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27 May 2019 | Theme: Getting Started | 7-Minute Read | Listen
A couple of years ago, I wanted to start being more mindful about eating better. I thought about making a bracelet of some sort—a rubber bracelet that simply said “Today” to remind me that the choices I’m making right now matter.
It’s so easy for me to theorize about starting a new habit: “I’ll start first thing in the morning!” But by morning, I’d be halfway through my coffee and pastry before I would remember that I was going to start the day off by “being better about my diet.” But, aw, gee, that coffee was nice and hot, and I really shouldn’t let the pastry go to waste, so, “I’ll start. . . tomorrow.”
At some point, I realized that my goals were vague, so of course it was hard to get started! What in the world does “eating better” look like? OK, so, maybe for me, eating better starts with eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables, drinking 60 ounces of water, and doing my 10-minutes yoga stretch every day. Now I knew what my goal was, and I had a way to measure it.
I ended up creating a bracelet with beads that can be slipped along a string to count the number of times I repeated the intended habit. Each time I drank a glass of water, I’d move a blue bead, and each time I ate a fruit or veggie, I’d move a green one. Simple! The bracelet became part of my everyday routine. When I put it on in the morning, I was reminded of my intention, and throughout the day, I could look at my wrist and be reminded to check in with myself.
So that was the birth of AcCountAbility Abacus Bracelets, which I began selling in my Etsy shop. The idea seems to have struck a chord with a lot of people, as the bracelets have soared in popularity. We all have good intentions; sometimes we just need the right tools to remind us.
I wish I could say that once a habit is started and repeated X number of times, it’s easy to keep the momentum going, but honestly, it feels as if a million different things tug at us and pull us away from Intention. That’s probably why most New Year’s resolutions never make it to Valentine’s Day.
In a 2016 CBS Philly article, a spokesperson for Gold’s Gym in New York suggested a list of why people “fall off the cliff,” and it certainly rings true for me:
C – Can’t find the time
L – Lacking a game plan to keep you going
I – Ignoring your commitment and falling into old patterns
F – Frustrated with lack of early results
F – Forgetting why you started.
The article goes on to suggest ways to keep yourself going, including 1) asking for help, 2) starting small, 3) making it part of a routine, and 4) tracking progress.
Asking for Help
When I wanted to start walking more, I committed to a friend to meet with her three times a week. Walking around the park together resulted in friendship time as well as movement toward our common goal. I was much more consistent, and the walking was far more fun!
Starting Small
Starting small can be a challenge when the goal seems large. I have a tendency (and I don’t think it’s unique to me) of coming up with huge, seemingly impossible objectives, then creating entire narratives in my head about everything that has to be done to achieve the goal, then overthinking all the reasons I can’t get started yet. All the energy I put into creating stories about my projects could be so much better spent on working even five minutes on the actual project. In Start Right Where You Are, Sam Bennett advises us to start by setting a tiny, tiny goal–one so small that it’s almost impossible not to do it. Once inertia is overcome, ideas and projects begin to take on forward-moving momentum.
Having a Routine
If you’re a Creative, you may, like me, resist the concept of “routine.” So often, I want to go with the flow, taking life organically. Routine feels like regimentation, and there’s no way I want to have to adhere to a schedule. But what I’ve discovered is that writing down the things that are important to me and assigning a time to do them actually liberates me! If I “schedule” myself to wake up at 6:00, do my stretching and play my brain games by 6:30, and then write for an hour and a half every morning, I’m much more likely to do all this than if I leave it up to whim or chance that I’ll “write some every day.” Allotting time for creating allows me to push all other priorities out of the way and focus on the thing I intend to accomplish.
And it’s OK–preferable, even–to schedule in some “down time.” I learned this important lesson from a clerk named Melissa at the bookstore where I stood holding Sam Bennett’s book. I asked her if she’d read it. She nodded and said, “I schedule time every day for procrastination.”
At first, I laughed and did a double-take, but then the wisdom of this advice sank in. Having time between activities–time for procrastination–is crucial for letting one conversation, meeting, or creative endeavor settle before moving on to the next thing.
Tracking Progress
These days, I use a bullet journal to track my progress, and when I can keep up with my journal, I do a decent job of sticking with it. But I think it may be like sobriety—you’re going to fall off the wagon. That’s part of the process. But it isn’t the falling down that defines us. It’s the getting back up again. And again. And again.
So be kind to yourself. Don’t expect to change everything at once, and know that every day—every moment—is a chance to start anew. Whatever it is you’ve been waiting to get started—go for it! You’ve got this.
Until next time,
P.S. What things get in the way for you? Have you found ways to keep going that you can share? Please comment below!!
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