Hi, my name is Amy, and I’m a slob. Hi Amy.
When we had kids, hubby had to get used to chaos. I was relieved to have company. But the reality is, I’ve got a pattern of bad habits, and I need to start replacing them with good ones.
Here’s the first one…I have a bad habit of putting myself down. I have improved some of my habits. I’m packing lunches more, I’m cooking dinner more (or having supplies for hubby to cook), and I have actually used that rice cooker I had to have several months ago (and I’ve used it a lot since I started). I’ve also started doing my stretches again and have dusted off the Wii Fit balance board. And the 5-6 times I’ve used it in the past few weeks, my Wii Fit age has been below my actual age in each test. I’ve also made a nonfat yogurt and berry smoothie. Twice. And I drank them both.
Note to self: Just because something is called a smoothie maker doesn’t mean it has the oomph to make a smoothie. My ordinary blender did so much better. For once, I can actually get rid of one of the kitchen gadgets that I tell myself I have to have.
Anyway…when I write it down, I’ve got proof that I’m not the completely incompetent lazy waste of space that I try to convince myself I am. I’m just my own consistently inconsistent worst enemy. Funny, I get paid to document, analyze and improve processes so that they are executed consistently. But then when I get home, I fall into the same patterns I’m trying to correct at the office.
So let’s see if I can start applying some of the things I’ve learned/try to practice in my job at home.
Save the cheerleader, save the world. Yes, I was a fan of Heroes (well, season 1 at least). In my previous job, my manager agreed with me that I needed to keep that thought in mind. I can’t fix everything, but I can make a positive impact if I focus on what I’m supposed to do and am able to do. My children are old enough to clean up after themselves (even though they’d rather not), so I need to teach them how to take care of their stuff and focus on my stuff.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. I can’t declutter my house in a day (no matter how hard I wish…believe me, I’ve tried), but I can still get rid of something or put something else away. I can’t suddenly get back the strength in my left leg (which I’ve wished for even more than the clean house), but I can try to make it stronger.
You’ve got to crawl before you walk. If it were easy to create a habit, I could do my best I Dream of Jeannie blink and have the new habit in place. I have to follow James Clear’s advice to start with something insanely easy and build from there.
But I’ve also learned that whatever gets put in place, there needs to be accountability. Whether it’s a new office procedure or a new home habit, people need to be held accountable or they won’t change their ways. I’ve broken many a promise to myself to drink less soda, exercise more frequently, clean out the closet, etc. because there aren’t repercussions.
So, what am I doing about it?
Playing 3 Things – At least once a day, I play a game with myself. I go to a hot spot (Flylady fans know that a hot spot is an area where clutter will take over if unattended) and I put away or throw out at least 3 things. As I’ve started in one spot, I will a) clean up more than 3 things or b) clean up/out 3 things in another area. Sometimes I do both.
Small, small habits – 3 things is small. On the exercise side, I’m building the habit to do one of my exercises, not the whole regimen. I picked an easy exercise that focuses on my biggest weakness. I’ll add in more as I get more comfortable keeping the habit.
Adding in accountability – Since this has been a shortcoming in past efforts, I’ve got multiple sources in place.
- I’ve asked a friend to randomly bring it up when we see each other, talk to each other, or if she feels like sending me an email or a text. Since I don’t know when or how she’ll ask, I need to keep up my efforts so I’m ready whenever.
- I’m blogging here. I don’t blog daily, but I will blog again, and I don’t like admitting failure, so there.
- I told my mom. Yes, I’m a grown woman, but my mom is still my mom, and she still calls me out when I’m not behaving properly. And since I am a grown woman, I really don’t like being lectured by my mom, so this is a big incentive.
- My smartphone. There are loads of goal tracking apps available, so I downloaded Goal Tracker onto my phone. For each of my goals, I give myself a big blue check mark on days I’ve exercised and/or played 3 Things, and a big red X when I don’t. There’s a calendar so I can see at a glance how I’m doing.
So how am I doing today? For the second straight day, I’ve done my exercises. And I’ve played several games of 3 Things already – in the closet, in the bathroom, on the floor, on the bed, in the family room…That sounds a bit kinky, doesn’t it? Oh well, if it makes me laugh, I’m more likely to keep it up. Ahem.
