Forming New (& hopefully better) Habits

There are good habits and there are bad habits in life. I don't know why, but bad habits are always easier to form than good ones....or is that just me?


I confess I have gotten into some bad habits lately. These include getting sloppy with the housework, eating bad foods too regularly and not drinking enough during the day (I do not mean alcohol btw).


I had some time off work recently so took the opportunity to think about my behaviours and tried to come up with a plan to switch into good habits instead. First I spent a bit of time thinking of the impacts my bad habits were having.


Bad habits always have consequences:

1. Sloppy housework was leading to build ups that would take longer and more effort to shift. The mess was growing and with that so were my stress levels. Consequence? Me in a bad mood and a bit stressed out!
2. Eating bad foods too regularly had led to me putting on weight. Simple as that really. It's left me feeling bloated and lazy, which has led to me feeling a bit "blah" about myself. Consequence? Me in a bad mood and a bit stressed out!
3. Not drinking enough in a day can really effect my health. Primarily the biggest issues are developing a migraine and muscle cramps. It also contributes to my loosing concentration at work. Consequence? Me in a bad mood and a bit stressed out!

Now I am quite a visual person, so I do best when things are written down in front of me and I can check them off (obsessed with to do lists). I am also a tad obsessed with planner stickers, so decided to try and form good habits by keeping track in my planner.

Forming new habits takes time and commitment, so to not get overwhelmed I'm only tracking the following on a daily basis:

1. Evening Kitchen clear up - starting the day with a clean kitchen does wonders for my mood. So I have begun to make sure I wash up every night and sweep the floor (we have a dog so there is always a bit of hair and mud to clean up).
2. Daily Bathroom clean up - this is a room we use so much that it quickly starts to look grubby. So I've begun to give the sink a quick wipe down each morning.
3. Eat more fruit & veg - instead of always having some sort of potato / rice with my evening meals I'm going to try substituting in more veg. I've also made an effort and prepped a fruit salad to last the week and made a smoothie most days. The challenge is keeping this up now I'm back at work...hence the reason I'm tracking this one too.
4. Taking a packed lunch to work - linked to the above one and it will mean I am a lot less likely to stray and find myself in the canteen at work eating unhealthier food.
5. Drinking more (not alcohol or coffee) - same as the fruit, the challenge has really begun now I'm back at work. On busy days I can so easily put off getting drinks which is counter productive really so I am determined to track and improve this one.

I've also decided to share these here on my blog as another incentive to keep these good habits going.

What habits are you trying to form or break this year?