Mid-Year Reset: Press Pause on Your Routine

Our home away from home.

June was a unique month for me this year. I was away, camping, for 29 days. Hubby and I and eight of our friends packed up our four-wheel drives and camper trailers and went on an epic adventure to the tip of Australia, Cape York. It is a very long drive, 6,000 kms in all, and the roads are dusty (or muddy), rough and bumpy. The landscape is wild; you have to watch out for animals on the road; the skies are big, and the landscape is more beautiful than I can describe in words. Suffice to say, we had a wonderful time.

And, while we were exploring the Top End, my computer and iPad stayed at home. My phone was used as a camera because there is no phone service in most of the places we spent time. No TV, no YouTube, no Instagram. Just big skies and a circle of friends on folding camp chairs.

We’ve been back for two and a half weeks. Back to sitting on a chair pulled up at a desk in front of a big screen.

I like my routine. My days follow a predictable rhythm. My morning and evening routines are rarely interrupted. So, I felt a little off-kilter while we were away.

But time away from my daily routine was good for me. Routines need to be challenged and changed.

My daily Bible reading and journalling slipped to every two or three days amongst camp pack down and sharing a communal space. I didn’t go to the gym or on coffee dates with hubby. My evenings of knitting in front of the TV disappeared with the sunset (and the lack of a TV). Nothing normal happened.

When my routine was stripped away, it helped me consider what I value, why I do what I do, and how I spend my time. The trip created a reset for me. All the normal things I usually do every day changed. And now, since getting back, I have the choice of how to begin again.

I’ve come home with fresh energy and new ideas. I’ve tried some new layouts in my bullet journal, time-blocking my weeks in more detail to manage my energy better. I’m enjoying being back in the gym and catching up with friends. I’m meal planning and cooking from scratch. I’m moving forward with goals that have sat dormant since the beginning of the year. And I have the seed of an idea for my next book.

I loved my time away, but, more importantly, I love being back home.

I had an IT manager who answered the phone, not with a customary “Hello,” but with the question, “Have you turned it off and on again?” Because, for some strange reason, so many tech glitches seem to fix themselves with a simple reset.

There’s an Anne Lamott quote I’ve always loved: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” And I have found this to be true.

I know that a month away camping is unrealistic for most of us. It was a very special opportunity and blessing for me. But I wonder if there are ways we can push the reset button without having to go on a long trip. I wonder if there are ways we can press pause on our normal routines for a while and create a reset moment.

Consider the normal routine of your week. What can you change up for a season?

Have a break from unnecessary technology. Turn off the TV, delete Facebook and Instagram, leave the earbuds at home when you walk and have a break from the constant bombardment of media and content for a while.

Change up your Bible reading routine. Listen instead of reading, use a different translation, or spend a season in a guided journal like Come to Me. I wrote it to be a simple way back to sitting with Jesus when normal life bumps us off course. Do something different and see how it feels.

Change your exercise routine. Try a Pilates class instead of walking, ride a bike or go swimming. I saw an advert for a senior’s beginner ballet class at a local church hall this morning. Try something different; you might find something you love.

Change your morning and evening routine. Push yourself out of your comfort zone, just a little, and see what you learn about yourself. Give yourself the opportunity to miss something you love and try something new. Change your coffee order. Have something different for breakfast. Create a reset.

While my life post-trip is very similar to my life before I went, I feel like I’ve had a fresh start and a new beginning, and it feels good. What does pushing the reset button on your life look like?

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