It's not New Year's (obviously). I don't believe in resolutions. But how to make a positive action become a habit is of interest to me. One article I read states that a habit can take anywhere from an average of 66 - 254 days to form.
So many places to improve...I'm going to list many of them here, in no particular order, more for my sake, than for your's, dear reader. Perhaps this blog will help provide a type of accountability for me.
I would like to: go to bed at a reasonable time (11 p.m.) on work nights; knit more; exercise every day (I've got absolutely no excuse now that my commute is more reasonable); eat more healthy; cook on the weekends for the following week; lose weight; learn to like tea (because even though it's good for me, it only tastes like hot water with a little flavoring. Blech.); drink more water; keep in better touch with family and friends; blog more frequently (when it's not NaBloPoMo); save more money; spend less and more wisely; use more of my yarn stash; read more books (especially the ones I already own but haven't read); drink less Diet Coke (notice I'm not giving it up entirely); switch to greener ways to clean my house without using chemical cleaners; keep the house picked up throughout the week so it's not a big deal to clean on the weekends; pack a lunch to take to work; have a date night with DH every couple of weeks; listen to more podcast episodes (because I've only got 1000 in my iTunes that I haven't listened to yet).
I started trying to break some of my bad habits a couple of weeks ago. So far, I've been getting to bed before midnight somewhat regularly. I really have to force myself to stop what I'm doing. I've found it helps to actually get into bed around 10 - 10:30 p.m. and then read for a half hour or so. But if the book is really good, I really have to be stern with myself to put it down and shut off the light. I've been drinking more water at work. Now I need to start replacing caffeine-free Diet Coke in the evenings with water and tea. (I tried a blueberry tea tonight. I let the bag steep for a long time - but it still tastes mainly like hot water. This will obviously have to be an acquired taste.) Watching the TV shows about hoarders most definitely helps me keep the house picked up during the week (because I don't fast forward through the commercials but use that time to do small housekeeping tasks).
I'm not sure yet whether I'll try to post quarterly, semi-annually, or annually about my progress on forming healthy habits.
Have you formed any good habits lately? How did you do it and how long did it take you? Please share any tips you may have - I'm going to need all the help I can get.
OK, off to drink some water (as I grudgingly think how much I want a Diet Coke right now).
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1 comment:
These are worthy goals. But, gad, I thought it only took a month to form habits. Drat. What helped me quit drinking coke -- ok, it wasn't an everyday habit, but several times/week -- was a dr saying I had to quit caffeine. I decided that he was full of it, but also decided that I'd rather consume caffeine in black tea and chocolate. I haven't had a coke in 2 1/2 yrs, except for maybe a little diet coke once and a little pepsi.
Health providers recommending water aerobics to help arthritis got me going and I was doing really well until I got sick recently. I think it took a month for that to be a habit.
Though it was health care providers who made the suggestions, it was my determination to be healthier and have less pain that really motivated me to make these changes.
good luck!
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