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3 Enjoyable Steps to Fall Back Into Habits

“You only need to take a series of tiny steps, consistently, over time, to radically improve your life.”

Darren Hardy- Author of The Compound Effect

As we shift back into routines and wind down from, what I hope, was a memory packed summer, it’s a great time to re-evaluate. Now that the kids are back in school, regular programs are back on and there’s a shifting in the seasons, this is when you could think about and plan what you most need from now until the end of the year. Yep- I said it! End of the year. You probably started out this year with goals and plans. Have you stuck to them? Maybe you got distracted? Life happened? Priorities shifted? Take a few minutes to clear your mind, make space for yourself and fall back into habits with these simple tips.

Beach Day memories with my kiddos

Clear your mind

person doing thumbs up

This is a good time to review the summer and all the memories that were made. It’s too easy to rush forward into the next season or chapter without savouring what we just experienced. Think about your top 5 favourite moments.

This week as I’ve chatted with other moms, I’m hearing a lot of guilty, self-shaming comments! “I didn’t eat well”, “My business was backburner-ed”, “I should really….”

Can we stop that?! Let’s start with a fresh slate and reframe some of these thoughts. I didn’t eat well/I gained weight/slacked at the gym/etc can turn into I really enjoyed family meals while camping/My activity and movement looked different this summer/ I needed the downtime to decompress/ I was fully present with my family.

Give yourself some grace as you transition from summer mode into school mode. You’ll catch up, things will settle, you’re doing just fine.

Make space for yourself

You’ve probably been putting the needs of everyone else ahead of your own. Decide what time of the day will be just for you. It could be a 20 minute earlier wake up to sip your coffee in silence, stepping outside on your lunch break or after dinner down time. You know your schedule best. Think about what is most important to you and schedule that time. What gets scheduled, gets done. You deserve some scheduled time.

Just start

inspirational quotes on a planner

Don’t overcomplicate things. Think back to the goals you set out at the beginning of the year. If they are still important to you, choose one small habit or step that you can do every day to make a tiny bit of progress towards your goal. Don’t expect yourself to go from zero to sixty. Keep things balanced if you can. I like to think about different areas of my life- business, personal, relationships, health, family, spiritual etc and choose a little habit for each that I haven’t already established solid habits for.

Here are some examples to get your mind going:

  • Walk for 10 minutes a day
  • Do yoga 3 days a week
  • Read 10 pages of a personal development book before bed
  • Listen to something inspiring/educational every morning on your drive to work or while you clean the kitchen
  • Drink a bottle of water before 10am
  • Clear the junk food out of your cupboards and fill them with healthy and yummy alternatives
  • Have dinner as a family X number of nights a week
  • Check in with your partner during the day and send a kind, unexpected compliment
  • Put the phones away so you can be fully present after school with your kids

You have all the tools you need

You’ve taken the time to decide what your priorities are so any action- no matter how small- is certainly going to get you closer to feeling like the happiest, most balanced and connected version of yourself. Now grab yourself a PSL and enjoy the season 🍁🍂🍃