30 Days to 10 New Habits
As a part of my whole restructuring of my life, I have decided to compartmentalize some goals in order that they be more achievable, rather than have the impression of being overwhelming.
I am currently working on an in depth goal workbook, that I will soon publish on my website, this workbook will cover all of my short term, and long term goals. But for now, I want to put into action, a few small goals involving action that I want to turn into habits that I feel will improve upon my quality of life.
There is evidence that suggests it takes 21-28 days to either create new habits, or break old ones, I decided to round up to 30 days. There is also evidence that suggests that the practice of self-regulation has an overflowing effect on other aspects of your life. Groups who were asked to manage their money for a period of time not only showed an increase in the amount they were saving from 8% - 36%, they also showed an increase in study time, and a decrease in cigarette usage. Similar results were experienced in a study focusing on exercise.
I will be starting my new habits today, 01-23-08, and I will be reporting every few days on how my new habits are coming along.
My 10 New Habits:
| 1. | Appearance - As an obese man, appearance took a back seat to comfort. Now that I have lost well over 80 pounds (and losing more) appearance is becoming a priority for me.. |
| Goal - For the next 30 days I will shower, and shave every morning, then get dressed as if I am going out into the world. I will always dress appropriately, no more baggy t-shirts, but nice fitting shirts that compliment me. I will also clean out my closet, as well as my dresser, ridding myself of any clothes that deserve to be tossed out. This means no more underwear with holes in them. | |
| 2. | Finger Nails - This is more of an OCD thing. I chewed on my nails as a child, but now I just pick at them, and I don’t pick at them all. In fact I only pick at the left middle finger, which has led to constant irritation, and at times infections. This habit is caused by anxiety. I have broken the habit of chewing my nails in the past, I know I can break this habit. |
| Goal - For the next 30 days I will not pick at any of my nails, I will let them grow out naturally, and them keep them neatly trimmed. | |
| 3. | To Do List - Like anyone else I can write a to do list, however I rarely if ever follow up on it. This leads me to missing out on important tasks I need to accomplish, or even missing out on important events, just like I did last night. |
| Goal - for the next 30 days, I will be writing out a daily to do list each night before I got to bed. Then every morning after writing my gratitude post and doing my visualization exercise, I will then go over that day’s to do list, add to it if necessary, and then complete what I can throughout the day, and moving any incomplete items to the next day. | |
| 4. | Clean My Car - One thing I am good at, that is not tossing any unwanted trash out my car window and polluting my environment. But one bad habit I have is not taking that trash, and putting it into the proper receptacle when I arrive at my location. Right now, there must be at least six empty cups in the front seat of my car. |
| Goal - I will keep my car clean for 30 days. To create this new habit, upon arriving at whatever my destination is, I will empty my car of any “trash.” I will also wash my car no less than once a week, and vaccum it out, no less than twice a week. | |
| 5. | Writing - Although I do a lot of writing, it is not always with a purpose, so I tend to neglect things such as my book project and / or my comedy material. |
| Goal - For the next 30 days, I will find 1 hour a day to devote to either one of my writing projects. | |
| 6. | Eating - Ever since my weight loss surgery, my eating habits and choices have improved. However I am noticing some old eating habits trying to creep back in, habits such as grazing, and eating past a certain time at night. |
| Goal - For 30 days I will eat only three meals a day, plus two snacks, totaling no more than 1,600 calories per day. I will not eat anything within two hours of bedtime. I will also go back to documenting my progress on my lap band blog. | |
| 7. | Exercise - I had begun to develop a nice little exercise routine, but I have since slacked off. |
| Goal - For the next 30 days, I will find 30 minutes in my daily schedule to just begin to move. Whether that is walking on a treadmill, or just dancing alone in my room. | |
| 8. | Random Acts of Kindness - I truly wish to give back to the Universe that has surrounded me with so much abundance. I honestly don’t think I do this nearly enough. |
| Goal - For the next 30 days, I will perform one random act of kindness daily, whether it be to a stranger, friend, or family member. With this goal, I hope to share the joy that I have found. | |
| 9. | Meditation / Prayer - I practice visualization each morning, but it is still not a habit. In my relatively short experience at doing this, I have found that my days start off much brither, I am much more intuitive, and creative. |
| Goal - For the next 30 days, I will find 5 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes during the middle of the day, and another 5 minutes at night, to mediate, and pray with a purpose. | |
| 10. | Organize - I can be one of the most disorganized people you will ever meet. Which is one of the reasons I am also focusing on a to-do list. But I want more than that, I want to be organized when it comes to my room, my desk, my car, my financest etc. |
| Goal - For the next 30 days I will clean my room daily. I will also organize at least one aspect of my life daily. I will clean my dresser drawers, my closet, and I will begin a daily financial diary to see how I spend my money, in order to formulate some kind of budget. |
So there you have it, sounds like I will be pretty busy right? What with all the books I plan on reading, as well as working a full-time job. Well it is definitely worth the extra work. I have been on “vacation” for almost two years now, I have let my life slip by, and it is now time to regain control.
I welcome those who are reading this, friends, family, strangers alike, to challenge me daily when you see me. Ask me how my new 10 habits are going, inspect my appearance, check to see if my car is clean (it isn’t now, but it will be by this afternoon).
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