I am on vacation this week in Lake Tahoe with my wife. It has been a busy year and it is always important the find time to slow down and to look back and forward.

When I go on a vacation there are of course a lot of things I want to do. I want to see the major sites, eat some great food, learn something new and enjoy the time away with my favorite person. But there are some things that are must-do’s when I take a vacation and these have nothing to do with the actual place I am going.

Here are 5 things I do on vacation:

• Write. My time away is when I get the majority of my writing done. Most of my three books were written on a vacation. On this vacation in Lake Tahoe I am working on my next book. But you don’t have to write a book on your vacation. You can write down your thoughts on the previous year. You can journal about the vacation. What are you doing each day? I have done this on some of my larger vacations and it always helps when I think back on them years later.
• Think. I am a thinker so I am always thinking. My wife has asked me what I am thinking about many times on this trip as I silently look out towards the beautiful views. I am usually thinking about a million things. I am thinking about all of the good things in my life, all of my blessings. I am thinking about what I want to improve. I am thinking about the relationships that are good in my life and the ones that aren’t so good. Spending time in thought is always important, but on a vacation you are able to slow down and really crystallize your thoughts. This is imperative for me.
• Read. I am a big reader. Before the end of the year I will post a list of all the books I have read in 2015. I always find time to read, but on vacation it is easier for me. On this trip so far I have been on two flights and I have two more to go. That is a great time to read. I have already finished one book and should finish at least two more before I get home. You may think you don’t have time to read and learn, but if you don’t have time to do it on vacation (or any trip where you are on a plane really) that means you don’t want to. This means you aren’t interested in growing.
• Work on Goals. I have written a lot about goal setting and I even have a free 4 lesson email course on goal setting. I am a goal setter so I always find the time to think about my goals, to write them down, and to decide how I will take action. Since this vacation is at the end of the year, it gives me the opportunity to really clarify my goals before I return to my typical daily grind. But I am not just working on my own goals. My wife and I are working on our goals together. A couple should spend time discussing their individual goals and should also have goals together. For my wife and I this helps us grow together as husband and wife rather than grow apart. My wife is my number one accountability partner and I am hers. We are the solutions to each others obstacles and we always use some of our vacation time to discuss where we are going. Whether on a vacation or not, I challenge you to have a goals discussion with your significant other.
• RELAX. I am not great at this one. I am not one to slow down and take my foot off the gas. I find it hard to relax even on vacation. I am a planner so often on vacations I spend a lot of time putting together a full itinerary of what we will do. Although this can be good as it makes sure we get the most out of the trip, it also doesn’t allow me time to relax. I have learned that not ever second of a trip needs to be laid out. I don’t need a full itinerary. I just need to know where we are going and a few things that we want to do. A vacation can include a lot of fun things. It can include adventure and sightseeing. But more than anything it should be an opportunity to relax, to slow down and to reflect on what matters most. If you can’t relax on vacation when can you?

Those are five things I always try to do when I am on a vacation. They are extremely simple. They are easy to do, but also very easy not to do. I choose to do them.

It is important to remember that what gets scheduled gets done. If there is anything that needs to be scheduled on a vacation it is the five things I mentioned above. I schedule time (not just on vacation) to write, think, read, work on goals and to relax.

I challenge you to try to do these five things on your next vacation or even on your next staycation. Have the best time ever, do all that you want to do and see all that you want to see, but be sure to come back refreshed and ready to move forward. Don’t go an a vacation that requires you to go on another vacation to recover.