Fancy sharing your 'atomic habits'* for inspiration for a September reset?

[LadyMaria]

Hello everyone

I love a clean slate and making resolutions. I've been making (and breaking) resolutions since I was little. I always considered September to be a second January, and in that spirit, I want to take advantage of the fresh-start atmosphere that comes with the back-to-school season. My goal is to start implementing small changes that will help me reorganise my life and regain the sense of control that I absolutely crave.

I'm here to ask you lovely ladies to please share with me (and anyone interested in doing the reset) the tiny changes that helped you start transforming your lives for the better.

• Atomic Habits

I make my own on a website called sotypicalme it lets you organise it lots of different ways.

https://sotypicalme.co.uk/?gadsource=1&gbraid=0AAAAACfeWiFX0xEMZI8-e3zhV76KOPU6C&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrKu2BhDkARIsAD7GBosKM4FZnLSK1QD9KYiBZ81ddvI6MyyXGI0JcfvQM2hVzxSbudW33caAk59EALwwwcB

Over the last few years I've started a few of these.

I never go upstairs or downstairs empty handed. So that could be putting washing away/taking it down, emptying the bathroom bin, taking new shampoo loo roll upstairs etc. I also have a basket on the stays and any random crap I find goes into the basket to go up into the correct rooms.

I buy reduced short date bread/wraps/rolls and sandwich meat and pre make and freeze a whole loaf of individually wrapped sandwiches. Makes packed lunches a doddle and I've always got a butty for a toasty/soup for lunch at home. It saves me a fortune AND it's mega efficient.

I buy my shampoo/conditioner/cleaning goods/loo roll/ laundry stuff in bulk now and keep it in the cupboard under the stairs. It's been liberating not having to worry about it and Amazon subscription deals have saved me money on the bulk products but also by reducing trips to the shops that should only cost me £5 but somehow end up costing £50

Love these tips!

Can I ask please, what sort of sandwich fillings you use? I used to make ahead/freeze cheese sandwiches for the kids when they were little but didn't venture much beyond that.

Place marking here as I need this. I suspect ADHD as I've always felt crappy and struggles to maintain habits and these actually sound manageable

Try and "stack" habits onto things you already do or places you already go.
If you are anything like me having a time based routine is useless. In my mind there are only 2 times - now or not now 😂 plus I wake and do things at different times each day.
But I have a vague "When I get up" routine, and try and link bits of housework or organisation into other bits in the day.
If that makes sense 😂😂😂

I make and break resolutions all the time but aslobcomesclean's "Do the dishes" has more or less stuck.

New ones I’ve adopted recently:

• every Wednesday morning, empty all the waste paper bins around the house
• every Thursday morning, check all the house plants and water any that need it
• as I finish work each day, update a mood tracking app
• use one of my bags specifically as a “home bag” to cart my glasses, phone and iPad around the house so my hands aren’t constantly full and I don’t have to go back to the room I just left to retrieve my stuff

Yes! I can hear her voice in my head right now! That really really helped me!
Also why "The Organised Mum" didn't work for me- her method seemed to assume that everyone has a dishwasher or just naturally does the dishes without thinking after every meal. Without understanding that for some people its a REAL sticking point.

@TicTac80

I've used all sorts of sandwich meats and also various cheeses. I find " proper" meat slices freezes better than the water filled ham square type stuff but even that's still ok. I don't mind buying the much nicer stuff when Ira reduced as it feels like a treat but doesn't cost more than the basic stud at full price. Philadelphia freezes ok providing it's not very thick and adds a bit of extra flavour to a ham sandwich. I use proper butter, not margarine/spread. I also make a carrot cake tray bake every 7-10 days and freeze slices in sandwich bags for my DHs packed lunch. I pack it out with grated apple/pear and chopped nuts add reduce the sugar so it's a treat but it's nutritious too.

@WitchyBits could you share the recipe for those carrot cake bites please?

I am trying to make a real effort this year amd habe implemented a few things since January.

• Don't leave a room without taking any items that belong into the room I am going to. Ie if I am going to the kitchen I will bring any empty cups. If the children are going upstairs I ask them to take their bags, toys, books whatever it is.

• If I buy a new item of anything, an existing item has to go to charity/recycling. Same with the childrens toys/books/sports stuff.
• No electronic devices in the kitchen. No kids or parents on phones ipads.
• Bring a waterbottle with me to bed and drink a glass worth of water first thing in the morning.
• Meal plan and food prep on a Sunday.

Me too! Adding habits to things already being done is a great tip. I am rubbish at taking my meds/supplements but I now take them when I make my coffee (as somehow I always remember that!). I empty the dishwasher and load the washing machine as the kids are eating their breakfast as I am always in the kitchen chatting to them then anyway. I do a quick bathroom tidy/wipe down when supervising ds 2 in his bath etc.

For lots of people the 'tidy as you go' is so ingrained in them but it just isn't to me.

Another thing that has helped me hugely this summer in tackling my clutter is the 20min trick. You set your alarm for 20min and just get started. With anything. Just DO it. I stick on a podcast or something and just do my 20min. I can really tell a difference now after 8 weeks of doing it. I get my family involved too and the 20 min actually is a nice time to catch up (although they always moan at the time 😅). When clearing out toys we ended up talking about lots of memories and it gives you a chance to steer their thinking. Do you want to keep it? Do you use it? Oh its a gift from so and so and means alot to you, then you should keep it etc.

This isn't an 'every week' thing, more of a 'sometimes' thing, but it might help someone...

I keep a bag packed (I travel quite a bit) with all the things I might need. Toothbrush, toothpaste, spare chargers, change, a set of night things and some clothes, a book, things like that. Stood me in good stead when I had an emergency hospital admission - just grab the bag and go, but it's also useful to know that my bag is ready when I go away.

Lots of inspiration, thank you!

I am in awe of all those who batch cook. It would be an immense achievement if I could do this, and it would help me so much. However, I am not brave enough to attempt it now. I might try after making some progress in my reset.

Some of the habits/resolutions that I'm going to try to implement:

• Increase my water intake
• Meal plan
• Spend at least 5 minutes one-on-one with my kids every day
• Ban my phone from the table when eating together
• Stop drinking black coffee in the afternoon
• Establish a beauty routine

I'll come back when I think of more.

Thank you for the inspiration!

@NotPennysBoat

Here it is

Thank you @WitchyBits , for the sandwich tips and the recipe - they sound great.

going back to my earlier post about a cup and straw - I ordered a straw and lid which fitted my current water bottle (stupid to buy a whole new bottle/cup when I have one). Received it earlier and managed to down a litre of water without issue :)

I will keep following this thread for other great habit ideas :)

I ln typical ADHD fashion I have binge read this, feel overwhelmed and done none of them.
What's a good place to start ?

A glass of water! Or the tiniest little positive action. Remember "atomic habits " = small, repetitive actions that can lead to big changes in your life, even though they require little effort or motivation.

Please come back and let us know!

Well done!

I think it's a very sensible idea to always have a packed bag ready to take in case of emergencies.

Excellent habit. I used to do this every evening with the kids to tidy up their things not that long ago. Just 5mnts or so, and they used to enjoy it. We got out of the habit but I'll try to revive it! Thank you 😊

Great to hear you're persevering with all those excellent habits. Well done!

Can I ask which robovac with mop do you have and is it any good? I have a eufy vacuum and although it's not excellent on hard floor I find it very helpful.

@powershowerforanhour and @Wavescrashingonthebeach I have to confess that I've never heard about aslobcomesclean before. I only know Marie Kondo and heard about Mrs Hinch but never aslobcomesclean.