Traditionally, fewer people make changes to their lives/ their habits/anything else, in the summer. They favour the “tried and tested” times to attempt it instead (ie Jan 1st and the three days afterwards , or the engrained September start of the academic year, that seems to speak of change to anyone in the western world, whatever their age.

Various reasons are given for this, such as,”Well, everyone’s on holiday”, or, “there’s no-one around.” In fact, these conditions are perfect for implementing personal change, and here are  three  reasons why.

1. Your own holidays give you time to think

Let’s face it, the demands of most people’s everyday routines aren’t conducive to simple change, without concerted adjustment.  Many of us find it tough to feel justified in day-dreaming, imagining and “mulling over”, when there are deadlines, and people, to meet.

On holiday, it’s a different story. Long stretches of unallocated time (or indeed, long periods of time occupying you, but in a relaxing way) do give you the conditions to think about “what next?” Plus of course, when you return from the holiday, it’s  an easier time to, “press the re-set button”, because you have an immediate chance to begin doing things differently.

2. You get to try things out when no-one’s looking

If you implement a change when there aren’t many people around, you increase your chances of the change becoming permanent later on. This is because, when you first make a change, your first efforts at implementing it are likely to be less, “polished” than those you make later on. Think back to the first time you travelled to work from a new home, for example. Or your first attempts at using a new piece of software, a new language, or anything similar.
Therefore, if the “audience” for your initial efforts is smaller, because it itself is out of town, you have the perfect chance to get proficient in your own time. Meaning that…

3. When everyone’s back from holiday, you have a head start.

Whilst everyone else is returning from holiday, and attempting to “get back in the groove,” you’ll already have been practising your new habits so that they feel more comfortable, and look more proficient. So, by the time they begin to look at websites and think about making that, “September change”, you’ll already have implemented yours, and be raring to go.

So, if you’re even thinking about making a change, there really is no time like this particular present.

PS. We aim to practice what’s just been preached around this blog too…watch this space.