5 'boomer habits' I once mocked but now swear by

Growing up, my parents had this whole repertoire of advice that seemed straight out of a 1950s handbook.

At the time, I rolled my eyes so hard I probably pulled a muscle. These felt like outdated relics from a bygone era – stuff that had no place in my fast-paced, digitally-connected world.

But here's the thing about getting older: you start realizing that maybe, just maybe, the previous generation wasn't completely wrong about everything.

Over the past few years, I've found myself gravitating toward habits I once dismissed as hopelessly old-fashioned. And not just gravitating – I'm actually seeing real benefits from them.

So today, I'm swallowing my pride and admitting that some of those "boomer habits" I used to mock are now non-negotiables in my daily routine.

Let's dive in.

1. Getting up before sunrise

Benjamin Franklin famously said, "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise". So did my parents. 

Back in my twenties, I thought this was pure nonsense. Why would anyone voluntarily wake up at 5:30 AM when you could sleep until noon?

My parents were both early risers, constantly telling me I was "wasting the best part of the day." I'd laugh it off while stumbling out of bed at 11 AM.

But something shifted when I started waking up early out of necessity for a project deadline. Those quiet morning hours became sacred. No notifications. No distractions. Just me, my thoughts, and whatever I needed to tackle.

The mental clarity was undeniable. By the time most people were having their first coffee, I'd already knocked out my most important tasks.

Now I'm up by 6 AM every day, and I actually look forward to it.

2. Taking daily walks after meals

When I was in my teens, my dad would always suggest a "nice walk around the block" after dinner, and I'd find every excuse to stay glued to my laptop instead. Walking felt like wasted time – something I could be spending on more productive activities.

Turns out I had it completely backwards.

Research at Stanford University found that participants produced 60 percent more creative ideas while walking than while sitting, whether they were on a treadmill indoors or strolling outside. 60 percent!

Now I take a 20-minute walk after lunch almost every day. It's become my secret weapon for working through creative blocks and processing whatever's rattling around in my head.

Some of my best article ideas have come during these walks. There's something about the rhythm of walking that just unlocks different thinking patterns.

My dad was right – again.

3. Eating dinner at the actual dinner table

My parents always insisted on family dinners at the table when I was growing up. No TV, no phones, just conversation and food. As soon as I moved out, I abandoned this practice entirely.

However, when  I became a writer, I discovered the research. Experts have noted that "Children who routinely eat their meals together with their family are more likely to experience long-term physical and mental health benefits". My parents probably didn't know this piece of research but boy did they have it right all along. 

Even as an adult, I've found that sitting down for meals creates this natural pause in the day. You actually taste your food. You have real conversations. You're not mindlessly shoveling food while staring at a screen.

It's surprisingly grounding.

4. Automatically saving a chunk of every paycheck

In my early career, I lived by the philosophy of "I'll save whatever's left over at the end of the month."

Spoiler alert: there was never anything left over.

My parents constantly preached about "paying yourself first" and setting aside money before I even saw it. This seemed impossible when I was scraping by on entry-level wages, convinced that every dollar needed to go toward rent, food, or whatever new gadget I thought I needed.

But eventually, I got tired of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle and decided to try their approach. And turns out, they were really onto something. "The self-made millionaires in my study all set a goal of saving 10 to 20% of their income during their pre-millionaire years," notes Thomas C. Corley. 

I started with just 5% – barely noticeable but psychologically significant. Then 8%. Now I'm consistently saving 15% before I even think about other expenses.

The wild part? I don't miss the money. When it's automatically transferred, you adapt your spending to what remains.

Turns out financial discipline isn't about deprivation – it's about systems.

5. Writing things down by hand instead of typing everything

My mom kept handwritten lists for everything. Grocery lists on the fridge, to-do lists by the phone, addresses scrawled in actual address books.

I thought this was hilariously outdated. Why write when you could type faster? Why use paper when you had a phone that could store infinite notes?

For years, I was all-digital, all the time. Meeting notes in apps, ideas typed into my phone, everything synced across devices.

But I started noticing something: the stuff I typed disappeared into digital black holes. I'd search for notes and couldn't find them, or I'd forget I even took them.

So I bought a simple notebook and started writing things down during meetings. The difference was immediate. There's something about the physical act of writing that makes information stick better in your brain.

Now I keep a notebook for ideas, daily priorities, and anything I actually need to remember. My digital notes are for reference, but my handwritten ones are for thinking.

Turns out slower isn't always worse.

The bottom line

Here's what I've learned: dismissing advice simply because it comes from an older generation is just another form of bias.

Sure, not every piece of boomer wisdom translates to modern life. But the habits that have stood the test of time? They usually work for a reason.

The irony isn't lost on me that I'm now the guy suggesting walks after dinner and early bedtimes to younger friends. They roll their eyes just like I did.

Maybe that's how it's supposed to work. Each generation thinks they've figured out a better way, only to circle back to some fundamental truths about what actually makes life work.

So if your parents ever nagged you about any of these habits, consider giving them another shot. You might be surprised by what happens when you stop fighting the wisdom and start embracing it.

After all, there's probably a reason these habits became clichés in the first place.