Tell me your good habits

[Teaching3bears]

What are the things that you do regularly that make your life better?  

Here are some of my good habits:

washing dishes right away

Making bed every day

I can’t think of any others which probably means I need more!

[Bambam]

First thing I do when I get up every morning is take a shower and get dressed - ready for the day. I'm ready for anything - unexpected guests, calling the ambulance (yep, had to do that one time before breakfast), whatever. 

I try to make sure to scan my daily calendar (on my phone) the night before and early in the morning so I don't forget anything. 

I make sure the kitchen is fairly clean (all the dishes in the dishwasher, counters mostly wiped) every night before I go to bed. It makes morning so much more pleasant for me not to see a dirty kitchen. 

[cabercro]

I clean the bathrooms on Wednesday nights after DDs bedtime (just the basics - toilet, counters, trash, etc.). My husband does the same with the kitchen. At this stage of our lives, once a week cleaning is plenty and having it pegged to a certain day makes it more likely to get done. If we can do those two tasks and stay on top of the clutter the house feels clean, even on crazy weeks.

[mominco]

I shop for groceries every Sunday,I come back and put away everything as soon as I walk in.If my kids are around they always helps with this.

We eat out together as a family every Sunday.

Always clean dishes by night. Have a clean sink when I wake up.

I finally hired a cleaning person a few years ago and she comes twice a month and does all the difficult cleaning.I do the day to day stuff.What a relief this has been.

It's also wonderful to have grown kids who do their own laundry/clean their own rooms/make their own beds.

I have a dedicated day for laundry so I have the time to take them out of the dryer and fold/hang immediately.

[klmama]

I always put my keys in the same place.   

I always put my purse in the same place.

I always charge my phone when I come in the door, and I keep it in the same place.

 

[73349]

Start a load of laundry every morning.

Get dressed, including shoes, even if I don't particularly plan to go anywhere early in the day (came in handy today when I needed to bring sick kid to the ped).

Fill a quart jar of water and put it at my spot at the table so I drink throughout the day.

Look at the calendar every morning.

[regentrude]

I get up at the same time each day and aim for 8+ hours of sleep.

I use the odd scraps of time to do the housework: do a load of laundry on my lunch break, wash pots&pans while waiting for coffee to steep, swiff the floor while talking to mom on the phone.

When I take clothes off the clothesline, I fold as I put it in the basket and then and put away immediately. It's done in a few minutes; I never understood the idea of throwing unfolded laundry in a basket and having it sit somewhere.

We walk after dinner each day  if we're home.

We spend one weekend day out in nature whenever possible.

I keep a paper calendar and look at it each day.

Edited September 19, 2019 by regentrude

[Soror]

- I get up early (and go to bed early)

- I regularly exercise

-dishes at night and kitchen cleaned up is mostly a habit except when days go really south, but I hit it most of the time

-we take most Sundays for family day 

-make bed and pick up room and bathroom to start the day

[Annie G]

Go to bed and get up at the same time most days.

Make our bed as soon as we get up. 

Make sure kitchen is clean before we go to bed, and dh empties dishwasher/dishdrainer before breakfast every day.

Make an index card every day w things I hope to accomplish. Use the other side to jot down notes or reminders throughout the day. 

‘Grocery shop every Friday and unless it’s super urgent, don’t step into grocery store on other days. 

Menu plan every meal, breakfast/lunch/dinner. 

 

[Momto6inIN]

Super organized Google calendar

Drink a lot of water throughout the day

Read aloud to the kids at lunch every day

 

If you started a thread about bad habits, my list would be longer 😉

[Mbelle]

I'm not so good at chore habits.  I do ask kid/s to do chores with me so they get done with companionship so we don't dread it so much.

I'm better at interpersonal habits.  I do try to tell each family member daily something I enjoyed with them or just that I enjoyed my time with them that day.   

I apologize when I mess up.

[Kanin]

I use Gmail, and I "star" any emails that involve action items. I keep my inbox sorted so that the starred items are at the top, and everything else is under that. When I finish a task, I "un-star" it. 

I email myself things to do rather than writing them down, so I can use my star system. I keep a to-do list, too, but my star system makes it so that I don't forget things as much (a big challenge for forgetful me!). 

