Habits that make you healthier, more organised or just somehow improve your life

mynameisnotkate · 2021-08-08T13:52:37+00:00

There was a great thread on MN about a year ago where people were sharing their useful habits. I picked up a good few, but have kind of lost my mojo and am looking for inspiration. Any ideas? Things I've tried: - getting up earlier - really like this, am going back to this soon - Wim Hof - planning to go back to cold showers, but didn't get much out of the breathing - drink four pints of water a day - have really given up on this but want to restart, it definitely makes me feel better - 16:8 fast - again, I want to get back into this, it helps with weight, though on its own it's not enough - ways to make me more efficient at work - have tried lots but find it really hard to make things stick. A task diary is quite useful. What have you tried that worked / didn't work?

NuffSaidSam · 08/08/2021 15:01

I love a list.

A list of things to do long term.

A list of things to do today.

At the end of the day a list of things I've done. Sometimes this is entirely different to the list of things that I was supposed to do but it's still important to recognise what you've done. I'll put everything on there like 'chilled out' or 'watched X' because those things are valid too.

Hen2018 · 08/08/2021 15:08

Lists.
Strava.
Sensible bedtime.
Lots of DIY so I can admire my achievements.

Can’t get on board with Wim Hoff, I’m afraid. There are a lot of charlatans about.

GreyWhite · 08/08/2021 15:10

Watching

Christobel51 · 08/08/2021 15:11

Joining this thread for inspiration.....need to grab hold of my life and get organised.!
One thing I do try to do is have a one touch policy:- for example...don't open an email until I am able to deal with it, diarise it, make the payment etc.
Don't try to tidy something unless I can put it away in its correct place, don't just move it around the house.
Don't open a message, until I'm in a position to check my diary and reply to it.....etc.

WindFlower92 · 08/08/2021 15:15

Watching!

Clean House app; I can add how often things need doing, and every day my chores come up in a list and then I tick them off or can skip until next time. Good for all household chores and bigger jobs than come up every now and then!

Rummikub · 08/08/2021 15:15

I do the above with my post. Don’t open it until I’m ready to action it. I have a lot of post to open after a year.

BonesJones · 08/08/2021 15:17

There's an app called fabulous that is brilliant for building these healthy / organised habits! It's not free, but its such a gamechanger for ADD me that I'd highly recommend it. It's gradually but sustainably changing my life!

weegiemum · 08/08/2021 15:39

Meal planning. Then writing a good shopping list, section by section of the supermarket.

Healthier as I have to choose in advance what we're eating, more likely to cook from scratch.

Organising it all in a pretty diary helps me out too!

Original poster

mynameisnotkate · 08/08/2021 15:40

Some great suggestions so far! I'll look into fabulous. I've tried a few apps and not really found them that helpful - hopefully this'll be the one!

The one touch thing is a good idea. I'm really bad at half-finishing things and then having to come back and redo a lot of the effort.

OP posts:

Rainallnight · 08/08/2021 15:56

Desperate for inspiration here

MacSmirving · 08/08/2021 16:04

This one is only relevant if, like me, you hate getting up in the morning (and probably not relevant if you have very young children 😄).

I take a flask of hot water to bed with me and set my alarm for 30 mins before I actually need to get up. Then when my alarm goes off I know all I have to do is sit up and drink water (much less daunting than actually getting out of bed you see). By the time I really have to get up I'm properly awake and hydrated and have had 30 mins of quiet time to myself and getting up doesn't seem nearly so bad.

For me it's one of those small changes that have a really big impact.

Phial · 08/08/2021 16:08

@MacSmirving

This one is only relevant if, like me, you hate getting up in the morning (and probably not relevant if you have very young children 😄).

I take a flask of hot water to bed with me and set my alarm for 30 mins before I actually need to get up. Then when my alarm goes off I know all I have to do is sit up and drink water (much less daunting than actually getting out of bed you see). By the time I really have to get up I'm properly awake and hydrated and have had 30 mins of quiet time to myself and getting up doesn't seem nearly so bad.

For me it's one of those small changes that have a really big impact.

I assumed this one was so that you'd have to get out of bed to have a wee, so might as well stay up!

KittenKong · 08/08/2021 16:13

I get up early and make myself a tea. I take it to the balcony and check all the plants and water them. Then I sit and drink my tea and do the sudoku or crossword. It is my little ‘me time’.

