Habits

The bike has come in really handy - COVID, smoke, newborn...

I admit that I’m a fan of self-help books and podcasts. The genre is not everybody’s favorite, and I agree with some of the criticism (and recently finished a book by a self-help skeptic), but I’m still drawn to it. And I do believe that consuming self-help content has brought value to my life. 

Many of the books I’ve read focus on the importance of establishing desirable habits. I’ve developed a number of such habits over the years, but I haven’t really been motivated to track them. 

For some reason during this maternity leave, though, I’ve finally begun some tracking. Maybe it’s because I’m craving some structure and control - since raising a newborn provides neither. I’ve also drawn inspiration from some of my favorite bloggers and their podcasts. Not sure how long I continue this, but for now here are the habits:

• Cardio exercise - at least 20 minutes of running or spinning. This is something I’ve done daily for years, so it’s a very ingrained habit, like brushing teeth. So not sure I really need to track it, but it helps with feeling accomplished. 
• Strength training - BodyFit by Amy 10-minute abs or arms four days a week, 30 push-ups on the other days. I hate doing strength training, so this is definitely one to track. I find that I have to convince myself that strength training is important. Apparently it’s good for bone density, though I don’t understand how that works. And it might help avoid injury. Finally, having a toned body looks better, but I don’t really care about that. All these reasons aren’t particularly exciting to me, which is why I had a hard time incorporating strength training into my routine.
• Meditation - at least 5 minutes. I either just listen to white noise or use this podcast. I’m not a fan of meditation apps, as I believe that they make this more complicated and can be distracting. This one is difficult for me, and I think it’s because I hold a vague belief that meditation is valuable, but I’m not sure what results I’m seeking or how to measure them.
• Blog or journal - I can draft something on my phone while holding Baby Y (like I’m doing right now) and then post it later on the computer. This one is an exciting habit. I love the feeling of having poured what’s on my mind onto the page, of seeing the finished product, and of knowing that I can go back to old posts and entries to remind myself what was happening at a certain point on my life and my family’s lives. 
• Reach out to a friend or a professional connection. This is a daily habit I’ve tried to put in place, but failed in the past. I’m not sure why it’s so difficult for me, but I know that I’m not the only one that finds it challenging. Maybe it’s some sort of social anxiety and a concern that I’m bothering people by reaching out to them? Not sure, but it’s something to explore. 

That’s it for now. So far I’ve tracked for less than a week, but it’s definitely helped me motivate myself to do certain things even if I don’t feel like it. The easiest ones are the cardio, especially running, and the writing. Meditation and reaching out to people are the most difficult. 

Again, I have no idea how I'll continue, maybe because I'm not convinced of the value of tracking. We'll see in a week.