[May]

Always make my bed after rising

Clean up after every meal

Decide what’s for dinner in the morning 

Laundry done on Monday, folded and put away

Walk 5 miles in the morning after coffee and plain yogurt with ground flax seed and sunflower seeds

[Xahm]

2 hours ago, Mainer said:

I use Gmail, and I "star" any emails that involve action items. I keep my inbox sorted so that the starred items are at the top, and everything else is under that. When I finish a task, I "un-star" it. 

I email myself things to do rather than writing them down, so I can use my star system. I keep a to-do list, too, but my star system makes it so that I don't forget things as much (a big challenge for forgetful me!). 

I like this idea! Thank you

[Wheres Toto]

3 hours ago, Mainer said:

I use Gmail, and I "star" any emails that involve action items. I keep my inbox sorted so that the starred items are at the top, and everything else is under that. When I finish a task, I "un-star" it. 

I email myself things to do rather than writing them down, so I can use my star system. I keep a to-do list, too, but my star system makes it so that I don't forget things as much (a big challenge for forgetful me!). 

I like this idea.  I already constantly send myself email reminders to my aol account.  Probably wouldn't take much to switch to my gmail account so I could star things. What a neat idea.

[Pen]

Thanks for this thread topic!  

Keep keys, glasses etc in known spot.

Fill gas tank when it gets between half and quarter tank almost always, so ready in case of emergency 

look at calendar every morning

keep my top important tasks of day on index card or on a cellphone note

[Familia]

4 hours ago, Momto6inIN said:

Read aloud to the kids at lunch every day

 

Keep up, Mama!  If this is already a habit, it is easier to keep than begin again.  Let any other drop away, but keep this.  So sweet and valuable!

[happypamama]

I sort the mail the second it enters the house, so that I only handle it once. No pileup of junk mail.

[Terabith]

Kinda dumb but I floss every time I poop

[kiwik]

I don't think I have any.  

[Guest]

I make my bed every morning, almost without exception, when I get dressed and ready for the day. (So, not when I first wake up because dh is still in bed.) 

I am an early riser. I get up earlier than I have to and have done so pretty much my entire adult life. 

I read daily. 

I always have order returned to the kitchen before bed (unless I have a commitment from someone else that it will be done.) The dishwasher is almost always run at night and is then ready to unload in the morning, which is also a habit. 

Things I try to habituate to but repeatedly fall off the wagon: 

Daily exercise/walking/yoga

Daily meditation/calming

Daily maintenance of my calendar and to-dos.

Regularly scheduling time with friends. 

[HomeAgain]

I do a lot of the flylady stuff: make my bed, wipe down the bathroom, start laundry and empty dishwasher in the morning.  I get dressed, but only to my socks.  I don't wear shoes in the house.

I also keep a bag of unfinished projects with me: knitting, a book, a logic activity or something I want to learn.  There are times each week where I'm sitting and waiting and I'd rather fill it with something other than my phone.

[regentrude]

13 hours ago, Mainer said:

I use Gmail, and I "star" any emails that involve action items. I keep my inbox sorted so that the starred items are at the top, and everything else is under that. When I finish a task, I "un-star" it. 

I email myself things to do rather than writing them down, so I can use my star system. I keep a to-do list, too, but my star system makes it so that I don't forget things as much (a big challenge for forgetful me!). 

How much email do you get per day? I can see  how this method would be efficient with a low email volume, but can't wrap my mind around how it could possibly work when there is a lot of email.

[moonflower]

Like kiwik, I thought I didn't have any good habits.

But I have thought of a few: I clean out the car at the gas station pretty much every time I get gas. 

DH is very orderly and has contributed to a lot of my good habits; hard to say if I'd do them without him, but then I did marry him so I feel like I can take partial credit.  We share an email account and keep it completely clear all the time.  A few times a day we delete anything not necessary (e.g. receipts for ebay purchases), archive things that we might want in the future but don't need to have in the inbox (e.g. customers' logos), respond to things that require a response, and leave in the inbox only notifications of upcoming trips or appointments, and sometimes a to-do list.  

[moonflower]

I don't:

make my bed

wake up at the same time every day

get the same amount of (enough) sleep every night

wash dishes

take a daily shower

get dressed in the morning

clean bathrooms

put away clean clothes right away

drink water regularly

keep a calendar or look at one

exercise regularly

read aloud to kids who can read themselves

floss regularly (I do floss a lot though - just not on any schedule)

 

[Momto6inIN]

10 hours ago, Familia said:

Keep up, Mama!  If this is already a habit, it is easier to keep than begin again.  Let any other drop away, but keep this.  So sweet and valuable!

