Maintaining habits whilst travelling

I love travelling. New places, people and cultures provide new perspectives, and I believe travelling is one of the best investments you can make in yourself. Plane Thoughts is borne out of the quiet time I get on planes to think and write with lucidity. 

Whilst having a break from routine can be fun (whilst also being good for us for a host of reasons such as perspective and improved creativity), it can make it difficult to stick to our good habits. Typical ones are nutrition, exercise and sleep, which is not too big a deal on a short holiday, but if travelling frequently say for work then the consequences become more significant.

Why do we struggle?

One reason is that we have triggers for many of our habits, and when those triggers are removed, the habit doesn't happen automatically. Let's say I light a candle each evening as I wind down, and upon lighting the candle I sit and meditate. When staying in hotel rooms, which don't have candles, that trigger is now removed and so I forget to meditate. The newer the habit and the less engrained it is, the more significant the removal of the trigger. 

Another reason can be the increased cognitive cost of going about our day whilst in a new environment. Routine actions now require thought: where are my ties?, which floor is breakfast?, what's the quickest route to the gym?, where is the closest supermarket? With days which may already be busier than a typical day at home, combined with the additional cognitive costs, this may leave less physical and mental energy to dedicate to following good habits, especially at the end of the day, and in particular those habits which are already challenging to adhere to. 

A simple solution is forward planning. 

Planning ahead

Let's say I exercise every Mon, Weds and Thurs, always before going into the office. Arriving to a paradisiacal beach resort for a two week holiday aiming to exercise three times a week is unlikely for many to lead to those sessions. On the other hand, planning the specific days and times of day you will train, finding a gym and packing the supplements you usually take at home, all before setting off, may improve those chances. In the meditation example above, setting a daily reminder on your phone would act as the trigger in place of the candle ritual. 

Implementation idea

Forward planning can help improve adherence when it reduces the cognitive costs of sticking to a habit, and/or re-creates missing triggers. The aim is to do as much of the cognitively taxing work as well as any physical preparation before going away to make the behaviours you want to follow as automatic as possible. You want to remove as many potential hurdles.

Introducing just enough routine into the day to help you keep to your most important habits can also have long-term benefits, as losing certain habits whilst away can also have spillover effects even once back from the travels. Don't lose the momentum.

Best, Alex Joshi.

On my bedside table:

• Article: Memos from Howard Marks - Sea Change (link)

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