If our definition of vacation is significant, as in greater than 5 days, time away from our home, then my family has been on vacation a total of two times. The first vacation was 8 days in a single cabin in Maryland, and the second vacation was 13 days visiting friends and family in Maine. These vacations were different from one another, however, there's one very important value they both share: They both launched my family into a period with no routine.
Normally, our days model the 80-20, that is, we plan for 80% of the day, and leave a 20% buffer. Our 80% plan contains a routine of our school tasks, chores, errands, group activities, and other responsibilities in the day. When we are on vacation, however, our plan is flipped into 20-80. If this were a clever movie, I might call it turning turtle. This gives us a chance to experience life a little more free than normal. It also gets old quick.
Even when we were surrounded by friends, family, and the beautiful Maine scenery, my family still finished our vacation ready to return home. This response to our vacation puzzled me as I know that each and every one of my family members felt more "at home" in Maine than they do, well, at home. What was causing them to experience home-sickness?
Creating structure with a routine is never so obviously important as when you spend multiple days without it. By the end of every vacation, my family is ready for the routine. When we start a new school year, we are ready to get into the daily routine, eager for it even. This routine gives us focus, but it also gives us freedom. It's like those old psychology studies about kids on a playground and the fence. When the fence was installed the children felt more safe and played on more of the playground than when the fence was missing.
Routine is the fence. It is the invisible boundary on our lives. As such, it creates freedom to think, freedom to play, and freedom to work. Without routine it is easy to become like the double minded man referenced in James: Tossed to and fro by the waves.
How's your routine for this new year shaping up? Are you interested in creating new better routines for 2020? Come join our conversations about routines on the Scio Academy facebook page.