The importance of daily habits in creating a life you love
Starting with our values and vision
When I reflect back to when I was in my early 20s, I was newly qualified as a pharmacist and I was studying towards my PhD. I was focussed, and knew exactly where I was headed, short-term at least. The goal was to complete my PhD in 3 years and get a job in the pharmaceutical industry. I have a strong work ethic, and very much treated my PhD like a job… showing up at 9am at the lab and finishing at dinner-time. It was rare that I’d be in the lab late at night; I’ve always done my most productive work in the mornings. I could see myself at the end of the road, having completed the degree and securing employment. But it was the daily habits that got me to the finish line. And it’s no different today… just a different future vision that I’m going after.
As a time management coach, it’s my vision to empower people to harness their most precious asset — time — with intentionality, enabling them to create a life and business that thrives in simplicity, ease, and joy. My future vision has me contributing meaningful products and services to the world (and creating a community in the process). It’s also a goal to work less whilst maintaining my income.
Embedding new daily habits
Once we’ve zoomed out and looked ahead at the future vision, it’s then a case of zooming in to look at the year, where I’ll set some goals, and then zooming in again to look at the quarter, and then again to consider our weeks and days (and we do this in my membership programme each month, both zooming in and out as we plan each month)… but thinking about our daily habits is important too.
When I was a PhD student, I remember the months it took to write up my thesis. It took dedication and discipline to keep going. I had a daily habit of showing up, to my desk, to write each morning. I got dressed, which signaled I was in ‘work mode’. This simple habit really helped my focus and productivity. (When I was at university doing my first degree, my habit was eating pick n’mix sweets whilst studying. It was a daily habit that in all likelihood was not good for me… but it got me through what was a difficult time and a difficult course).
Today is no different. I still get dressed (although this slipped during Covid, and it massively impacted my mental health), and get to my desk on the days I’m working.
Other daily habits are getting outside (Evie helps with this!), moving my body, taking supplements to support my health, taking my Crohn’s medication and practicing mindfulness (even if it’s just for a few minutes).
I have found that if something is out of sight, for me at least, then it doesn’t happen. You want to make the good habits as easy as possible. So for instance, my Crohn’s medication lives on my bedside table where there is always a glass for water. If the glass isn’t there or the tablets get moved… then they don’t get taken. For my daily supplements, I have these on the counter in the kitchen, and because I see them every morning… they get taken.
My habit tracker (download your copy here), lives on the wall in my kitchen and it also acts as a prompt/reminder for each of the activities I’ve listed.
Have a think about the daily habits that will support you to step into that future vision you’ve outlined. And pick one to start with (read on to find out why).
You might also want to try habit stacking, so if you already have a habit in place e.g. brushing your teeth every morning, can you layer another habit at this time e.g. reciting some positive affirmations (in your head, not out loud!) whilst you brush, or do some mindfulness. Or if you’ve got a habit of having a morning coffee, can you do some journaling whilst you drink it rather than scrolling on your phone?
Tracking progress with your daily habits
I’ve found that when you start to track something, even if you don’t consciously change anything you’ll naturally start to see improvements. I find this with time tracking, for both myself and my clients. The habit of recording what you are doing with your time makes you stop and think… and you start to make small shifts even if you’re not trying to!
Using a habit tracker is helpful, whether it’s something like mine that you print and stick on the wall… or get it up on your office whiteboard or into an app on your phone. As I mentioned above, I know that I work best when I have these things front and centre… so it needs to be printed and visible, not in an app that I probably won’t open!
Discipline to stick with your habits
This is where it can start to get tricky. You might have tried to create a new habit at New Years last month, but the stats show that the majority will have given up by now (the second Friday in January is called ‘Quitter’s Day’ and it’s when most people throw the towel in and by mid-February 80% will have given up).
It is possible to create new habits, and re-wire the neural pathways in your brain (it's a property of the brain called neuroplasticity), but it takes time and repetition. Start with a baby step, what's something little that you can commit to, that is realistic for you to achieve. And when you do achieve it, make sure you celebrate it. Even if it's just a text to a friend to let them know you did what you said you were going to do (you can email me or DM me on Instagram and I'll celebrate with you!).
I’ve been sharing the progress with my running on my Instagram stories (I’ll tag my PT as well), and this helps me stick with the habit (although it’s not a daily habit, more like twice a week). Having an accountability partner can be impactful (this is where having a coach can be a game changer).
If you’re trying to get better at organisation and time management, these are habits I can help with! Drop me a note, I’d love to chat with you.