Two Habits I love & Two Habits I Wish I Had
I love routine and habits. There’s just something so soothing about having a way that you do things, or having a value that you stick to. And there are times when I hear about someone else’s routine or habit and think “that’s a great idea! I should do that!” and then there are also times where I’m sharing something that I do and mostly take for granted and someone shows appreciation for it. So today I want to share two things that I do that I’m proud of or really appreciate for our lives, and two things that I wish I did more of. Let’s learn from each other!
Two Things I Do
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Guard Our Calendar
I make it a priority to guard our calendar and make time for fun, relaxation, time with friends and family, and getting things done. Some may say I’m a little too obsessed with my google calendars, but there’s just something so gratifying to me about seeing our week planned out.
And you better believe that I put “relax at home” on our calendar, as well as appointments and events. Whenever our calendar starts to get too full, I make sure and intentionally block out time to just be, and I hope to continue this value when we have kids with busy schedules some day as well!
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Nightly Routine
Most nights we try to get off TV and computers around 9pm and spend about an hour in wind-down mode. This was due to a 2016 resolution, and minus a few hiccups, we’ve stuck to it pretty well. We spend our time reading or doing other things around the house, and Brian and I always go to bed at the same time, which I adore. Cuddle time, plus pillow talk make bedtime one of my favorite times of the day!
Two Things I Wish I Did
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Daily Quite Times
Something that I used to do in college and during my time on staff with The Navigators (a college ministry) was have daily (or at least frequent) quiet times. This was time where I would read the Bible, pray, listen to worship music, and just enjoy communing with Jesus. As I’ve settled into “real adult career life,” I’ve found it more difficult to do this. I can find all kinds of excuses and it usually has to do with sleep or just plain forgetfulness. This is something that I am actively trying to change.
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Meal Plan
I’ve never been that into cooking, but I do kind of wish that I did more meal planning. Every once in a while I’ll get on little recipe planning kicks where I’ll gather 4–5 recipes I want to try, shop for them, and then do them all in a week. Then a few months go by of unintentional meals until I hit another kick.
One of the reasons that I’ve never pursued meal planning fully is because I have very spur-of-the-moment taste buds and cravings. I often don’t know what I want for dinner until that evening, so planning out meals for specific days doesn’t seem like it would work very well. Perhaps if I try this out I will just plan meals that I can choose from in one week or some variation like that.
And how about you? What are some life habits that you do that you love/are proud of? What is something you wish you did more often?
What paper planner is pictured? I’m currently browsing around to find a new style. I did years of Franklin Covey and am wrapping up two years using an Amy Knapp planner.
My best habit: I use another week- view planner, a leather-covered one with a Bible verse on front, for my prayer journal. I write out my prayers or jot topics as I pray them. I also record any requests I hear (or commitments I make) in there.
The planner pictured is called Powersheets. It’s more of a goal tracker than a daily planner, I think. (http://cultivatewhatmatters.com/powersheets/)
I like the prayer journal idea! I’m sure that’s neat to look back on at the end of the year!