Vacations are great until you find yourself back in the office asking, “How did that go by so quickly?” Since most of us work more than 40 hours per week, all we want to do on vacation is rest and recover, preferably on a beach. But as Quartz points out, the less time you spend lying around, the longer your time off will feel. Next vacation:
- Do something challenging. Take a road trip. The scenery is always changing, which forces you to focus on the present. Marc Wittmann, author of Felt Time, told Quartz that all of these new things make a trip feel exciting and memorable.
- Try journaling. Rather than letting the days blur together, keep a log of what you do, so you can remind yourself of the amazing memories from your time off.
- Don’t overdo it on planning. Planning makes time seem like it’s moving faster, Wittmann says. If you’re constantly thinking about the what’s next, you can’t actually pay attention to what’s happening in front of you. Make a general plan for the important things, like hotel reservations or flights, but keep your schedule more flexible on a daily basis.
