The New Daily Habits I'm Trying To Master
As we’re slowly approaching new years resolution time I thought I’d get ahead of the game and try and take a serious look at my daily habits. Some of them are pretty great if I do say so myself but some, well some are pretty questionable and I want to change that. Weirdly, one of my favourite topics of conversation is the little things that everyone does daily as you never know what might work for you and your lifestyle. And this is everything that I'm trying to work on at the moment...
tackling my phone addiction
iPhone’s have now got something in their software which shows you just how much time you spend on your phone and there is a reason why I’ve never downloaded an app that shows you your screen time before. I’m already well aware that I spend far too much time on my phone and don’t really want a reminder. However, those little reports that come to my phone every Sunday have really opened my eyes. I spend far too much time on Instagram and even though it’s an app I enjoy, especially the account I have for the dogs as who can deny a feed of sweet hounds? I know it’s something that I could most definitely spend last time scrolling through. How I’m trying to cut down on my phone time is not to open any apps when I’m out walking the dogs, putting it elsewhere when I’m sat writing and working and finally having a cut-off point in an evening. At this point I know scrolling through Instagram and Twitter is just a habit and I’m not really paying attention to what I’m consuming so it’s absolutely pointless. Ideally, I’d like to get to the point where I could leave the house without my phone as the main reason I do is to take photographs of the dogs but I have a camera that is better than my phone and just as compact so it makes more sense to take that instead. Phone addiction is a hard one and something I’m pretty sure we all struggle with in some capacity.
minimising my daily caffeine intake
Coffee is something that I absolutely adore but sometimes I do use it as a little bit of a crutch if I’m really tired which I know isn’t good. Having my morning coffee with the dogs is something that I truly look forward to but I know that’s something I could do later in the day and make that my only coffee rather than having two or even maybe three a day as that’s far too much caffeine. Trying to swap out those coffees for water or even decaf because I do like the taste is something that I’m trying to do instead. Now it’s autumn and it’s a comfortable temperature in the evening it does mean that I’m generally getting a really good nights sleep most nights so I should be able to get through the day without multiple caffeine kicks. Drinking more water is always something that I’m trying to do but somehow always fail even though it’s something I know makes such a big difference to how I feel not only physically but mentally too. Maybe one of those little apps to remind me? Although, that doesn’t fair well for cutting back on my phone time does it…
MEAL PLANNING
Something that I’ve never quite managed to get the hang of is meal planning and prep. I can do a few days here and there but it’s not something that I find brings me any joy at all, I’m quite an indecisive eater and I don’t think that helps in the slightest when it comes to thinking of a week's worth of food. Not only does meal planning and prep save money but it also saves a lot of time and because I don’t enjoy cooking at all so it's rather something I spend as little time as possible doing. Far too often I go for the easy options when I come for food and I know that I desperately need to push myself with what I eat as there has never been a better time to be a vegetarian as there are so many amazing food bloggers sharing recipes constantly.
VENTURING FURTHER AFIELD
For me, my daily dog walks are essentially my evening and my idea of fun for my free time is spending it with my two little hounds. And now we’re in the colder months where sunlight is limited I want to try and make the most of the light we do have by venturing further afield and when the sun sets I can do other things on my to-do list that don’t require sunlight. As I’m lucky enough to work from home it enables me to have the time to do this and I know I need to make the most out of it and I live in the middle of so many amazing places. If there is one thing I’m so thankful to Instagram for it’s that it’s opened up so many amazing walk spots for me in my local area that I probably wouldn’t have found before. Although my number one tip for exploring is pulling off in a little lay bay by woodland, sounds weird but some of my favourite walks have been discovered by doing that.
changing up my daily work routine
Something that I find all too easy when you work from home is to get yourself stuck in a rut and do the same things day in day out. Which is a positive and a negative because I am someone that thrives from a routine but too much of the same thing isn’t good for anyone and I find once I’ve done the same thing too much I start to become seriously unproductive and in a massive rut. When you’re your own boss and you find something that generally works then it’s hard to push yourself to try new things and maybe start new ventures but I truly believe it’s integral not only for your business but in general life too. Comfortable bubbles are wonderful for making you feel safe and calm but comfort isn’t a catalyst for change. A concept that I seriously came around to a couple of years ago is the idea of working seasonally and shifting your work pattern and flow with the seasons. And it’s something that really works for me and my job, my work routine is completely different in S/S then it is in A/W. The distinct lack of light makes sure I change my workflow around and it always feels good.
pushing myself on social media
Although this doesn’t exactly tie into my whole spending less time on my phone ethos something I want to continue to do is actually be social on social media platforms rather than just a silent viewer. I think one of my biggest issues is that often I’m not using social media in the most productive way I can, it’s all too easy to scroll and scroll without connecting to anything. It’s something that I’ve been gradually working on and it made me fall back in love with Instagram as it felt a little bit more like the community it once was rather than everyone scrambling to get as many likes as possible. I’m a pretty shy person and that definitely comes across online too, it’s so easy to just stay in my own little bubble but I know how important it is not to do that and it’s certainly lonely in that bubble.