ChicChaos · 08/08/2021 16:20

Get as much ready the night before, so you have less to do the following day. So pick your clothes, menu planning so you know what is for tea that night, bags packed and ready to go.

SnarkyBag · 08/08/2021 16:25

Minimalism isn’t for everyone and you don’t have to take it to the extreme but it has been a game changer for me in terms of life balance, being more organised and having better finances.

dementedma · 08/08/2021 16:26

I need maximum sleep time so get everything ready the night before so I can get up as late as possible. Do things in an order to save time so switch on kettle, then go to loo. Mind you, I have shaved even more time now off by not having coffee until I get to work.
Meal plan or Hello Fresh if you can afford it.

Sportycustard · 08/08/2021 16:26

The 'Sunday summit'. DH and I plus diaries, phones and a glass of wine at 8pm on Sunday evening.

We look 6 weeks ahead and we go through who has deadlines and might be working late (used to be who was travelling for work!), who is cooking, days that are already really busy when we need to avoid booking anything else in etc.

We used to also book restaurants, taxis and babysitters and work out who was working away and if we needed extra childcare but covid has curtailed that.

Once that's done I meal plan and book the shopping delivery and DH picks up any admin like bills, sorting car insurance and new energy suppliers.

Takes about 90 minutes but my goodness the difference it makes to our lives!

allabitmuch45 · 08/08/2021 16:27

Batch cooking so there is always something easy but healthy-ish to eat in the freezer.

LegoCardSwapper · 08/08/2021 16:37

@WindFlower92

Watching!

Clean House app; I can add how often things need doing, and every day my chores come up in a list and then I tick them off or can skip until next time. Good for all household chores and bigger jobs than come up every now and then!

Are you able to send a screenshot of this app please? It sounds exactly like what I need but I can't find it on the App Store. Thank you!

Taswama · 08/08/2021 16:39

Yoga.
10 minutes in the morning most mornings (kassandra on YouTube but others are available) and a longer one once or twice a week.

Porridgeislife · 08/08/2021 16:42

Water - I try for 3L but most often achieve 2L. It definitely helps me sleep better if I’m well dehydrated.

Exercise in the morning - I find it easier to settle into my work day & focus if I’ve already done exercise. We have a Peloton so it’s really easy to get it done. I find I get ratty and anxious if I let it go a few days.

Simplifying what we eat - we basically eat the same things most days, switching around vegetables and protein. I make up stir fry sauce that lives in a jar in the fridge, we mix pesto with veg, etc to add flavour. It makes it much easier. Fortunately my husband is happy to eat anything if he can douse it in chili oil.

Shower cleaning - I HATE cleaning the bathroom so I do a patch of the shower every time I get in. We leave Method bathroom spray, Viakal and a brush in there permanently. Shower basically always looks clean.

@Sportycustard I love your idea of the Sunday Summit. Might need to nick that as we get used to being back in the office.

Rummikub · 08/08/2021 16:54

@Taswama

Yoga. 10 minutes in the morning most mornings (kassandra on YouTube but others are available) and a longer one once or twice a week.

Is it ok for beginners?

Wjevtvha · 08/08/2021 16:56

A really detailed weekly planner/calendar for all the family that I add to as soon as I get an invite/school letter/appointment so I don’t actually miss things now.

Rummikub · 08/08/2021 16:56

“Shower cleaning - I HATE cleaning the bathroom so I do a patch of the shower every time I get in. We leave Method bathroom spray, Viakal and a brush in there permanently. Shower basically always looks clean. “

I did this too. A couple of tiles at a time. I hate cleaning the shower too and this feels less arduous

LadyJaye · 08/08/2021 17:02

@Sportycustard

The 'Sunday summit'. DH and I plus diaries, phones and a glass of wine at 8pm on Sunday evening.

We look 6 weeks ahead and we go through who has deadlines and might be working late (used to be who was travelling for work!), who is cooking, days that are already really busy when we need to avoid booking anything else in etc.

We used to also book restaurants, taxis and babysitters and work out who was working away and if we needed extra childcare but covid has curtailed that.

Once that's done I meal plan and book the shopping delivery and DH picks up any admin like bills, sorting car insurance and new energy suppliers.

Takes about 90 minutes but my goodness the difference it makes to our lives!

Oh, I like this - will steal, if you don't mind!