We don’t always admit it, but there’s a soft spot—even a quiet fascination—for the time-tested routines our parents and grandparents still practice.
I’ve spent the past decade counseling clients of every age, and I keep seeing the same seven habits pop up.
They may look quaint on the surface, yet the payoff is anything but outdated. Ready to borrow a little vintage wisdom?
Let’s dive in.
1. Keeping a handwritten planner or journal
Ever caught yourself toggling through three apps to find last week’s notes while the silver-haired colleague next to you flips straight to the right page in a spiral notebook?
Writing by hand slows the mind just enough to prioritize and remember.
Psychologist James Pennebaker has spent decades showing that expressive writing can lower stress, sharpen focus, and even improve immune function.
Pen and paper aren’t nostalgic props; they’re cognitive power tools.
My own ritual is ten quiet minutes every Monday with a mug of coffee and my dog-eared planner.
Clients who try it often report—somewhat sheepishly—that their week feels calmer and their meetings shorter because everything important is already mapped out.
2. Picking up the phone instead of sending nine texts
How many misunderstandings snowball because tone gets lost in translation?
Boomers sidestep that land mine by pressing “call” the moment something feels off.
I first noticed this with a retired couple in therapy: they resolved a brewing argument in three minutes on the phone, whereas their adult kids had spent days stewing over misread emojis.
A real-time voice (or, better yet, face-to-face) conversation still beats asynchronous back-and-forth when emotions run high.
So next time Slack pings start piling up, ask yourself, Could this be a five-minute call?
Nine times out of ten the answer is yes—and everyone’s blood pressure drops accordingly.
3. Paying yourself first—every single month
Younger generations love to joke about “being broke” while juggling streaming subscriptions and buy-now-pay-later plans.
Boomers, on the other hand, engrained the habit of siphoning off a slice of income the moment it arrives.
A 2024 Virgin Money study of 2,000 adults found Baby Boomers top every other cohort in consistent saving, largely because they funnel cash into dedicated accounts before daily expenses can gobble it up.
Automation helps, but the real driver is mindset: savings aren’t leftovers; they’re line-item number one.
Try whisking just five percent of your paycheck into a “no-touch” fund.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly a safety net forms—and how liberating it feels to spend what’s left with zero guilt.
4. Showing up early and over-prepared
“As Stephen Covey put it, ‘The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.’”
Boomers live that line. They appear ten minutes ahead, clutching printed agendas and backup pens.
It might look fussy, yet that extra cushion creates calm—especially when technology hiccups.
I once arrived at a workshop to discover the projector had died. While younger attendees scrambled for adapters, the lone boomer in the room simply produced a stack of handouts.
Session started on time, crisis averted. Preparation isn’t flashy, but it commands respect (and keeps your cortisol levels low).
5. Fixing before replacing
My dad still keeps a tiny jar of assorted screws “just in case.” Laughable? Until your cabinet door comes loose and he repairs it in five minutes flat.
Repair culture teaches resourcefulness and reduces waste, but there’s another bonus: a dopamine hit from hands-on problem-solving.
The act of mending something—be it a toaster or a torn hem—creates a tangible sense of competence we rarely get from clicking “add to cart.”
Start small: patch a bike tire, sew a button, watch a nine-minute YouTube tutorial on unclogging drains.
The savings add up, and so does your confidence.
6. Reading long-form, tangible material
Scrolling skims the surface; deep reading requires fewer hyperlinks and more white space.
Boomers grew up with newspapers folded under their arms and still carve out time to finish books cover to cover.
When a client tells me they can’t focus, my first homework assignment is twenty distraction-free minutes with a physical book—notifications off, phone in another room.
Nearly everyone reports calmer nerves and clearer thinking by week two. E-readers work too, if you disable alerts.
Long-form reading stretches the brain’s attention span the way yoga stretches muscles: gently, gradually, but undeniably.
7. Practicing old-fashioned courtesy
Last but definitely not least, the handwritten thank-you note, the mailed birthday card, the habit of holding the elevator—tiny gestures that whisper, I see you.
Etiquette isn’t elitist; it’s empathy in motion. Junior colleagues light up when the senior partner remembers their name or sends a brief “Great job” email.
Courtesy builds relational capital faster than any social-media strategy because it satisfies a universal human need: to feel valued.
And here’s the kicker—kindness is contagious.
Offer a seat to the person balancing a stroller and a coffee, and watch how many others suddenly remember their own good manners.
Final thoughts
Sometimes progress shouts, “Upgrade everything,” and sometimes it nudges, “Hold on to what already works.”
If one of these boomer habits resonates, give it a week. Jot your tasks by hand, phone a friend instead of texting, tuck away that first slice of income.
Notice how each practice shifts your pace, your presence, and yes—your peace.
Growth isn’t about rejecting the past; it’s about curating the best of every era and making it your own.
Here’s to blending vintage wisdom with modern life—and quietly admiring those who’ve been modeling it all along.
