Exploration does not need to become an expedition to be worthwhile. A map, a spare hour and one unfamiliar turn can be enough, provided the practical limits are understood and the place is still allowed to surprise you.
The question behind make exploration part of an ordinary week is what changes in practice. The useful answer is usually found between lower the size of the adventure and return with something useful: the point where a broad idea becomes a choice that can be made, observed and revised.
A different loop, an unfamiliar trail entrance, a sunrise start or a map section you have ignored can be enough. Small exploration is easier to repeat, and repetition is what turns it into part of life.
Choose a regular block of time that can hold a walk, run, ride or short drive without requiring a full plan. The goal is not maximum distance. It is making room for curiosity before the week fills itself.
Carry enough preparation
Check weather, access, daylight and the basics needed to get home safely. Preparation should remove avoidable risk, not remove every unknown detail.
A note, photograph, route idea or simple observation gives the outing a place in the larger story. It does not need to become content. It only needs to help the next exploration begin.
Good preparation should create options rather than a script. The route can change, the weather can win and a shorter day can still be worthwhile when the purpose is curiosity rather than proving the original plan correct.
That is the standard I would use when returning to make exploration part of an ordinary week: keep the reason visible, make the next decision small enough to understand, and leave enough evidence to know whether the approach is still helping.