Do you ever feel like: “Ugh – nothing sticks when I try to start a new habit”? Typically we fall into a pattern where weekdays are all business and routine and then weekends we go buck wild.
That often happens because we’ve created this polarized mindset that the week is supposed to be filled with working and the weekend is supposed to be fun. I have a lot of people talk to me about being “stuck in a rut” of only having fun Friday nights and Saturdays. But what about the other days?
If that is you and you are on that hamster wheel… I want to share a fun fact: There are 7 days in a week. If you only like two of them that is two out of 7 days, basically 8 days a month that you are enjoying. (PS. that’s only 96 days out of your year that you are enjoying).
So, let’s talk about how to make routines FUN and easy to stick to
There are a couple things that have really shifted my life in this arena…One of the biggest life changing things in my life was making my life fun! Gosh, when I started doing things I liked a lot more often and stopped forcing everything, my life became so much easier. And it did not mean I did not have hard days – it just meant that I felt like I was slogging less through the days and instead gliding through them.
It was small things every day I started shifting. I started really getting analytical about what I liked and did not like in my day. So, I zoomed out. Let’s provide a couple of examples:
And slowly the list went on and on. I got curious about what I could realistically do to make things a bit better.
Okay, so no more gym at 5… But, I could get up at 5:30, do a mini morning routine, and leave at 6:30 get to work without traffic, and then workout at the office and shower there. That was an option, and it worked quite well.
I could put my coffee in a thermos or buy it at the office.
I could spend the morning not rushing to the gym but walking my dog.
What options did I have? I got CURIOUS.
Then, as I started making small changes every day, I noticed one big glaring truth: I was relying on just my weekends to not suck. I did not like that I only had fun on Saturdays. I hated Mondays so much… and Sundays… and Tuesdays…. I hated a lot of days. That was when the big light bulb of… oh gosh “I gotta stop this and start something new.”
Let me add in one final tidbit about by starting new habits sometimes does not work.
New habits do not stick because of the following reasons:
1) You are not buying into what you’re doing: You were told it works but you need PROOF it works. Your subconscious ain’t along for the ride yet. You are again… doing stuff that seems like it is irrelevant to you, that you hate doing, because someone told you to do it. What are you buying into? What do you value? Start there.
2) You make it too all-or-nothing and dive in too quick: You are not a machine. Habits take time. So, reducing the shit in your day takes time too. Start small.
3) You make the habit focused on what you don’t want not what you DO want: When we make habits more focused on joy and what it adds to our lives, not what it takes away, we are more likely to stick to it. So, after you get out all the things you don’t like in your day like I did above, what did I start to do? Focus on what I wanted and add in one thing each day I wanted and take away one thing each day I hated. IT WAS LIFE CHANGING.
4) You don’t make your FUN and JOY a priority: By adding in stuff that you actually like doing, in conjunction with your goals, you are more likely to do it. We go to happy hour because we think it is fun; we eat the candy because we feel pleasure; we don’t do to the gym because we think it is going to suck. But, do you enjoy bike rides? Go on a bike ride don’t go to the gym then.
I noticed that each day became less painful and more days became fun as I started to get curious…. And golly – I did not hate my days anymore.
By enjoying more than weekends and enjoying more of our time, we ultimately build the life we want.
Are you okay with only enjoying 28% of your life?!
Click HERE to learn how I can help you enjoy your life more!
0 Comments