new year, healthy habits!

As I mentioned last week, my boyfriend and I, before the new year, took huge interest in a minimalism lifestyle and decided to develop a few healthy habits as well as did a great deal of decluttering together. We then were motivated to go further and take on 21 habits for the year to stick to or try to anyways to adapt throughout the year.

21 Goals I set for myself for 2021 and how it is going:

1. Make bed daily

• This one is going very well. I have done so each day of 2021 so far.

2. Drink a gallon of water daily

• I decreased to about 80 oz. a day and I had been doing a gallon for a good 2 weeks prior to the new year, but soon found out that it was actually too much water I had been consuming because I had not been working out to the extent where a gallon of water would be okay and healthy to do so.

3. 10,000 steps daily

• this one could be better. I have reached my goal of 10,000 steps one time, but with COVID, I have found myself to be quite lazy. However, I did get outside every day to go for a walk around the neighborhood which increased my steps greatly each day.

4. Get into the word each day

• This one has been going very well. I have had a lot of time to go rest in the presence of the Lord as well as dive into the word and learn more about Christ and whom He he sought me out and called me to be.

5. Work on school from 9-2 Monday through Thursday

• Although school has not started yet, I am super excited to get back into a set schedule and I think blocking out time for intentionally sitting down to do homework will be really good for me!

6. Make a to-do list daily

• this one has been going fairly well. I have missed a few days, however! I am intrigued to see how it will go when the speed of classes, meetings and such pick up.

7. Read 1 book a month

• Not going to lie, I am still working on the book I started to read in December, but I plan on reading a book called "Crazy Love" for January. Maybe I will release a book review after I finish each one? Does that sound like something you would enjoy?

8. Write down three gratitudes each day!

• This one is going goooood!! I have really enjoyed taking some time to write down these three gratitudes each day with genuine intentionality. I try not to pick out the typical, I am thankful for my friends and family. Although I am super thankful, I am trying to go into greater detail. For example, my mom came to visit me one day and in this case I would write down, "I am thankful my mom took the time out of her day to come and spend some intentional time with me."

9. Stretch each morning

• Not going to lie, this is the one I have for sure struggled with the most. When I wake up in the morning, the first thought is not, "Let's stretch!" However, I think I might have an alarm go off at the same time each morning as a simple reminder that I need to stretch to keep myself accountable and get my body moving.

10. Disconnect from your phone for an hour each day (right when you wake up)

• this one is going very well! I really enjoy this intentional time of having my phone off and away from me! Although I haven't been doing it immediately when I wake, it forces me to take intentional time and slow down throughout my day, which has been super cool to see.

11. Morning and night routine daily (wash face, brush teeth, floss)

• this habit is one I want to do night and day everyday. I think for me, I can really slack on the washing my face and flossing! If I can do those daily, I will not only feel better, but I will know I am treating my body better!

12. Drink water first (don’t grab your coffee yet!)

• this one is actually going very well! I love to wake up in the morning and start my day with a coffee, but intentionally grabbing a large glass of water has really shown me where my hydration should come from and where I have been avoiding it because I have noticed I am incredibly dehydrated when I wake.

13. Don’t eat for an hour after you wake

• this one actually pairs quite well with drinking water first thing in the morning. I think it has allowed me to evaluate and understand that I am not necessarily paying attention to my body well. I would normally wake up, go down stairs, grab an iced coffee, and eat my breakfast right away. This didn't necessarily allow my body to wake up on its own, but I was forcing myself to be ready for the day.

14. Drink hot tea before bed

• Not going to lie, i have probably done this once or twice so far this year. Although I have been slacking, this is a genuine habit I would looooove to get into to encourage my body to wind down at the end of the day.

15. Declutter once a month, maybe more!

• I love this one!! I notice that there are some pieces of clothing that I simply do not wear or notebooks I don't write in or products I am not using in the bathroom. If I am not giving these things attention, then where is it useful or beneficial in my day to day life? I love the idea of having less. A little plug, but if you haven't seen the documentary Minimalism, you should go check it out! It has encouraged a more clutter free lifestyle in my own life and is something I would love to continue.

16. Take stairs and park farther away when you can

• As I mentioned in the previous post, I had COVID so I couldn't really go anywhere at all in 2021 yet so I haven't had the opportunity to utilize the whole "park further away or take the stairs" option. However, in our house, we do have to take the stairs to get to our bedroom everyday. Does that count? For now, I would say so!

17. Shower before bed, health benefits baby!

• hmmmm, this one is a little all over the place. I generally don't shower at the same time every day. Depending on when I have been most active and feel like it's time to shower, then I typically shower. But I for sure would love to get into a more set time in doing so.

18. Release a blog post once a week

• because this is my second post back since being on socials and I have announced my new Monday release dates, I would say we are doing good. I have plans to continue releasing blog posts every Monday on here and if you have any topic suggestions, I would love to write about the things that light a flame in your heart too!

19. All money made, disperse into different categories (tithe, entertainment, marriage, rent, self exploration, groceries)

• this one is actually super fun and has been going quite well. I feel that this is a very important one for me to stick to because I haven't been the best with my money in the past, but it is for sure one I want to take seriously. I have dispersed my financials into different categories. rent 40%, tithe 10%, entertainment 10%, future 10%, groceries 20%, self exploration program 5%, and travel 5%.

20. Wake up same time each morning (6:30 or 7)

• This one has not been happening. I tried it on January 1st, however, I had stayed up until 2 or so with some friends and ended up taking a nap about an hour into my day. That's tough! I would love to get into this habit more when school starts, hopefully even earlier in the day!

21. Write in planner daily

• this one is already one of my favorites. I love getting a new planner every year, I fill out the first few months, get so excited, and then forget it even exists halfway through the first month, But having this goal of writing in my planner daily will be a great way to keep myself accountable!
  

I would love to hear what your New Year’s resolutions or goals are down below in the comment section if you would be willing to share!

Thank you for reading, thank you for loving one another. <3