How to Make Your Everyday Life Feel Like Vacation
I'm back home this week after a Michigan vacation with our little family of 5.
This is our third summer going to the same spot to spend a week with no schedule or agenda.
We spend our days at the beach and fill in the rest of our time with games, reading, movies, puzzles, food, and a few adventures.
It's simple and I love it so much.
One thing I realized while reflecting on our week, was that most of our activities, aside from the beach and a visit to Nell's Dutch Village, are things I already incorporate into my everyday life at home.
I read every day.
Have a puzzle in process most weeks.
Play cards, from Solitaire and War to Speed and Uno with the kids, pretty regularly.
And every Friday we watch a family movie and have even been to the theater three times this summer to see new releases (Elemental anyone?!?).
And dang if I don't feel a sense of pride at that realization.
That I don't need a vacation to do things that I love. Things that help me relax and connect with my people every day, not just this one week a year.
But I know for so many, vacation is when you can finally spend your time being with your family, instead of just around them. (There's a difference.)
Maybe for you vacation allows you to:
Read that stack of books that's been sitting on your nightstand, untouched because you never have the time to read.
Sit around a table playing cards or games or putting together a puzzle - things that never feel as important as the chores waiting to be completed.
Watch a movie without scrolling on your phone or folding laundry because those distractions aren't around when you're on vacation.
And yes, by definition that's what vacation is for. To give you an extended period of time for leisure and recreation, especially away from home.
And it IS easier to relax and do things for pleasure when you don't have the distractions of everyday life knocking on your door - schedules, deadlines, work, chores, and more.
But what if you could incorporate just a sliver of your vacation life into your everyday life?
What if you could read for 5 or 10 minutes a night? Or spend an evening playing cards or puzzling?
How would that change the way you felt about work and all your responsibilities?
Maybe then, you wouldn't need a vacation like you need a lifeline. Maybe you wouldn't have to spend the week decompressing from the stress of your everyday life.
Maybe you'd just want a vacation because it's fun and pleasurable. Maybe you wouldn't have to spend so much time decompressing and could just dive right into the adventure or leisure and relish all the memories.
There would be no cramming in all the books and puzzles and movies and games, because those things are a part of your everyday life.
You don't need an excuse, or a vacation, to spend time doing what brings you joy. You can have that now. You can have that every day.
If you're ready for more everyday joy and fun in your life, I have openings for 1:1 coaching and Planning Intensives.
I want to show you do have time for fun in your everyday life. And it's not as hard as you might think.
Ready to bring more “vacation” in your everyday life?
Download the Working Mom's Ultimate Guide to Getting It Done. This step-by-step process will save you time and energy, reduce decision fatigue, and make prioritizing fun in your everyday life easier than ever.