Life is hard.
The simplest of tasks, when sharing a day with several thousand other simple tasks, become pretty difficult to accomplish.
Yesterday I brainstormed some ideas for new habits in 2016, thinking about what their impact would be on my life in the short and long-term.
Today, I’m thinking about the “How Could I…” part of things. What are the prerequisites that would make desirable habits easier?
If I have trouble coming up with anything, I ask myself “Why Don’t I Already…” which leads to a problem I can then trouble shoot.
Looking at my “what if” habit list from yesterday, some of them are pretty easy fixes. If I want to eat fruit and nuts for snack, I need to keep them in the house and get in the habit of reaching for them instead of crackers. How can I make sure I keep them in the house? I could myself a “household staples” checklist that I go through before I leave for the grocery store, to help me take a quick inventory and populate the house with foods that support my healthy habits.
This “Why Don’t I Already” brainstorm also helped me move some of my “what if” habit ideas to a “maybe later” list. For example, designating two hours a week for managing my calendar and meal plan should wait until my regular babysitter gets back from winter break. I can keep doing a five minute calendar check each morning while I drink coffee for now.
Here’s another good question to ask:
What will happen if I don’t start this habit?
If the existing system is good enough for now, maybe that habit, despite being “better” isn’t a priority over one that has a more direct impact on your health or well-being.
Happy “What If”-ing!*
*If your “what if”-ing is turning into “WTF-ing” maybe wait until after the holidays 🙂