I’m becoming more and more aware that habits are built with intentionality and discipline. There’s a part of me that knows what I should do and desires those good things, while there’s another part of me that proves that those desires aren’t quite strong enough.
You see, we are creatures of habit, but we are not creatures who easily build new habits. We much more quickly fall out of discipline than into it, and we’ll much more readily discuss what we should be doing than actually do it.
I’ve been convicted about the changes I’ve been intending to make to my lifestyle, especially last week. I spent most of last week at home alone because Aaron was at a conference. Without my usual accountability partner and best friend around, my daily rhythms fell into a bit of disarray. So now I’m determined to cultivate these habits for good– and to commit to them solidly enough that I can maintain them even if no one else is around to keep me in check.
6 Indispensable Habits To Schedule Into Your Day
1) A solid breakfast.
Breakfast is the perfect time to think about the day ahead, nourish your body and mind, and allow yourself to be encouraged. This could mean reading a short devotional piece to get in the right mind space, or enjoying the meal with someone who can root for you throughout the day.
While recent research has demonstrated that breakfast isn’t necessarily the “most important meal of the day,” it can still be extremely important if the rest of your day is unpredictable. Plus, if you anticipate using your brain or body intensively in the morning, better to have some calories and nutrients in your system.
2) A stroll, run, or trip to the gym.
Whatever it is you choose to do for physical activity, anything is better than nothing. And what I’ve found is, unless it’s on my schedule, it’s not going to happen. I don’t feel an immediate need to exercise the same way I feel the need to eat, but it does always improve my mood and energy.
If going to the gym for intensive training is too much right now, lower your expectations and simply spend some time walking outside. Eventually that habit can be built into regular gym sessions, or whatever your physical activity goals might be.
3) A moment to breathe deeply and drink enough water.
When our schedules are full and our to-do lists long, we sometimes forget the most vital things. Scheduling a short break to actually breathe and stay hydrated is the best way to avoid unintentionally abusing our bodies.
Forgoing breath can be a body’s reaction to stress; I learned this from my physical trainer who often had to remind me to breathe properly. I’ve also found that I sooner reach for coffee than water when I have a lot to do. But is anything more important to our bodies than oxygen and water?
4) A meal with your family.
My father-in-law worked long hours when he was first starting out in his career, but he made a commitment to always be home for dinner with his family. I really appreciate this discipline and have been instituting it in my own life. Last spring when Aaron and I would be apart from each other for about 13 hours a day, we made a point of sitting down to breakfast everyday.
If you live with loved ones, eating with them daily is an important way to stay connected. And, while I’m usually tempted to watch TV when I’m eating alone, I know that I would always much prefer to sit in front of a real person than in front of the screen.
5) A chance to reflect and plan.
As obligations pile up, it’s easy to lose track of our goals– personal, professional and relational. Taking a few minutes to reflect on the day and plan ahead can reduce that feeling of overwhelm.
I’m hoping to spend a few minutes before bed thinking about what lies ahead of me. I also want to spend time being grateful, no matter what my day was like. I think this is what it truly means to take life one day at a time.
6) A consistent bedtime.
I think it’s perfectly reasonable to set an alarm for bedtime just as we set alarms to wake up. It is so easy for me to push myself later and later into the night, catching up on extra work or doing research on an interest I have. As a freelancer I can be tempted to continue “working” even when I don’t have to; and I’ve found it to have negative consequences on my energy the next day.
The bottom line: Schedule the habits that matter most to you.
The irony of our priorities is that we often tell ourselves we will make time for them– eventually. We rush to meet urgent needs rather than choosing what’s truly important, and our habits eventually follow suit.
Building new habits will require all kinds of unglamorous structure: alarms, reminders, incentives, accountability. In adding these items to our calendar, we are declaring to ourselves that these things really are just as important as going to work or meeting the needs of others. Without such explicit intentionality, these habits will never make it into our lives.
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Thank you so much, Christine!
I LOVE this list! So many important things, I can’t even pick my favorite.
Thanks so much for reading, Miriam! You’re right– work can really interfere with sleep and keep us from our routines. I hope you had a great weekend, friend!
Me too, Silvia! I’m trying to wind down by 11PM!
Oh thank you, friend! That is such high praise– I wrote this because I’m working on adding these habits into my day as well.
Thank you Mica! You’re exactly right– it’s so easy to think of one more thing to do at the end of the day.
Yes!! Routine gives us freedom in surprising ways!
That’s so great Jo-Anne! It sounds like you have a fabulous family. And good for you that you sleep at a consistent time. That’s so important.
Thanks for reading, Monica! It’s so hard for me too– My brain works well at night, but I never feel great when I don’t get enough sleep!
Thanks friend! Personal health can really take the backseat when there seem to be so much else to take care of. Unfortunately without our health intact, we can’t do much else!
