We are now a little over a week into those New Year’s Resolutions everyone seems so fond of. I’m not going to lie to you, I love setting goals and resolutions and new routines, I know I’m weird, I’m completely okay with it. Over the years I have tried and failed many times to start different habits, I’d like to share with you the things that helped them stick.
- You’ve got to set goals that you actually care about. Don’t make resolutions based on how I live my life or how your Mama says you should be living yours. You will never be successful in those. You have to pursue the things you care about in order to stay successful.
- Baby steps are key. Slow progress is still progress. Take the first step, then the second step. In the moment they seem pointless but I promise they add up. Working out for 20 minutes 6 days a week is going to help you build a habit better than 2 60 minute workouts a week. Set and crush manageable expectations and keep incrementally increasing them.
- Use your natural rhythms in your favor. I am a morning person, trying to get me to do anything after about 8 PM is completely pointless. 5 AM is much more my jam. I now use my mornings for productivity and use my evenings for relaxation, it works much better for me.
- Look for small pockets of time, rather than large blocks. I complete a cleaning task Monday-Thursday that takes about 20 minutes to complete each day. This works much better for me than asking me to clean for 4 hours on the weekends. It’s hard for me to make an excuse for not having 20 minutes but I can always find a reason to not clean for half a day.
I used to wake up at 7:30 each morning and rush off to work at 8. I got dressed, makeup and out the door every day in total chaos. I loved my weekend mornings when I could sip my coffee slowly and move about when I was ready. I slowly began the process of what is now my morning routine. Please know this did not happen overnight and took several years of small changes to get to but now I have a meaningful phone conversation with 2 people each morning, read for 30 minutes, write, workout, complete a cleaning task and get ready. All of this happens before 8 AM. Whatever it is that you want to change, taking small steps can help establish your routine and leave you from feeling overwhelmed by all the changes. One tiny step at a time sweet friends.
