Habits & Life Focus

[TigerTiger]

Hey- how do you subscribe to people's posts?

[Michael Ramm]

If you reply in a thread, you are automatically subscribed to their thread.

[GallantNerd]

Hey Gallant, it turns out I subscribed to the wrong thread for you...lol. I'm subscribed to the right one now and I'm all caught up. I like your goals and it appears you're doing well keeping up with everything.

I know what you mean about replacing bad habits with good ones. I used to play WoW, kind of got bored with that, turned to GW2 and don't even get on there often. I find myself surfing the internet, or checking Facebook 100 times, or email...lol. I still don't know what to do with myself. I just got done with one online Bible study and start another Sunday. I'm enjoying those but find I really need the small-group option to keep focused. I'm glad to see you figured out what you're going to concentrate on.

I'm still using your suggestion on the stretching too. It makes such a huge difference! I really appreciate it.

Well, I'm going to get off here and work on catching up on some magazines I've been ignoring. Have a great night guys!

Yeah, I used to spend a decent amount of time on DC Universe Online. Funny how it works as I never got into WoW, the only other MMO I really got into (until they ended the beta and I lost my hard-earned character) was Shin Megami Tensei: Online. Thing is, they suck up so much time and they really don't help do anything in real life. Plus, you can never beat an MMO! There's always something left to do. Least with a regular video game, you eventually beat it, lol.

I'm glad the stretching is helping!

[Chanda]

Procrastination is so hard to overcome. I find, personally, that if I do it first, before I do the fun stuff, that I'll have a much higher chance of doing it. For instance, my 2-mile walk is far easier to do almost right after I wake up, otherwise I'll push it off and may not do it. It's like eating my broccoli before eating my dessert, lol.

This is an excellent point I can not repeat it enough... DO IT FIRST! It has certainly been helping me keep up with my goals for this challenge. On days when I don't do the important stuff first... it is very hard to get it done. I either don't do it, or I stay late at work to finish work or wake late to finish up at home or both. Whats worse, I am then tired and grumpy and can barely function the next day.

Boy can I relate to everybody's 'holding back' focus: procrastination, fear (this is a big one for me too), doing things to please others not self, prioritizing well, lack of confidence (often another big one for me). Right now, what's holding me back in my life is energy. Rather, lack of energy. I have lots of great things going on, lots that I want to do, lots that I'm all lined up to do (and worked really hard to line up), and to do it I have to move. Generally, once I'm in motion, I'm good and can focus well and get things accomplished.

Nice summary of everyone's analysis of whats holding them back. I to felt like I was reading my own words when I read some of the answers...

Good point, getting started is sometimes the most difficult thing to do!

[Chanda]

I am committing to at least come and check this thread regularly.

So how am I doing with Habits after 2 weeks of this challenge? What have I learned?

1. I definitely set a though challenge to myself with laying out so much stuff to do. I don't recommend this to anyone unless you've been in the self improvement and creating habits path for a very long time... and know exactly what things make a huge difference to your life so everything you put on your list is helpful. AND have enough energy to carry it through.

2. Some things I am struggling with:

going to bed early

getting at least half my todo list done.

3. Others are becoming so 2nd nature that I simply do it. Interesting thing is that trying to make 1 thing become a habit is having the side effect of building up some pretty solid routines in my day:

• Making myself tidy up in the mornings before we leave and wash the milk bottles: instead of being extra work means when we get home at the end of the day things run better... the girls have a tidy room to go play and that frees me up to get dinner started. It also has made the mornings run a lot smoother (getting myself and 2 toddlers ready and leaving the house on time, with beds made, milk bottles washed and no clothes/toys scattered all over the place). This is both because I am running through basically the same routine every morning so my girls are less stressed out since they know what comes next and because of the next point:
  
• Preparing the night before (laying out clothes, updating todo list, packing bag needed for the next day): it means that in the morning I am not scratching my head trying to figure out what we should all wear. Also my bad is packed, so no running around looking for things and nothing is forgotten at home.
  
• Having to drink an additional liter of water per day means I need to go to the kitchen at work first thing in the morning... or it doesnt happen. Before I knew it I built up a morning routine at work... I get to work, greet my colleagues, start up the laptop, enter the harddisk protection password, take my jacket/scarf off, unpack things from my bag, collect my teapot and tea, enter my login password, go get a bottle of water and make my tea. By the time I come back laptop is ready and I sit down to have breakfast while reading emails and updating my todo list. Often less than 10 minutes after arriving in the office I am done with what used to take me 30 to 60min! (in the past breakfast sometimes didn't happen)
  

Its absolutely crazy how 4 small things tidy up/wash bottles/prepare the night before/drink water have completely transformed my mornings. I still have a long way to go to fit in everything else smoothly into my day... but staying consistent with these 4 things is really make a difference.

How are you all doing?

Your mission for this week, should you choose to accept it is to review how you are doing with a habit you are trying to build up. Questions:

1. What is the habit?

2. Why does it benefit me?

3. Why am I not doing it?

4. What can I do to make sure it gets done?

And I go first:

1. What is the habit? Get to bed by 11:15PM

2. Why does it benefit me? Gives me a chance to at least get 7 hours of sleep (if I am lucky and the girls sleep through the night), and this means I function a lot better. Sleeping enough also means I am less likely to snack because I am tired and that helps with my fitness goals. Also need sleep to build muscles following strength workouts.

3. Why am I not doing it? Because I am up late trying to get everything else done. Also, I keep forgetting what time it is... then rushing around to finish up what I am doing and go to bed on time.

4. What can I do to make sure it gets done? Prioritize my evening so that I get all the important and more active stuff done by 9:30 or 10:00PM. This should give me time to wind down with some activity for myself (like reading/stitching/designing) and computer time (emails/forums). Tricky part is that I need to find something quiet to do during the time my daughters are falling asleep... usually I start with the activities that should be saved for later in the evening and just never get up again to do the rest.

Lets do this! Your turn!