Every month I try to set goals, intentions, or habits. Going into August, I know that my work load at school will pick up and getting back into a routine may prove challenging at times. For this reason, I really want to focus on practicing habits that help me stay grounded and healthy during this season.
Last week, I was listening to Brynley Joyner’s podcast, Talk Healthy to Me. She was suggesting a challenge to her listeners to choose 3 habits for morning, noon, and night to do every day. Essentially, you can think of these like a quick, 3-step routine for these parts of your day. Since I already have morning and night routines, I picked new habits that I want to try to incorporate into my already existing routines. I also decided to add one extra time of the day, afternoon, because I get home from work around 3:30 and usually have a routine then as well.
If you want to know more about what my current morning routine looks like, you can read about it here.
This idea of building new habits upon previous ones comes from the book Atomic Habits and is called habit stacking. The idea is that you can train yourself to do something new by linking it to a habit you have already established. The new habit always follows the previous habit; it is the cue for next thing you want to do. For example, after I eat breakfast, I will go on a quick walk around the neighborhood.
I know everyone and his brother seems to have read this book, but if you have not, you should check it out. I read it a couple of years ago, and I definitely feel like it is time for a re-read!
Here are some of my favorite quotes from James Clear’s book as it relates to building habits:
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity. This is one reason why meaningful change does not require radical change. Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity. And if a change is meaningful, it is actually big. That's the paradox of making small improvements.”
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.”
“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision.”
Now, let’s get into my habits for August!
My August Habits!
Morning
Drink a BIG glass of water: My hope is to drink forty ounces in the morning before I leave for work, but if I drink at least twenty, I feel like that is a win. To set myself up for success, I have been filling up my water cup at night and setting it by my Bible so it is ready for me to drink when I wake up!
Get morning sunshine/take a walk: Getting sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning is so helpful for your circadian rhythm. I have been stepping out onto our balcony in the mornings; however, I would like to start actually going outside and taking a short walk around our apartment building in the morning to get a little fresh air and movement in before I leave for work.
Get ready: Getting ready is already a part of my morning routine; however, I want to put a little more effort and time into getting ready. This means putting on a nice outfit, doing my hair, and putting on makeup. Lately, I have felt a push to become more of a “grown-up” in the sense of how I dress and get ready for a day of work. I feel like as a high schooler and college student, I almost took pride in being lazy with my appearance and giving the essence of “not caring.” However, now as a wife and a teacher, I see that how I present myself matters - not because I want people to be looking at me but because it shows my own effort and care for what I do. I am planning to write a whole newsletter on these thoughts soon - subscribe to read more later!
Noon
Go on a walk: Something I would like to do on my lunch break is get some sort of movement in - ideally it would also be combined with some fresh air. I get a decent amount of steps in every day as a teacher, but I would love to take a quick walk outside after eating to help my food digest and clear my head.
Pray: In last week’s Currently newsletter, I talked about the book Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools. It encouraged readers to set up a prayer rhythm of three times a day. During the middle of the day, the author encourages readers to take a minute to pray for others - something I can often forget to do. Even if it just for the two minutes it takes me to walk down the hallway after my lunch break, I want to take time to pray for someone else.
Check in with someone: Going hand in hand with praying for others, I want to take the time during my lunch break to reach out to someone. This might look like a simple, “I love you” text to my husband or a quick voice text to a friend I have been meaning to catch up with. It could also look like eating lunch with a co-worker and asking how they are doing. Some kind of intentional human connection is the goal!
Afternoon
Read a chapter of a book: Specifically this time of day, I want to read a non-fiction book. For example, right now, I am reading Things That Matter by Joshua Becker.
Do a lesson on Duolingo: I have been learning Spanish basically my whole life, and I think I will be learning Spanish for the rest of my life. Especially because my job now is greatly benefitted when I can speak some Spanish, I want to be more intentional about practicing this skill and developing it. For this reason, in the afternoons, I want to do at least one lesson in Spanish. Sometimes I also squeeze in a Ukrainian one too because many of the students I teach speak Ukrainian!
Workout: I am not a morning workout person. So usually, I workout when I get home from work. I love the combination of working out with these two other afternoon habits because I can always read or complete my Duolingo lesson while I am walking on the treadmill or doing another cardio warm-up. It makes the walking go by a lot faster, and I can get all my afternoon habits in at once!
Night
Do something creative: When I think about how I spent my nights as a kid, I would always sing in my bedroom or play instruments or doodle at my desk. But as I got into college and adulthood, I feel like I spent more of my nights doing house chores, watching TV, or throwing dinner together. I want to try to set aside even just 30 minutes of my night to do something more creative or childlike. It helps me relax and be more present. I hope to write a whole newsletter soon about the benefits of tapping into your inner child more often!
Stretch: I talked about this in last week’s Currently newsletter, but I have been trying to stretch more! Some nights it is a 30 minute guided stretch from Youtube and other nights it is a quick 3 minute stretch I make up before bed. But either way, it gives me a chance to focus on my breathing, slow down, and relax my muscles before bed.
Guasha Routine: I have really struggled to get into a routine of doing guasha every night, but this is going to be the month! It has many benefits including that is helps promote lymphatic drainage and reduce inflammation. It is also just very soothing and relaxing, so I think it will be a nice addition right before bed.
Thank you for reading! I hope you found some new habits to try or inspiration to try to do even just one new thing in your day. Our habits really do make up our lives, so choose things that reflect the person you want to be!
Leave a comment of one of your favorite habits or one you are planning to start soon!
Talk to you next Monday!
Take care,
Caroline