Monthly Habits - April 2019 Edition

Behold the next installment of my monthly habits. This is a list of my daily, weekly, monthly habits so I can stay out of a straight jacket and keeping being awesome. I’m sharing 7 habits per month.

Unfollow any people on social media that makes you feel negative. This is a relatively new habit I started in 2019. I have a high school like way of following people who do certain things I find annoying or ridiculous (sorry, outspoken vegans). After I read/watch them, I’m like “Blegh…how stupid.” I don’t know if it made me feel superior or what. I’m still analyzing this. I realized it was incredibly childish. I’m better than that. So I purged all of my social media of any profiles which made me act this way. I also silenced or “hid” any of my actual friends on Facebook who I found to be just a little too much but would be offended if I unfriended. You know those people: The wife of your best guy friend who you can’t stand, the friend who posts 16 pictures of her kids PER DAY, the animal lover friend who shares the horrible animal abuse videos and the girl who posts a meme per hour.

My old lady container

Organize your vitamins like an old person organizes their pills. I take 7 vitamins per day. If I can’t access them quickly, I just don’t take them. I’m lazy like that. I purchased a pill organizer and…boom. I’m taking my vitamins. I fill the tray every Saturday for the upcoming week. Old people are geniuses.

5 Minute evening tidy up Just before I sit down to unwind after dinner and a shower (I am fully aware most parents don’t get this time), I like to do a quick tidy up. Sometimes I even set my timer. I take 5 minutes to whirl around the house and do a little spiff. Maybe a jacket hasn’t been hung up or my purse needs a quick purge of the daily crap I accumulate, maybe there are dog chew toys everywhere….you get the drill. Be like the Tasmanian Devil…without the slobber.

Saying thank you for the little things. I am fortunate one of my best friends is an incredible mechanic. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how wonderful it is to bring your car in for service and not have to worry about being screwed over. Even though it is his job to fix cars and he gets paid the same to service my car as he would anyone else, I still make sure I let him know how much it means to me. Saying thank you for the little regular tasks people do for you on the daily improves the mood of everyone around you.

Reorganize one spot in your home per week. I am tidy but it doesn’t mean items stay organized all the time. We really live in our house. It gets used….HARD. To combat the chaos, I choose one small space to reassess or organize per week. Last weekend, I cleaned out my utensil drawer. I removed everything, wiped it down, purchased two more organizers and looked at each item to think..…do…I….really….use….this? If the answer was yes, back in the drawer it went. If the answer was no, into the donation pile. The lettuce knife finally made the donation pile. Still can’t believe I purchased it.

Before

After

Tidy up your favorite space when you’re finished. Every evening, I snuggle up on my office sofa to perform a Netflix binge or read a book. When it’s time for bed, I carefully tidy up the area. It takes no more than 30 seconds. I put my tea cup in the dishwasher, fold the blanket and plump the pillows. I want this to be an inviting and comfortable space in the morning when I plop myself down with my coffee.

Same time to bed, same time to wake. Be warned….this habit took me over a year to perfect, but I’m happy I made the effort. I go to bed at 10 PM every evening and wake up at 5:50 AM every morning. (Obviously, there are extenuating circumstances…late evening out, a really good Netflix and chill, etc.) I have managed to reset my circadian rhythm..better known as “body clock”. If I get sufficient sleep, I will wake up naturally (no alarm) at the same time every day - I still set my alarm. Making sure I get enough sleep has improved my over health and mood.

So there you have it. Seven habits to try in April. Email me at mandywanzzcake@gmail.com or comment below to let me know which habit you want to try or let me know what you tried and failed! Either way, you’re trying to make your life a little bit better.

PS…Just to show you we fail quite frequently on our monthly habits…

Here is #4 from last month. “Sort Your Mail Immediately”….FAIL!