In my last blog, I spoke about the importance of goals and shared some tips to help you make sure you don’t lose sight of those goals among the sheer CHAOS life can sometimes turn into. I hope you feel even just ONE STEP closer to achieving what your heart’s been desiring most.
What supports those goals?
Yup, the bottom of the Productivity Success Cake. Cake pieces made into habits.
Little stuff adds up. This is true with food choices, yes, and it’s more than that. What I’m referring to are the little things scattered throughout our day which revitalize us and help us achieve what we want to (like those goals!), rather than hold us back and act as a big fat ENERGY DRAIN.
Here are some Healthy Habit Ideas. Try one on.
Start Your Monday in peace.
For me, listening to my favorite podcast on a Monday morning is a habit I got into a few years ago, and I find it really sets me up for my week ahead. Before, I just set up my Monday like any other day. Now, I give myself grace and space to clean laundry, clutter, etc. and it sets my mood and brain into the right spot.
I don’t really like reading. I take things in better when I listen- and I like to “do” when I listen (walk/pick up my home or office, etc.) For you, a podcast may not be a good option. You might find reading the NY Times or physically DOING something suits you more, and why? Well, that’ll probably be down to your learning style! So….check out a learning style assessment and love up your brain by honoring your style.
Dump out your brain
One really healthy habit I recommend people try to adopt is a ‘mind dump’. This is precisely what it sounds like: you, dumping everything out of your overloaded brain so you can regroup and progress. Now, the tendency is for us to write it all down, which works great if you’re a visual learner who needs to SEE things to process them, but if you’re an auditory learner this may not be as much help you because it’s not working WITH your brain as well as it could!
So, what can you do instead?
Well, the habit of mind dumping is still a useful one to get into, but you might be better off recording yourself listing off your mind’s clutter out loud, and then listening back to it afterwards as you try to get a plan together! Many of my clients are auditory processors. All they need to do is “talk it out” and they are clear. Solve your own problems like that or give me a call.
Or, if you learn better physically, how about combining the same activity with a jog to let things really sink in?
Do a morning ritual
Another habit which is a prime example of the need to adapt is the Coffee Ritual. I’ve mentioned this one before. This habit is designed to clear your mind and keep you Present, by making sure you’re living in the moment when you’re drinking your morning cup of coffee. This is PERFECT for those of you who learn best by physically doing something as it taps into your senses to get you thinking. However, if you are a really visual person, you might find more mental peace by looking at a piece of artwork and picking out the colors, the shapes, the EMOTION behind it, than you would from your cup of Joe. And that’s totally okay. It’s the intention which fuels the habit that matters most. There’s no ‘wrong’ choice here.
Let’s just put it this way… there’s no point trying to adopt a habit which isn’t right for you and your learning style. You’re not going to be able to ingrain something that conflicts with the very cogs that make your brain work. But that doesn’t mean you should give up and not bother trying to incorporate positive habits like the ones I mentioned in my previous blog into your routine! All you need to do is adapt them to work with you and your gorgeous mind. Celebrate the differences that make you YOU, rather than struggle to fit into someone else’s suit.
With that in mind, I leave you with this from Julius Charles Hare.
“Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.”