What small habits you have that make your life better?

[misscheery]

Obviously posting here for traffic

As part of "new year new me"resolutions, I am trying to establish a set of habits/small things to do in order to be either happier/healthier or look better/be smarter

What I do now-
-Gym 3 times a week (either zumba or cross fit for now)
-Have a nice cup of tea in the morning
-Reading 30 mins a day either the book I am currently reading or a nice magazine
-Bubble bath

Nothing else crosses my mind now. What do you do?

I hope this post makes sense as I have an exam tomorrow and am a bit crazy today

sending my washing to the launderette

@Charismam I consider using an ironing service soon as I freaking hate ironing

Meal planning. Takes the stress out of day to day life, and we all know where we stand with meals. Plus there’s less waste and shopping costs less.

Putting everything ready the night to avoid stress in the morning.

Do it! Best 17 euro I spend all week. I'd give up a lot of things before I give up that. All the towels and sheets too, I just don't have the space to dry all that. I hate having sheets hanging off doors in winter!

A woman I know who blew 50 euro visiting a medium laughed at me for sending out my laundry! Each to their own!!

Taxis when I'm in town (rather than tube or bus). Expensive but the lack of stress of getting a little one through the rush hour is worth it.

• Giving the house a quick tidy and clean (mostly just wiping surfaces) before I go to bed. Makes me feel calmer in the morning.

• Putting music on when taking a shower

Getting up an hour early before everyone else to workout then have a huge cup of tea and read the news online in total silence.

No phones in the bedroom.

Phones don't come into the bedroom at night and my sleep is so much better. I bought an actual clock to use as alarm.

Making my bed before I go to work, I can see it when I come come at the end of the day and it's so much more plesant when it's neat and tidy.

Putting the radio on when I wake up. I'm only getting ready for 15-20 mins before I leave but it's a bit nicer now!

Taking dried washing off of the drying rack when it's dry rather than when the next load is ready to go on, gives me some living room space back!

Having a constant pile/bag for the charity shop on the go means things get put in it straight away rather than lingering still in cupboards and forgotten about.

Another one who gets laundry done.
Not all the time but when jobs around the house or at work are building up. It's brilliant.
We're lucky to have a spotlessly clean laundrette nearby & the service is great. They wash, sort, fold & if you want, iron.

Teaching my children when they were younger to ask other people how their day was when they get home. I always ask them and they ask me, sometimes they get in first and ask me. They are teens now and it feels so lovely to have that chat. Sometimes they are long, sometimes they are brief but it helps us all stay close and I really feel it helps the harmony in the house with teens. They genuinely listen and know I’m listening to them.

Got rid of my middle class guilt and got a cleaner!

Tidying as I go, decluttering and having 'a place for every and everything in it's place'.

Finally having a skin care routine (at nearly 50!).

Food planning so I'm eating well.

Picking what and how much News I read.

I'm working hard on my terrible timekeeping, so that I'm less stressed.

Light a candle in the bathroom while I'm showering

Remembering to wear perfume every day by putting the perfume with my "every day" products in the bathroom and not caring if it evaporates as it isn't a posh one and was a gift from a student

Having my "everyday" bathroom products lined up on the most accessible shelf

Asking for a second water bottle for Christmas so now I have one at home and one at work and don't have to carry it back and forth or agonise about forgetting it

Laying out everything the night before and making DH's and my lunch and everyone's breakfast and afternoon snack

I have a large box in the hall and everyone has to put their shoes in it when they come in.

I fold sheet, duvet cover and extra pillow case into a pillow case. Then I can grab a full bed set out the airing cupboard. Saves hunting around.

Hang plastic re-cycling bad off the sink cupboard door. I rinse my plastics and put them into the re-cycling bag straight away.

The rest of the house is a shit tip and would love some ideas

Timed housework, DH and I decided one hour tops yesterday and attacked chores like this together. We achieved a lot.

Make phone calls whilst doing non noisy chores I make my calls when folding and putting away laundry or making dinner.

Don't buy anything unnecessary, so many people go on about de cluttering I just don't buy in the first instance.

Going for small walks often for a breather, I have been known to nip out for a 15 minute walk about three times a day if I'm at home.

Record any tv programme you want to watch so you never watch adverts.

Never attend any event or function you don't want to. From a small get together up to the big ones like family weddings. I do a little cost benefit analysis in my head that is literally, time vs cost vs how much I like the people. So when DH cousins got married we didn't go as neither of us is keen on him.

Using good quality stuff daily. It makes routines a bit more "Zen" and less of a drudge.
In one house we lived in I used to say "Good morning, lovely sink!" every day to my double stainless steel corner FRANKE model. Now I have an easily stained Fragranite model I do not feel the love for!

The same goes for cooking equipment, purse, pens, handcream...
Not necessarily expensive things, just right for the purpose.

Wow!! I can use so many of these!

I'm quite bad at meal planning and I need to change this as our freezer is full!

A tiny thing, but putting 2 bin bags in each bin, changing just the inner one each time.

The inner one slides out easier, and if it fails there is a second outer bag to catch it.

@Peanutbuttercheese Oh that made me laugh. Normally when I'm cleaning/making dinner etc I'll phone my future MIL as she loves being called because she loves talking A LOT. By this I accomplish 2 things: mAke her happy AND not be bored. Job done

We have a hello fresh/gousto box for the days I work. It just takes the mental load of thinking things up for dinner every evening off me.
It's a complete extravagance, but it makes our lives so much easier.

I get up half an hour before I wake the DC up so I can get myself ready in peace. It's horrible getting up even earlier than I need to but it makes my day start better.

My NY resolution was to finish things. I'm terrible for doing 3/4s of a job - getting everything for a project but not finishing it; clearing clothes or books but having them hanging around the house for ages because I don't get rid/put them in the loft. I'm ticking one thing off a week at the moment and it makes me feel very happy. My reward for when I'm done with my half jobs is to start a new project - redecorating my kitchen 😁

Teaching my children when they were younger to ask other people how their day was when they get home.

I love this! And am adopting it forthwith.

Getting up early is so lovely. It's peaceful and sets you up for the day to have a leisurely cup of tea and breakfast, listen to the radio, read a book (no screens) Even if you spend some of the time emptying the dishwasher while the kettle boils and tea is made, it's something you won't have to do later when you are frazzled.

I also have stopped buying loads of crap and only buy naice things and I actually use them rather than just storing them and looking at them.