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
Today is the first day of June, and it falls on a Monday. What do I like about that fact? For me and my personality, I like to start a new fitness/diet routine on a Monday. I like the fact that it is a brand new month, a blank slate, which makes it mentally great for me to keep track of my progress. And, my summer break officially begins today. This summer I want to settle into a routine that encompasses several goals that I have set for myself. I am ready to make changes in different areas of my life which I have been ready to make for some time. Some changes have already been put into motion, some need action steps to set changes into motion while other changes need more time to come to fruition. Basically, I want to reboot some old routines and establish some new ones.
I recently finished reading Mind Over Weight written by Dr. Ian K. Smith, who is the author of The Clean 20. It is a wonderful little book that gave me a much-needed pep talk. I will be referring to this book for motivation throughout my weight loss journey. It has some terrific questions to reflect upon, tips on curbing cravings, and suggestions on dealing with emotional eating. Journaling and tracking my progress is also part of the plan.
