One of the great things about going on vacation is the chance to take a break for your daily habits.

On my recent visit to Australia, I loosened up my daily routine of checking email regularly, getting up at a set time, posting on a regular basis for the business. Almost all of what you saw between Feb. 7 and Feb. 26 was pre-written and pre-scheduled.

Then there are the things that "vacation me" does that "reality me" rarely manages.

Namely: averaging well over 11k steps a day according to my FitBit (boy was it surprised!), indulging in more coffee than is probably advisable (I blame Melbourne's thriving coffee culture) and shifting to more visual forms expression (even as I journaled every day.)

I was always pulling out my camera to try to capture a landscape, a color palette and play of light. Check out a few of my snapshots* here. And I spent a lot more time in museums, galleries and, this time, some caves for ancient rock art.

Exercising different creative muscles and experimenting with new forms of expression is good for the soul.

It is also good for your business writing.

It helps to crack you out of stuck patterns of thinking and writing. It may even give you a fresh crop of ideas and inspiration.

Since I've been back, I find I'm even more highly attuned to correct word choice. It's like the break helped restore my attention to detail and shades of meaning.

Maybe I'm just less distracted and worn down by endless to-dos.

Have I convinced you to plan a vacation yet? Do it for the sake of your writing!

*Five to be exact, thus the headline on this post.