time to question if you really need to do the things you haven’t done for a few days.
How do you cope with a return to routine? Do you take it slow? Or rush back in?