I know that I've been there, but after traveling a lot in the past few years, I've learned some tricks and tips that really make it so much easier.

So today we're going to be looking at seven easy ways that you can quickly get back into a routine after traveling without feeling overwhelmed or stressed out.

Plus, stick around to the end and I'll be sharing the number one thing that you can do before you even leave to make coming home feel smooth and effortless.

Ok.

So starting off, the first thing that you should do as soon as you return home is to unpack immediately and while you're at it, put on your first load of laundry tip, don't let it wait.

There's something about doing this that really helps our brains to unwind to kind of reflect on the trip that we just went on and then also to mentally prepare for just getting back into life as normal.

Plus, there's something so inconvenient about having to reach for your toiletries or other essentials days or even weeks after your trip.

And after a long trip home, I get it, you're tired, possibly jet lagged, but make things easier on yourself and just spend those 15 to 20 minutes unpacking and putting on the laundry.

Trust me, when you wake up the following day or are relaxing later in the day, knowing that you don't have that hanging over your head, you're really going to be thankful that you took the time to do it.

Ok.

And then our second tip is to take it easy traveling.

Well, fun can also be pretty exhausting, especially if you're coming back from along road trip or flight.

So to make sure that you don't come back from your vacation, more tired than when you left, try to leave your evening free the night that you get back.

And if you're pretty introverted, you might want to repeat that for a couple of days right after your trip, regardless of, if you choose to do it for one day or a few though, take some time to relax and go to bed early.

So you can wake up feeling refreshed the following day.

I find that a lot of times when we travel, we'll actually pack our schedules fuller than we would in our regular everyday life.

So if you're coming back from a trip like that, I really do find that this time to relax to decompress and just to chill is essential.

All right.

And then three is to drink plenty of water whenever we get out of our daily routine.

But especially when traveling, it can be difficult for us to drink enough water, especially since when we're on the road, our access to it might be limited.

So on your first day back, make drinking lots of water a priority.

Try starting off your day by filling up a big bottle of water like this one and then just continue refilling it as needed.

Staying properly hydrated really is one of those things that is foundational to the inner workings of our bodies.

And so by making sure that you're getting enough water staying hydrated, you're just going to feel better.

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But then moving on number four is to create a to do list.

The great thing about going on vacation is that you just get to get away from everything for a few days and spend time not thinking about work or your other responsibilities.

But the bad part is that often we come back with a lot of work that we need to catch up on.

And I think that for a lot of us just thinking about the sheer number of things that we need to do when we return from traveling can be pretty overwhelming for us.

And if that sounds like you sitting down and writing at a to do list is one of the best things you can possibly do.

Just getting your thoughts out of your head and onto paper, being able to see them in front of you can make everything that you have to do, feel a lot more manageable and easy to tackle.

And of course, writing out one massive to do list is great, but even that can still feel like a lot.

So when I get back from traveling, what I like to do is to write out three lists.

The first is a dump list.

It's kind of what you think of as that massive to do list that has everything on it.

I'll just get everything that I need to do and write it down.

Not in any particular order, but just so that I can get it out of my head, then I'll look at that list with everything on it and then start identifying what are some of the higher priority or lower priority items.

And then from there, I'll try to break down all of the things that need my attention sooner rather than later into two lists.

One will be my list for my first day back containing the top priorities of the things that I want to do as soon as I return.

And then the second is a weekly list.

It still contains things that I need to do in a timely manner upon returning from vacation.

But that I can spend days rather than hours slowly checking off.

And by breaking down my to do list in this way, it really does make all of the tasks, ideas to do s and things on our plate that we might have floating around in our head after getting back from traveling down into something that's a lot more manageable.

It's bite size and it feels really practical to be able to implement.

I really find that it just helps to take the overwhelming of getting your life organized when you return.

Number five is to get your body moving.

And I've been there trying to stay consistent with a workout routine when traveling can be so difficult and while it's totally fine and actually healthy to give our bodies a chance to rest every once in a while, one of the best things that you, you can do for yourself to break out of any post vacation lethargy is to get active and to get your body moving.

So as soon as possible, when you return home, take some time to hit the gym, go for a run or even just enjoy nature and go for a walk, you'll get those feel good, endorphins coursing through your body and in no time you'll be feeling ready to take on the world.

And then number six is the dreaded emails.

I cannot stress this enough make a game plan for your emails.

I think that for a lot of us, one of the most stressful parts about coming back from a trip is just the sheer number of emails that we know we need to tackle when we get back.

I know I at least will often come back from a long weekend away with 50 to 100 or more emails in my inbox.

So it's important that we go into responding to our emails with a plan.

One of my favorite strategies is to tackle my email inbox in three parts.

So for part one, I'll just quickly go through my emails and immediately delete or archive anything that doesn't need response.

It's an easy way just to make that massive number of emails feel a bit more manageable than if I need to.

I'll usually take a short break and then start on part two and that's responding to the high priority emails.

I like to pick the 3 to 5 most important emails that I need to respond to and to focus on those first.

Then once I've done that, I'll move on to step three and that's just responding to everything else.

And I will say I often don't do that third part all in one sitting.

I usually give myself anywhere from 1 to 2 days after I get back to respond to all my emails.

But I have to say breaking my emails down in this way really does make a massive difference for me.

It takes what is easily the most stressful part about returning to work and really turns it into something that's manageable and that I can just slowly work through step by step.

Ok.

And then our seventh and final tip before we get to the little bonus that I have for you is to eat plenty of greens and fresh foods.

And one of my favorite ways to do that is to make a smoothie.

Often our diets and what we're eating while on vacation can be less than healthy.

So when I get home, I love just being able to hit the reset button on my diet and really infusing what I eat with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, plus some greens because we can always use more of those.

I like to think of coming home from a trip as a blank slate.

This really is your chance to choose what you're going to eat in the next few weeks and months.

All right time.

Now though, for our bonus tip and my opinion, and this is the number one thing that if you do before you go on vacation will make coming home just so much less stressful, more enjoyable and just make the whole process smoother.

And that's to clean before you leave.

Take some time to make sure that your bed is made that your floors are vacuumed or swept, that your kitchen is clean, that everything is looking tidy and that you can kind of home to a clean environment, just like setting out your clothes the night before, can set you up for success the following day, cleaning your home before you leave really has the same effect.

You're doing yourself a favor now that your future self will thank you for just by the nature of taking time off, we're already going to have a lot to do one week.

I'm home.

But by making sure that your space is clean and tidy before you leave, you can just take one extra thing off of your plate.

Plus in as much as going to new places and traveling is so so much fun.

There is something incredibly comforting and heartwarming about being able to come back to your home and your bed and just being able to enjoy it.

All right.

Well, those are seven easy ways that you can quickly get back into a routine after traveling.

But now I'd love to know.

Are there any tips that you have or habits that you like to practice that help you get back into a rhythm when you return home?

I'd love to hear about them.

So be sure to let me know in the comments below and don't forget that if you want to try out water drop, you can get 15% off using the code Ashlyn.

And again, everything will be linked in the description box below for you.

I think that's everything for this video though.

So as always, don't forget to give this video a like if you enjoyed it and subscribe if you haven't already for more simple and intentional living videos coming at you twice a week and until next time, friends, I hope you have an amazing day.