Is Summer Costing You a Good Habit, And What To Do About It?
It seems that this is your first time to my blog. Welcome! In this blog I will share my ideas on how you can make a living in a way that feels good to you, your family, your environment and everyone around you. If you want to know more about me and this blog, check out my about page. And if you want to stay updated on my new posts, subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for stopping by!
Summer is a hard time for maintaining habits. It’s hard to stay on a strict diet on a barbecue weather. It’s hard to keep waking up early when you don’t have to get to work in the morning. There are other times like this too (Christmas for example), but none of them can quite compete at the same level of habit-destructiveness with summer.
And no, I’m not untouched by this phenomenon.
The past two weeks that I have been on my summer holiday have been a relaxing two weeks, but at the same time they have made me watch my good habits turn into good intentions. Not completely extinct yet, but slowly degrading and almost being forgotten.
Habits rely on a routine
There are many reasons why a it’s hard to stay in shape throughout summer.
But on a more generic level, I think the biggest reason why keeping a habit alive during the summer is so hard, is losing your routine.
You have tied your habits to your daily routine, but then one day, that routine is gone - and so is your habit. Let’s take my morning ritual as an example. Here’s how it goes on a normal day:
- Use an alarm clock to wake up some time between 5 AM and 5:30 AM
- Do the ritual at the kitchen table while the rest of the family is sleeping
- Go to work
Now, being on a holiday isn’t enough of a routine breaker to break this habit.
But then, add some more ingredients:
- If you are on a trip where the one-year-old sleeps in the same room with you, you can’t use an alarm clock. After all, if the kid wakes up at the same time as you do, it’s “so long, morning ritual!”
- If you manage to wake up at the right time without an alarm clock, then comes the problem of not being at home. Going to the kitchen table is not the same if you risk being interrupted by your parents in law.
- Not having to go to work? That’s good. You have more time in your day, and that’s something you can use in favor for your habits - if you want to.
No routine - no habit?
You lose the routine. You lose the habit.
It can be this simple. But does it really have to be?
I don’t know the final answer, but so far I have come up with two rather good alternatives. If you know more, please share them in the comments so I can learn from your ideas too.
- Be flexible. Flexibility is a tool that I have been using ever since my son was born. With a child in the house you can never know when your schedule will change, so the only thing you can do is to work on your projects and habits whenever there is some time at hand. It might not be every day - and most certainly, it’s not always at the same time of the day. But if you don’t worry too much about such details, it can help you get things done even on your summer holiday.
- Get support. When you can make your family support you on your habits, they will make time for you to get them done. Often, this means that you pick the most important habits, that are important not only for you but also to the people you live with.
Together, these two partial solutions might well keep your habits from dying. It doesn’t mean a triumphant, victorious season full of productivity and getting things done. But that doesn’t matter.
It’s OK to go on a lighter schedule for a while if it means spending more time with your kids, or getting some important project finished. Just make sure to get back to your routines when the time is over. That’s the only way to keep learning and working your way towards the top.
If you enjoyed this post and don't want to miss any of my new content, subscribe to my RSS feed or have the latest posts delivered straight to your e-mail inbox.
July 14th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I agree with everything you say here. Although, here in Florida (US) it’s way too hot to bbq in the summer. Also, you guys get summer off in Finland? Maybe I need to move!
PS - Do you know a good web designer for Wordpress sites?
Nimic’s last blog post: Which Conserves More Water, a Shower or Bath?
July 14th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Well, I actually made myself a timetable for my summer vacation and this is the second time I’m spending my summer like this. However if I’d have a family, I believe that then the situation would be different. I remember the time when I just “spent” my summer vacation without any decent daily planning. I couldn’t imagine going back to that again. Of course your schedule should be flexible and you shouldn’t worry if can’t make it every day. After all, it’s your summer vacation and some sort of “lack of control” is OK :)
July 15th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
@Nimic: Not quite the whole summer (unless you are a teacher). Most of us get 4-5 weeks of paid vacation in the summer depending on how long you’ve been in your current job. From what I’ve heard, it’s rather good compared to many other countries :)
@Timo: I think having a plan for the summer is a good idea. I still do that even though I have a family. It’s just that sticking to that plan isn’t always easy :)