Idea #14: Embrace a routine.

Embracing a routine may sound like the exact opposite of vacation, when you are in a new place, doing new things. But actually, even vacations have a pleasant way of encouraging new kinds of routines, whether it's an early morning beach walk, cocktail hour, or fancy dinners out every night. Over at the Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin talks about the pleasure that can come from such ritual. She writes:

One of the things that I love about this yearly summer trip to Kansas City is that we always do exactly the same things. We go to the library, Worlds of Fun amusement park, Kaleidescope, a movie at Ward Parkway, the “sprayground.” We feed the ducks at Loose Park. We eat at Winstead’s and go out for BBQ. I eat huge quantities of my favorite nonfat Belfonte yoghurt that I can’t get in New York City. We buy books at the best bookstore ever, Rainy Day Books.

What's your ritual?