Bel Crawford looks at how to create actually USEFUL habits that’ll make you happier, healthier and ready to take on whatever the hell this year will bring.
At the start of the year we always see countless social media posts screaming ‘New Year New Me!’ or ‘’This is My Year!’, and with all of the best intentions, new year’s resolutions are born. And if you’re like pretty much everyone else, they start strong, but by around now, they’ve slowly and surely slipped away.
Now, the issue I have with resolutions or goals is that, at the end of the day, they’re really just habits – but they often come without any idea of actually achieving them. Without a practical action plan how can you actually get what you want?
If we focus on creating healthy habits which can be implemented into our daily and weekly lives without feeling too ‘hard’, you’re WAY more likely to want to stick to your new lease on life.
You need to break it down to steps for yourself. You want to be healthier and fitter? What does that look like for you? What steps can you take to make this happen? Thanks to the fact that I’ve been a to-do list organisation QUEEN since I could write, let’s go through it:
Want to get up earlier and not snooze your alarm? Here are four things you can do right now:
1. Get to bed by a certain time so you’ve had a decent amount of sleep when your alarm goes off, and you get into the habit of falling asleep at the same time
2. Lay out your clothes or workout gear the night before
3. Leave your phone or alarm in the hallway or another room so you have to get up and turn it off
4. Book into a fitness class so you have to get up and be there at a certain time (and you get charged if you don’t turn up!).
Want to feel healthier? Here are six things you can do right now:
1. Get up and exercise first thing in the morning. While the summer weather continues, go for a morning walk or run, the gym or at home virtual workouts
2. Plan out what exercise you’ll do each day and put it in your calendar
3. Download a free water-tracking app (I did this last year as living on coffee is NOT it) and up your water intake
4. Instead of a restrictive mentality, think about the nutritious foods you can add and eat more of
5. Limit your caffeine intake and don’t drink coffee first thing in the morning. Trust me, I was apprehensive of this – but since waiting a few hours I’ve felt a lot better and my cortisol levels are thanking me
6. Have a sleep routine and wind down without your phone and with a sleepy tea.
Want to save money? Here are five things you can do right now:
1. Actually look at your subscriptions, cancel any you don’t need or can go without (rotate between the big streaming services)
2. Sell any items in your wardrobe or goods in your home you aren’t using and could go without
3. Bring your lunch to work most days, it adds up!
4. Plan out a home menu and cut down on takeaways and dining out
5. Use beauty products you have before you buy new ones (I’m SO guilty of this).
Want to have a more organised home? Here are seven things you can do right now:
1. Declutter your underwear and sock drawers
2. Declutter your linen cupboard and come up with a system that works for you – either grouped by type of linen, or in full sets that you can just grab and go with
3. It takes a bit longer than a drawer, but go through your wardrobe and have a serious clear out. Do the same for your kids
4. If you have children, sort through their toys and declutter (when they aren’t watching!)
5. Sort through your bathroom drawers and reorganise with containers from the likes of Kmart or The Warehouse (SO much cheaper than from specialist stores or professional organisers)
6. Clear out your pantry and throw out any expired items. If you feel inclined, get on the organised container and label way of life (you won’t regret it, trust me).
7. Sort through a room at a time throughout your home and have a serious declutter.
