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

Meal planning in general, but shopping for and prepping my work packed lunches specifically. I've lost nearly stone in January by just planning and then eating what Ive are, rather than getting starving and buying crap!

Allowing myself time to 'pamper' (for want of a better word) myself. Just close the bathroom door and have a bath, shave, moisturise, fake tan etc without prioritising other stuff, FGS! I feel so much better for it.

*what I've got

Meal planning is probably the thing that makes life so much easier and also causes me so much stress when I don't so I don't say number one best job.

I've failed to train my kids to get things ready the night before. They still refuse too. We still have the printer spitting things out at 7 am and only last week I had to drop everything to dash to school with something DS2 had forgotten.

I have a box of cards and postage stamps ready for last minute birthdays, or occasions I have forgotten. I also have a drawer with gift wrap, sellotape and scissors.

Calendar on the wall for EVERYONE to add to.

We have a box in the kitchen cupboard for recycling to save going outside every time.

I have a cleaner, window cleaner and mobile dog groomer.

We have always done shopping lists (notepad and pen on the sideboard) and then do weekly online shopping. We still have to do top ups though.

Routine of washing, tumble/line drying, airing and put away asap.

Ffs I'm giving up. So I think numbe one job.

I also write all cards needed for 1-2 months at a time and use a perpetual birthday calendar.

Writing a list to take food shopping with me. This means I know what to get and don't add anything I don't need.

Cleaning straightaway means it's done and I don't have to spend the rest of my evening procrastinating.

Getting my stuff ready the night before also helps.

Setting weekly goals helps me review my progress.

Spending time in the bath reading a self help book is not only relaxing but I feel better about myself afterwards.

Moisturising my skin after a bath by adding a drop of my favourite aromatherapy oil to my body lotion helps me relax and my skin feels softer too.

Love all these!

Mine are:

Making overnight oats (40g oats, handful of frozen fruit and almond milk in small container) which I eat on the tube to work. I could never eat first thing and if I waited until I got to the office I felt like I was wasting time making food while everyone else was working. It’s easy, tasty and cheap!

• taking coffee to work in a reusable cup instead of buying en route. Saves £2 a day and I really enjoy it. I get it ready the night before and just pour water on the filter in the morning when making my tea

• freezing leftovers to take for lunch. Healthier, cheaper and no extra work (apart from remembering to take out of freezer)

• using my nice things eg face cream,candles. Life is too short

The sleep app “sleep cycle”

Ordering a takeaway once a week

Taking an Uber rather than waiting for a bus sometimes

Wow, these are so good! I love so many of these and I'm actually making a list now, out of all the stuff you said.

I loved the overnight oats recipe, buying stuff for it tomorrow!

Thanks everyone! You are lovely people

I have a box of birthday cards but why has it never occurred to me to put the stamps with them?? I waste so much money buying stamps because I can't find them.

Night please don't encourage people to eat on the bloody tube

@ApplesTheHare love it! In a similar tone, I guide myself after the "if it takes less than 2 mins to do it, do it now" quote

I put make up on before the kids get up, so I know I'm ready for work. Wearing make up every day makes me feel more confident.

Have a range of nice shoes (not expensive) as it cheers me up.

Meal planning always.

Clean bathrooms daily for my own benefit. Doesn't take long as then they only need a wipe rather than Semtex

Tidy-ish kitchen with surfaces wiped before I leave the house (so I don't feel depressed looking at it when I get back).

Having a cleaner.

I don't work in an office at the mo, but when I did I always got my clothes out the night before so I didn't have to think about it in the morning.

Buying expensive loose-leaf tea that I love, rather than having stuff that's just 'OK'.

Buying a coffee from an artisan cafe just once every couple of weeks; feels like a real treat.

Painting my toenails, just for me.

I really need to take up meal planning and do some batch cooking for the days in the week when I work. I'm in this horrible habit of having to stop at the supermarket every day on my way home to get something for tea.

I agree with waking up early
Don’t listen to the news as much as I used to- too much depressing news
I exercise regularly- brilliant for body and mind
Read more regularly
Definitely use ironing service

@Babyroobs I know that habit and it's expensive and fattening😢

Having a cleaner who is good. And when I have to tackle housework I use lovely Method products and wear flowery gloves so it doesn't feel like such a chore.

Having a regular beauty salon appointment for waxing and manicure/pedicure so I always feel groomed, because when I feel groomed I feel happier.

Always burning a scented candle so our home always smells gorgeous.

Always doing a quick tidy before going to bed, so our home feels calm and organised in the mornings.

Wearing pretty, matching lingerie every day and expensive socks/tights, so even if you're just in jeans and a sweater you still feel a bit dressed up

I clean as I go, and straight away, a habit I try to get dh and dc to adhere to. Cleaning and tidying sucks the big one. putting it off just makes it a worse chore. We never go to bed without the dishwasher being emptied/everything ready for the next morning - lunch boxes, sports kits, homework etc

Meal planning and a good wall planner, I couldn’t work out who needs to be where, with what equipment and what we’re eating without them. They’re literally a lifesaver on our house.

Each dc has at least 5 white school shirts, and two full sets of PE kit and sports kit. That means we only do one white wash a week (result!) and I know they have a clean shirt every day if they need it. In a house where one dc plays in two school sports club, trains and plays in an out of school club, one dc plays in one school club and trains and plays in an out of a school club and one dc has Gym club twice a week, having enough spare sports kit is a lifesaver. We’d be chained to trying to get stuff washed and dry over night otherwise, and it’s full on muddy rugby, football and hockey kits so not stuff that can generally be re-worn.

Such boring habits, but make our lives so much easier day to day.

Night and Misscheery you may like to try adding to your oats recipe

Sliced almonds
Coconut thread
Chia seeds
Cinnamon

I keep a box in the pantry with all dry ingredients pre-mixed.
With milk (I use soy but any is ok) and frozen blueberries, it takes 2mins in microwave and not hungry again for hours,

I always have a water bottle and a coffee keep cup.

@CheeseyToast just took a screenshot of that. YUM! Shopping tomorrow it is then. Thanks❤️

Now I quite wonder why everyone's life seems so put together and mine seems like a mess...

Even though I:
-Have permanently have my house clean and both clean as we go I'm never really happy and I think it could be better
-I am very organised, to the point it even drives me nuts

I need to use some of your wonderful tips

My husband and I try to make Sunday an at-home-all-day day. Any shopping or going out to dinner we do on Saturday. On Sunday's we work together doing deep cleaning and laundry. He is a great homemaker and we have lots of fun together. We put on music or a movie and go to town making sure the house sparkles. He and I both believe very strongly that a clean house benefits your mental health/happiness tremendously. During the week if we need groceries, I use the shopping service at our store and my husband picks it up on the way home from work. I'm a pastry chef and my work day starts at 6am, so I always make sure all of my laundry is done on Sunday so I don't have to stumble around for clean clothes at 5 in the morning.

I sit for a quiet half hour after lunch and have a go at an online crossword. I put some classical music on in the background and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Listen to something funny on radio inplayer when making dinner.

I've got three duvet cover sets plus 4 sheets lots of pillowcases and protectors.
Every three weeks I wash and dry them. They all then go on the duvet and mattress and pillows, like a babushka doll. Once a week I take the top layer off to launder.
This way I never mislay anything, it saves on storage space plus it seems like I'm only changing the bed every three weeks instead of 1.