Some of the worst habits I have are the ones that have the largest impact on my day-to-day. Eating habits are a big one. Even the weeks when I have every intention of avoiding takeout and sticking to a set menu, the convenience of Chipotle and it’s counterparts usually sneaks up.
My sleeping habits have also started to suffer since Summer hit. Not adhering to a certain sleep element causes me to sleep in more, and not in a good way. Less sleep at night means less time in the mornings, which usually means spending money on coffee and skipping real breakfast, not taking lunch with me and buying out again.
The domino effect is real.
Turning away from some of my more solid routines is definitely starting to take a toll, and it’s time to nip it. For me, the key to changing or creating new habits always boils down to discipline, repetition and reward. We truly are creatures of habit –and what we repeatedly do and feel good about, over time, becomes our everyday routines and habits.
I’ve written before that creating goals on a daily, weekly and monthly basis has helped reshape my routines tremendously. So for the rest of this month, I’m really focusing on creating better consistent habits to fulfill an overall healthier lifestyle. I’m especially looking to improve my spending, eating and sleeping habits.
Daily
– Waking up at the same time, every morning.
– Make breakfast each morning.
– Avoid buying coffee, making it at home instead.
– Drink 12oz of water.
Weekly
– Plan out meals for the week before grocery shopping (doesn’t this seem so obvious?!).
– Workout at least three days a week
– Have at least two meat free days each week (and try creative meals to keep things exciting).
Monthly
– Finish two to three books each month from the bookshelf.
– Add a new staple piece to my wardrobe.
My favorite part about setting goals this way is watching how they redefine and reprioritize each month as new things take precedent and other things are accomplished.
What goals or habits are you focusing on forming or maintaining at the moment?
Amber! You’ve totally inspired me to write down some new daily/weekly goals. It’s refreshing to learn what other creatives are doing to live a full + healthy life! Thanks for sharing!
So glad to hear that, Olivia! Let me know what goals you end up setting and how you’re tackling them 🙂
I like the ‘add a new staple piece to my wardrobe’ each month 🙂
I plan my meals out before I buy groceries too (online and delivered nonetheless!) and prep all my lunches and even most of the dinners on the weekend. So literally the whole week I never cook (I cook a big breakfast every morning though). It’s so worth the couple of hours spent cooking on the weekend. The week is busy enough so I like to be able to just grab a meal from the fridge or freezer on a busy week day or night! 🙂
I’m working on a very similar list right now! It’s always hard to get started, but once you start you just keep rolling forward!
While I was in Japan, I always wrote down my personal goals in my planner so that I would be able to see them everyday. But now the weekly goals & monthly goals sound just as good especially for my blog as well.
Amber you’re always so inspiring and have many ideas! Thank you for sharing pieces of them!
-Danielle