Hello! It's time discuss Week 9 of Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin. This week's chapter is titled, "Temporary Becomes Permanent. Clean Slate."
But let me begin by finishing up last week's chapter concerning stopping. As in when to stop a habit or how to prevent stopping a habit that you don't want to stop. As Gretchen notes on page 110, travel, vacation, sickness in either you or in a family member, new baby, new job, or anything else similar can cause you stop your good habits. This can be temporary, or unfortunately, these life events can derail your good habits indefinitely. It doesn't have to be this way!
I like to give myself permission to stop certain habits when certain life events happen. That way I don't stress about it and I just jump right back in when my life and routine gets back to normal. For example, when I am traveling or on vacation, usually I don't even plan to run. I just know that I am taking those days off. No worries. I'll begin running again when I get home.
Another example relates to my making Jimmy's lunch for him to take to work each day. This has been my habit ever since we were first married. My packing his lunch saves us money and also gives him a healthy lunch. But, there have been seasons of my life when I did not pack his lunch. These times included when I was suffering from extreme morning (all day) sickness with each pregnancy, when I had a newborn and was sleeping in with the baby since I had been up all night, and when I was recovering from surgery. As soon as I was back to my old self in those situations, I began packing Jimmy's lunch again. Just because I had to stop temporarily, did not mean that I stopped forever.
Now on to Clean Slate. What are some events in your life that have served as a clean slate? What day of the week do you like to begin something new? Which month?
I always like to begin new habits on Mondays, and I consider January 1 and August 1 (or whatever day I begin a new school year) as clean slate days. I strongly agree with Gretchen that how you begin your habits is how you will continue to do them. (Rubin 116)
As you begin the new work week, try to think about stopping or not stopping a habit and also what days or seasons serve as a clean slate for you to begin a new productive habit.
I like to begin new things on Monday also, although sometimes I just begin whenever because I figure "there's no time like the present!" I remember years ago when I decided to quit diet coke. I just decided to....it wasn't a Monday or a special day, but I knew it was unhealthy and so I stopped. And I have not popped open a diet coke since.....
ReplyDeleteI often think of the first day of Lent as a clean slate day. I'm a Protestant, so we don't formally do anything for Lent in the church I attend, but I always observe Lent in some way (usually giving something up and also adopting something to help with my spiritual walk). Less often I see the first day of Advent in the same way. I kind of like thinking of January 1 as a clean slate day, but the truth is, we're always out of town that day and still celebrating the holidays with my family in Charleston, so it doesn't feel like a "fresh, new" kind of day. It feels like an extension of the party! :)
I should transfer it to January 10. My daughter's birthday is January 9. By the 10th we are home from Charleston, the Christmas stuff is put away, we're settling back into a routine, and the birthday celebration has passed--so maybe Jan 10 can be my Jan 1!!