Yep 🙂

Even my high schoolers listen and enjoy it!

[Kanin]

2 hours ago, regentrude said:

How much email do you get per day? I can see  how this method would be efficient with a low email volume, but can't wrap my mind around how it could possibly work when there is a lot of email.

Good question - maybe 20 emails a day, with 5 or so that need attention. It wouldn't be good with 100 emails a day, agreed! 

[Shoeless]

My keys and sunglasses always go in the same spot, or else I will never find them.

I always fold the laundry as it comes out of the dryer and put it away immediately. I had a cat that would pee on clean laundry (ugh!), and he trained me to get this task done right away! I no longer have the cat, but I still do it because it is One Less Thing to pile up. 

[Pen]

22 hours ago, kiwik said:

I don't think I have any.  

 

I think you do — I bet you habitually get dressed adequately not to be arrested before you go out in public.  I bet you habitually eat at least enough to be alive.  😌

[Laura Corin]

Pelvic floor exercises as I drive to work, My exercise scheduled in the family diary. Healthy food for the entire day packed the night before .Filling litre bottles of water and drinking them. Daily brisk lunchtime walks. New habit: walking 250 steps every hour through the work day.

I use the Google suite, so my reminders from Keep feed into my calendar. Husband and I both use Google calendar and the whole family shares a grocery shopping list on Keep.

Edited September 21, 2019 by Laura Corin

[SKL]

Normally, I clean up after myself whenever I am done with something - wash my dish, put away my laundry, wipe down bathroom counters, etc.  ... turn off lights when I leave the room, clear out my car when I arrive back home ....  I wash and re-use rather than pull out a new item where possible (towels, sheets, etc.).  I sort mail immediately, throw out junk mail immediately, and try to file fairly often so it doesn't usually get overwhelming.  I've gotten better about using my calendars.  I try to schedule bill payments as soon as the bill comes in (those that aren't automatically paid online).

I used to have a lot more good habits, which I fully intend to re-adopt, but I won't list them because that would feel dishonest.  Well, OK - making my bed first thing, daily yoga routine, daily spiritual reading, eating fruits and veggies first every day, and some walking.  Sigh.  Someday.

[Guest]

I will say that, since I discussed it on here a few weeks ago, I have maintained my emails at least twice a day (but actually more than that) in order to have zero unread emails. IOW, I am forcing myself to make decisions on every email when I first read it and I clear them all out often enough that it pretty much never gets above 20 unreads. If it is something I can’t literally act upon at that moment when I look at it, I star it. If it is anything else I might need or might want to look at later, I direct it to the appropriate folder. (For example, daily newsletters from my son’s school; I glance through it if I don’t have time to read it thoroughly, then direct it to the appropriate subfile.) 

My new habit is basically not to leave things sitting unread for some nebulous “later” or for action “later.” If I’m going to act on it, I do it now; if not, delete or subfile. 

[fairfarmhand]

I tidy the living areas of the house before I leave to go places. So depressing to come home to a mess.

[Soror]

10 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Pelvic floor exercises as I drive to work, My exercise scheduled in the family diary. Healthy food for the entire day packed the night before .Filling litre bottles of water and drinking them. Daily brisk lunchtime walks. New habit: walking 250 steps every hour through the work day.

I use the Google suite, so my reminders from Keep feed into my calendar. Husband and I both use Google calendar and the whole family shares a grocery shopping list on Keep.

I use the hourly walk reminders on my Fitbit too, I have it set for 14 hrs but usually don't hit all 14. I notice when I teach in the morning it makes a big difference in how my hips feel, they get really sore if I don't get up and walk between classes. We share Google calendar too and that is a big help to make sure we don't double book ourselves but I nearly always take care of grocery shopping.

On 9/20/2019 at 6:53 AM, moonflower said:

Like kiwik, I thought I didn't have any good habits.

But I have thought of a few: I clean out the car at the gas station pretty much every time I get gas. 

I throw away trash at the gas station so my car is generally not as cluttered as it used to be but I do deep cleans pretty rarely. Now, dh's family do regular car washes and keep their vehicles immaculate inside, that is not one of my good habits. Picking up the trash and seasonal deep cleans is as good as I get!

[Tap]

I really can't think of much.

