Resetting a few habits

Halfway through the year and it's time to check in. How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions?

Just kidding. Don't panic.

Recently I was reflecting on the habits that I had promised myself to form. I’ve kept several of those promises, but halfway through the year I realize that there are some I haven’t. So now is a good time to revisit those promises because they’re still important to me.

Sometimes actually getting back on track is the hardest thing to do. Why? Because when I start a new habit I’m usually really excited about it. I like the sudden shift in mindset new habits create. Before long I’ve built some momentum. I thrive on consecutive days of checking the new habit off my todo list. I enjoy seeing the results of doing the same thing over and over again. But when I pick up a forgotten habit there’s no momentum anymore. Not only that, I usually feel a bit of guilt for failing to keep the promise I had made to myself.

If that sounds like you, too, then here’s a gentle reminder (that I’m also speaking to myself): it’s OK to start again. There’s no need to feel guilty about it, either. You’re just picking up where you left off.

Here are the habits I’ve let fall by the wayside. I’m writing them here so I have someone to be accountable to: you! So, thanks!

Getting up early and not looking at my phone for the first hour

This one has two parts.

First, I have struggled to get up early this spring and summer. I’d like to blame it on the time change, but we started daylight saving time months ago. While I don't particularly love waking up early, it does give me some quiet time before all the kids are up..

Second, I've fallen back into the bad habit of scrolling through my phone before getting out of bed. I am not sure why I do this to myself. I know there is something so lovely about filling up my diffuser, making my cup of coffee, and enjoying my morning devotion. Facebook, Instagram, email, and the news can’t compare with an hour of quiet to prepare my heart for the day. It's time to hop back on the wagon.

Food journal

Keeping a food journal sounds like so much fun, doesn't it? Ha! No. A food journal is not fun, but it’s incredibly helpful in making good food choices to support my body and health. A food journal is where you write down everything you eat. It allows you to see (and reflect on) what exactly you are consuming. I am the kind of person who forgets all the little snacks I had between meals. My food journal helps me see just where I'm at and prompts me to make more healthy choices when it comes to food snacks.

I was faithfully using my food journal earlier this year, but never returned to it after our spring camping trips. But, I hopped back on the wagon last Tuesday. It was hard to see again all the ways I was slowly sabotaging myself, but I'm proud of myself for getting back on track.

Using my planner

While I would love to think that I'm the sort of person who doesn't need a planner, the truth is I can’t coordinate six different schedules in my head. Furthermore, I will fritter away hours (looking at you Instagram) if I haven't given a job to every hour of my day—even if the job is spending time with family. The only way to make sure I actually do everything I want to do this summer is to schedule time for everything.

I made my schedule for this week and I feel really good about telling my time how I am going to put it to work.

I would love to hear if you've had this same kind of reflection this summer and what habits you are picking up (or leaving behind).

Something else I'm getting back in the habit of

Taking my supplements and vitamins. I honestly don't know why I fell out of this habit, but it's so silly because I feel so much better when I take them. A few weeks ago I had blood work done and I feel really confident knowing what my baseline is and what supplements my body needs. Not super fun, but super important.

One thing that I'm doing to ensure that I get back into my daily habit of taking my supplements is to "Habit Stack" this task. You can read more about the concept of "Habit Stacking" in Atomic Habits by James Clear, but the basic gist of habit stacking is to tie your habit to something that you already do. I need to take my supplements two times a day, so here are my supplement "habit stacks"

Morning Supplement Habit Stack:

After I put my breakfast plate in the dishwasher I get my morning supplements from the kitchen cupboard and take them.

Evening Supplement Habit Stack:

After I brush my teeth before bed I use the glass by my bathroom counter and take my supplements by the bathroom sink.

If you are curious what supplements I'm taking, you can pop over here.

Snippets of my week

Back at swimming lessons.

Excellent read on setting healthy habits. Recommended.

Summers at the beach are just my favorite.

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear if you've also fallen out of habit on something that's important to you and what habits you are picking back up (or leaving behind). I’d love to hear about it! Just hit reply if you’d like to respond. (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.