Top 5 Reads to Change Your Routine in 2020

By: Naomi Matlow

“If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow — you are not understanding yourself.”

–  Bruce Lee

The weather out there is changing and so are you. We’ve all been there. Heck, some of us are there right now! When it is time to make a change, often the most difficult step is getting started. Here are a few of our favorite blogs that have been written over the past year that speak to our human need for a routine change and diversifying our days… 

1. We Are What We Attend (To)

“Today, perhaps more than ever, there are so many things, in varying dimensions and to confusing levels of importance, calling for our attention. With the 24-hour news cycle and encyclopedias/televisions/stereos/constant communication devices in our back pockets at all times, how do we pay attention to where we are paying our attention?”

Sometimes we don’t need to travel across the world to bring a change to our routine. Being mindful about where we put our attention, as well as allowing ourselves to marvel at the intricacies and details that exist in the natural world, can increase our appreciation for the world around us. It can also help to bring about a change of routine for our thoughts, priorities, and our default patterns. Then we can more successfully follow the beloved poet Mary Oliver’s creed: “Instructions for living life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”

2. What Inspired Our New 1-Week Adventures?

“Like everything at Unsettled, our one-week experiences are designed for a curated community of travelers who want to gain perspective and inspiration on how they are living and working today. On our one month immersive experiences we originally set out to explore the question of ‘how we want to live’, and now, our 1-week experiences are here to help us explore ‘how we want to travel’.”

– Lala Franklin-Apted, VP of Experience 

Sometimes a week is all it takes to reinvigorate, reprioritize, and refresh. Our Unsettled 1-Week Adventures exploring off the beaten path of our favorite urban cities, seeing the world while navigating the seas, or living more and working less from our favorite corners of the natural world, can spark meaningful and everlasting change. 

3. On Transitions: Q&A with Dr. Katie Kostohryz

“Most people do not land their dream job out of college or grad school yet a lot of us have this expectation. We grow and change over time, so we need to be flexible and anticipate transitions every few years.”

– Katie Kostohryz, Unsettled: Bali alum 

In their essence, times of transition are psychologically challenging. Our bodies and minds desire certainty more than we can provide them. We are lucky to chat with Unsettled: Bali alum, Katie, who is an expert on these very topics and incredibly universal journeys. 

4. Sabbaticals are More Than Just an Intentional Reset. Here’s Why. 

“We’ve heard it hundreds of times from Unsettled alumni. Their sabbaticals, transitions, and intentional breaks from their routines help re-energize them, provide them with a new perspective, and help them be more creative in their day-to-day lives.” 

We often forget that humans are nature too. As a result, we go through seasons, phases of growth, and a need for recalibration and rejuvenation in order to do our best work and be the best versions of ourselves. 

5. You Quit. We Listened. What Have We Learned About Taking the Leap?

“Your stories unequivocally proved time and time again that life is a journey, an unfolding story with twists, turns, trials, and tribulations. The act of making the tough decision to quit and change course is an admittance to your environment, but most importantly to yourself, that your journey is evolving in ways that are preventing you from reaching your full potential.”

From October 15 to November 15, you — the Unsettled community — shared your stories of quitting something with intention, from a job to a habit to a relationship. We found that there was so much that all or our stories share, and that change is never easy but most often worthwhile.

Check out where we are shaking up our routines in 2020!