This is me checking in on your New Year’s Resolutions. How are you doing?

Today is the day most people give up on their New Year resolutions when the new energy starts to wear off and the motivation falters and wanes.

Now is the time I lean into the systems I’ve put in place to support the new habits I’m building.

The first step is deciding on a specific behavior that will move you toward your goal and getting clear on your motivational drivers.

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What most people miss is that they really don’t get granular about how they will keep fitting it into their lives.

I urge many of my creative clients working from home or for themselves to learn to time block. It allows you to see what time you have available to do all the things you want to do. It is humbling to break down what needs doing and see what time is left for everything else.

I’ve created a calendar shell in ical with my meals, daily walks, and workouts. I’ve been doing this for a while, so I know where I have space for movement. I don’t workout every day, but I block out the time as if I do and then will pivot to something else if it’s a rest day.

I’ll make sure to add any meetings and specific designated work time.

Then, at the start of each week, I’ll schedule specific tasks during my work focus blocks so that I know exactly what I need to do during those times.

The rebel in me also needs to make sure that there is space for downtime and play in the schedule because as much as I love a good organized schedule, I hate being restricted and feeling trapped.

Developing this scheduling behavior has taken me a long time - and it’s not perfect. Some weeks, I’ll plan it all out and never look at it again. But the more I do it, the easier it gets and the better I feel about my time.

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Figuring out where you have space for your new habits is key to actually being able to do them. I have made my daily walks and my workouts a non-negotiable. They go on the schedule. I plan for them. If you know my CARAT system, planning is part of step 4:

Anticipate: Plan the exact steps and Prepare for obstacles.

Step 4 is where many people struggle the most because they have skipped the other steps, thinking they can just dive in and start doing their habit, and it will magically stick.

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Take a week and develop an awareness of how you spend your time. Pay attention to meal timing, how long it takes you to get ready, whether you have a commute, what time you go to bed, and other responsibilities you are dealing with.

The goal is to learn that you matter more than all your other priorities. By ensuring that your needs are met, you can show up better for others. So, put them on the schedule.

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The second half of step 4 is to prepare for obstacles. Check out this episode of Feed Your Health, where I talk about how to work through obstacles so that you can continue to stay on track with your new behaviors.

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Until next time,

Morgan