The Importance of Smart Daily Habits
At the start of 2018, I made an intentional goal to incorporate a good daily habit each day and have continued to add on as the year progressed. The first habit I started to incorporate in my daily routine was simply making my bed every day. If I can't find the time and self-discipline to do something as simple as making my bed, how the fuck am I supposed to expect myself to be able to do more difficult tasks?Eventually, this became part of my normal morning routine and every time I don't make my bed (yes, every now and then when I am in a rush lol), a part of myself feels off. When something becomes part of your daily routine so consistently and you stop doing so, your mind and body will feel off-centered, or what I like to call "not at equilibrium". Soon enough, I began another (smart) daily habit of waking up at a consistent time each day. For me personally, I like to wake up around 8AM consistently after getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep, although I have been working towards an even earlier time of around 7-7:30AM, in which I believe will be easier to incorporate once I am done with this spring semester. I find that a consistent sleeping schedule allows my mind and body to stay aligned with my goals and helps maximize my time efficiently in getting my work done. I am able to create a time block to knock out all my top priorities in the morning with ample time in the afternoon and early evening for secondary activities.Other habits I like to utilize in my daily schedule is reading for at least 30 mins, listening to at least one podcast, and of course, working out for at least 1 hour! With a busy college schedule and working literally 4 different jobs (yes, I'm serious), it is sometimes difficult to be able to do everything so consistently. But, keeping in mind what your ultimate long-term goal is will always help you determine the best decision to make (for yourself). Typically, I have found it is easiest for me to read either before I go to bed, which I also try to consistently do by 12am each night, or one of the first things when I wake up in the morning. When I am doing mundane tasks, such as cleaning, getting ready for my day, or just on the elliptical at the gym, I'll also listen to a podcast and I pretty much kill two birds with one stone.Other small daily habits I incorporate are as simple as putting my phone on "do not disturb" mode during my busy hours in the middle of the day. This helps me stay focused with no distractions and to stay on task without checking my phone due to the notifications. This is something I highly recommend because it is so easy to become distracted by our phones and we lose valuable time if we let that become a (bad and easy) habit while doing important tasks.Smart daily habits create consistency and of course will ideally align with your short-term and long-term goals. If you are unsure where to start, think about what you want to accomplish by the end of this month. And then 3 months from now. 6 months from now. And a year later. From there, work backwards to see where you need to begin in order to close the gap between where you are now and where you want to be in order to reach your goal(s). The best place to start is to create smart daily habits that will consciously tell your mind it is a top priority and eventually, it becomes part of your life routine in which you don't even need to think about doing, but you simply just do.Till next time...xx
Hoodie from Have Some Fun TodaySports Bra from LululemonLeggings from Alo Yoga
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Photos by Erin Kaiulani Parker