Creating Habits and Rituals: 2 Habits to Start Now

organization Dec 20, 2017

Habits and rituals rule our days whether we want them to or not.

No matter our personality type, we all have habits and rituals even if we don't know it. If we are intentional in creating our habits and rituals, then we are in charge of our time. But... more often than not, we develop default habits that steal our time and contribute to our overwhelm.

Overwhelmed? Yeah, I get it. I've been there. Here's the deal. As you head into Christmas break, you have time to start fresh with intentional habits and rituals. Take charge of your day. Use these 2 habits of ultra productive people - Morning and Evening Rituals.

Start with a planner or notebook of some sort.

Create morning and evening rituals or habits. A morning ritual will get you moving and ready on time in the morning without stress. An evening ritual will get you to bed on time so you wake refreshed and ready. These two small changes will change your life, I promise!

Sleep is the most important thing you can do for your health.

Lack of sleep effects everything else we do, from work and family decision to attitudes, stress levels and even the food we choose to eat. It effects our relationships with our families and our students.

How much sleep do you need?

The average adult (I know you are above average but go with me here) needs between 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Shoot for 8 hours and adjust. Once you start and stick to a regular evening ritual, you will figure out if you need more or less sleep pretty fast.

Figure out when to start your rituals.

Plan for the amount of sleep you need and the time you need to be ready to go in the morning. Next, figure out the amount of time your desired morning and evening rituals will take and work backwards for when to start your rituals.

Remember, the season of life you are in will dictate some of your rituals. For example, I have teenagers at home so my rituals take that into account. If you work with your season in life - toddlers, teens or empty nest - you're going to be more successful in creating something that really works.

Here's a sample of Morning and Evening rituals.

Morning

2 glasses of water (5 Minutes)
make lunches + school prep (15 Minutes)
breakfast (5 Minutes)
pray + journal (15 Minutes)
review goals (2 Minutes)
review calendar + schedule (3 Minutes)
exercise (20 Minutes)
shower and prep (20 Minutes)

Evening

straighten up the house- team effort (10 Minutes)
prep for the morning- lunches, dinner, work or school stuff (15 Minutes)
get the kids to bed (30 Minutes)
wash up (5 Minutes)
pray (15 Minutes)
review the day: 3 wins and one for growth (5 Minutes)
read (30 minutes)

How long will you spend on each item? Put a time down for each event.

Now, get started. Create your ideal rituals. Here's a FREE checklist to use. Keep your list handy. Review it morning and night as you practice until it's just your regular habit.

Merry Christmas,

Lisa

P.S. My new favorite personal planner: Michael Hyatt's Full Focus Planner. I am in love with this planner. If you want to finally accomplish your big dreams, this is the planner for you! (No, I am not paid for this. I just really love it.)