Overcoming Busy

Creating New Habits

July 28, 2009 by Marci

Over the past few years, I have read my share of self-help, time-management, goal setting, change-your-life-books.    While I did glean a little from each, most of them left me unsettled.  They didn’t fit how I wanted to live.  Some books had crazy complicated plans and others taught how to “do it all” and fit it into neat little planner boxes from 5 am to midnight.  Most of these books lacked simplicity.

Enter The Power of Less by Leo Babauta.  My blogging friend Kirwin at Gracefully Creative suggested this book to me a few weeks back.  She said it was “right up my alley”.  I couldn’t agree more.  Finally, a book that says don’t do it all.  Its not good for you to do it all.  Focus on what’s important in life.

Since reading the book, Kirwin and I have been emailing and talking about one of the principles in the book.

Create new habits to make long lasting improvements.

Now, think about it.  There are lots of new habits we could start to improve our lives and I’m sure we’ve all tried to implement them.  Why hasn’t it stuck?  In The Power of Less, the author suggests taking just one of those new habits off our list – the one that will make the biggest impact on our lives- and work on just that one for 30 days.  Then, when that habit is established, work on another for 30 days.  Creating habits is just like other projects in life.  If we try to do too many at one time, life gets too cluttered and busy.  It gets too hard so we quit.

So, what habit do I need to start?  I need to exercise more, eat more fruits and veggies, go to bed earlier, get up earlier, remember to water my plants, keep up with friends…  I can think of lots of habits that will improve my life.  (OK maybe not the watering the plants.  But it would certainly improve theirs!)  Which of these habits would make the biggest impact on my life and make the others easier to achieve?  I choose to go to bed earlier.  Right now, I go to bed at 11 and then read for a while and finally get to sleep around midnight.  My goal is to get to bed by 10pm. There.  I said it.  Its out there.  Now I need to do it!  That habit would improve all areas of my life.

Kirwin at Gracefully Creative and I are both working on a new habit for the next 30 days.  We will be encouraging each other and keeping each other accountable.  I’ll post about about my progress along the way and I’m sure she will, too.

Is there a new habit that you’d like to start?  What is it?  Who can keep you accountable?