We have a tendency to be “all or nothing” about our vacation time. We plan a trip months in advance. Then we drudge through our routine looking forward to the trip like a light at the end of the tunnel.
Sometimes you just need a small change-up in your routine. When you’re no longer excited about what you’re doing day in and day out, give yourself the freedom to make a minor one-off detour from your normal schedule.
Skip the gym and read a book.
Stay up a little later and sleep in an extra half hour.
Go to a concert on a weekday night.
Eat out at a nice restaurant instead of cooking.
Meet a friend for a drink.
Mini-vacations are like the flex in airplane wings. Stiffer airplane wings break sooner and make for rougher turbulence.
You have to allow yourself flexibility at the margins of your normally rigid routine. Commit fully to the flex, resting assured that you can return to the safety of your routine. When you return, apply what you learned, and the routine improves a little.