Happy July 1st, dear reader! Today, I am jumpstarting July to shake my life up a bit (in a good way). My life was derailed two years ago due to one personal crisis after another. Unfortunately, I let a few things fall by the wayside, but I am ready and excited to get my life back on track. This month, I want to focus on building good habits and cultivating realistic routines, so I can accomplish the aims on my 25 for 2025 List and restart my hobbies (other than reading) by the end of this year.
I have been wanting to reread Atomic Habits by James Clear, so when my friend Lee mentioned on a recent episode of Saturday Morning Momentum that she was reading it and having a hard time getting into it, I asked her if she wanted me to buddy read it with her, and she said YES. Therefore, I started with the introduction today. We will be reading and discussing it on my Discord if anyone is interested in joining us for the next couple of months.
I have created two lists, one for the habits I want to build and the other for the routines I want to cultivate in July. Some of my habits will be incorporated into my daily routines. I will play around with my routines this month since I want them to be realistic and manageable.
HABITS
- Wake up at 5:00 AM
- Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside
- Drink more water
- Mindful eating
- Keep a JOY journal
- Write a daily to-do list
- Track book spending
- Declutter/Chores (schedule)
- Creative Time/Aims (schedule)
- Monitor progress (habits/routines)
ROUTINES
- Morning Routine
- Weekly Routine
- Evening Routine
In addition to rereading Atomic Habits, I plan on referring to ideas and strategies suggested in the following books which I would highly recommend to readers who want to work on habits, routines, decluttering, organizing, or making time for creative pursuits and projects.
- The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma
- Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam
- Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
- Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin
Now that I am putting my July plans out into the world, dear reader, I hope you will help me stay accountable. I plan to update you periodically throughout the month. My friend Kathryn Huggett, who is a health coach, created two accountability trackers for her team that I am using to keep track of my daily walks and water intake. I am using a regular notebook to monitor everything else I will be doing. I am excited to see what I will accomplish this month. Happiness!
“Your jumpstart moment is critical. Start simple but simply start.” ~ Bronkar Lee
The Kat Files 