I’m completely the same way Amanda! I lose track of time in the evening and am always crashing into bed, exhausted!
Thank you Brittany! When Aaron and I were working nearly opposite schedules, he’d be gone by 8AM and I wouldn’t be home till 9PM. It was rough– and our regular breakfasts kept us connected and sane!
And as for lying awake running through lists– I know exactly what that’s like! Writing it down and reflecting on the day is a great form of closure.
Yes! I feel that. We enjoy our neighborhood walks too! 🙂
Haha right there with you on the gym front, Nicole! I’m still working may way through instituting these regular disciplines.
You’re so right, Jill! I’ve found that giving myself that extra time to plan and think has helped me be more intentional– perhaps even calm– throughout the day. Thanks for reading!
Yes I agree! Going to bed at a consistent time has been so hard for me lately.
You are so right, Alyssa! I’m still working on my exercise routine!
I agree Kaelene! I’m so relieved at the dinner table when we can just gather around and share about how our day went.
Yes I agree! Occasionally there is something worth staying up late for– but rarely do I ever feel good about that decision!
Thanks for reading this, Isabel. I’m so amazed at your discipline– you rock!
You are so right! I’m much more productive when I’m well-rested, even if I am a night owl!
These are all great habits, and I think that these are important to make a habit in your daily life. I used to always have breakfast, but on the weeks that I work the early shift and have to wake up at 4am it seems nearly impossible for me to make a good breakfast. I’ll have either one small apple, or junk. Also the sleep routine, mine is gone out the window from working shifts, but it is so important to have a set sleep routine in my opinion. I am definitely going to make a conscience effort to reflect and plan more often. Great post Daisy, I hope you have a great weekend!
It’sMyLife
I’m so bad at having a consistent bedtime, but this is a great reminder I should really work on that!
As usual so simply smart and essential. You are so good at taking all the noise in the world about self help and lifestyle and minimizing it down to clear and simple key steps. I need to schedule all 6 of these things in and there’s no if ands or buts about it. Great post!
xo
http://www.threadandbones.com
These are such good tips – especially the breakfast and bedtime ones!
I’ve been trying to make sure I go to bed at a reasonable time often, it’s too easy to think of ‘just one more thing’ to do!
Away From The Blue Blog
Love this! It’s so important to have certain things you absolutely stick to. Routine, in this sense, is vital!
Well I am doing ok I walk of a morning I have a pretty much set bedtime, I have time that I just like to sit and reflect on my life and how damn lucky I am to be part of such a bloody great family who get along and don’t get jealous of each other
Gaaahh, #6 has always been so difficult for me, but I really need to get on this! Great post!
Ahh, I love this so much. And, it’s definitely something I’ve been working on! I’ve had so much work on my plate lately, that a lot of my personal health habits really fall off the radar. I’m attempting to build a loose weekly schedule to ensure I have time for these important routines.
xoxo
Kat 🙂
I push myself till late at night resulting in no “down time” so I know I need to work on that! x
I love your words — building new habits is tough! I have been trying to be more intentional about my breakfast time. I always make the time to cook a healthy breakfast for myself, but more often than not, I was eating it out of Gladware while driving to work. Not safe, and not a good way to start the day rushing around and feeling distracted. Now I wake up 15 minutes earlier to make sure I sit down to eat breakfast with Dan, and it has made a huge difference in my day! Maybe if I was more disciplined about doing #5 intentionally I wouldn’t lie awake running through to-do lists in my head. 🙂
yep yep yep. this is the goal. we’re currently trying to make walking a habit because going to the gym isn’t fitting into every day. baby steps 😉
YES to all of these!! I 100% believe in these all but I have a difficult time with some (like going to the gym)!
This is a great list – I do most of these all ready, but the one that gets left out most often is the setting time aside to reflect and plan – and being an introvert, this is probably one of the most important for me in terms of being able to cope with my day and interact with my family in the most positive way possible.
So I follow half of these. I find the going to bed part the hardest. I sort of have to base my bedtime around what needs done, or what was done the evening before. Plus the one year old can change that. (; However, I do follow all these during the day steps. I can’t tell you how much different I feel on a day I haven’t had enough water. It almost makes my mood 360!
http://www.accordingtokiki.net
I’ve instituted exercise into my routine and I am so happy I have! Like you said there might not be an immediate desire to do so, but you feel so much better after
I love sitting down with my family for a meal after a busy day, I think it is so important.
all of these are really important things that so many of us skimp on! especially the going to bed at a consistent time — that’s made all the difference in my sleep pattern and energy.
Love this list! I do actually all of them and it works completely. I mean that plus consistency of these habits is key!
Going to bed at just about the same time consistently definitely helps me–when I do, I have all the energy I need to conquer tasks that would certainly seem insurmountable if I’d given into the temptation to stay up all night.