The only thing I think of, is that I leave for work 10 minutes early each day, so if there is a last minute issue with dd, I have 10 minutes to solve it without being late.  (Usually something related to dd losing something she realizes she needs for school right as the bus gets here).

I am terrible at routines and just seem to live life as it comes. So unless that counts....the above is all I have got!

(BTW...the irony is not lost on me, that if I was better at routine, and helped daughter get ready the night before, we wouldn't need a routine to solve crisises each morning LOL) 

[RootAnn]

On 9/20/2019 at 1:53 AM, kiwik said:

I don't think I have any.  

I've been trying to think of one since I saw this thread. All I can come up with are:

I tell my family that I love them every day.

I try to help my kids explore their interests (although I'm not great at doing it).

[moonflower]

9 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

I tidy the living areas of the house before I leave to go places. So depressing to come home to a mess.

 

Oh, this!  I do this one!  Not if I'm just doing out for groceries, necessarily, but if we go on vacation or on a longer day trip, I do a big clean.  It is nice to come home to a completely clean house.  The kids are not generally enthused by a big clean but they are resigned.

[Ausmumof3]

Ugh

i do not have good habits mostly!

i have been storing all the reusable shopping bags in my car.  Does that count?

and we basically always start school at 9 no matter what other mess is around

[Junie]

I finally thought of a good habit that I have!

I am very punctual.  I leave home allowing about 1 1/2 times the amount that is probably needed.  If it takes 30 minutes to get to a certain destination, I leave home 45 minutes before I need to be there.  The kids are very much used to this and rarely ask "When are we leaving?"  They know that we are leaving 45 minutes before Whatever starts.

 

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I either fold or hang my clothes as I take them out of the dryer, and immediately put them away.  The only exception to this is our socks/underwear, which dh folds.  

I clear my email inbox regularly. I try to only keep things out that need my attention.  The rest either goes in the trash, or gets filed away. 

I make my bed everyday. 

Things I wish I did better:
Paperwork needs to be filed or dealt with. (I'm much better with e-mail than real paper)
Crafts are everywhere.
I'm not as good about getting the dishes done every night as I used to be.  
I try to do too much before I need to leave to go somewhere.  I'm always trying to do "just one more thing", which sometimes makes me late.

 

[linders]

I saw this title and all I could think of is, "I have so many bad habits, maybe I can learn something!"

My one good habit (which I can't really take credit for, it's just my nature), is getting up early. Ever since I was little, I have tended to wake up well before I would "need" to without an alarm - these days, about 5 am. I get so much done in the peace and quiet.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Suzanne in ABQ said:

Things I wish I did better:
Paperwork needs to be filed or dealt with. (I'm much better with e-mail than real paper)
Crafts are everywhere.
I'm not as good about getting the dishes done every night as I used to be.  
I try to do too much before I need to leave to go somewhere.  I'm always trying to do "just one more thing", which sometimes makes me late

I don’t know if this would help you, but I read an idea in Barbara Sher’s book Refuse to Choose (an extraordinary book, btw, for people who have many interests and skills). She called it an “Avocation Station”; a little cart of some type which can keep crafts and hobby items together in a more or less organized manner, to be rolled out when you have an hour to fiddle and rolled back into a corner the rest of the time. I bought such a cart at Michaels during a sale and, while I don’t fully use it quite the way she specified, it is helpful in corralling my current loom-knitting materials. 

I’ll stick in a picture of mine in a minute...

Edited September 22, 2019 by Quill

[historically accurate]

My good habits:

• Having a set list of staples - food (ketchup, chicken broth, tomato sauce, etc), toiletries (shampoo, tooothpaste, glasses wipes, deodorant, etc), paper goods (paper towels, toilet paper, kleenex, etc), cleaning (dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, windex, etc), household (batteries, air freshener, furnace filters, water softener salt, etc). I check it every week before making my grocery list. It means we never are completely out of toilet paper or toothpaste. 
• Having water bottles filled and in the fridge to grab and go. 
• Cutting up fruits and veggies. Putting snacks in single serve sizes. I do this every Sunday and I have a box in the fridge that people can grab for lunches or snacks.  
• Doing at least one load of laundry daily. When the kids were little, everything worn today would be washed tomorrow - I never had a backup. Now with 4 adult sized people and 1 tween, I have too much for 1 load. But it never gets too backed up if I keep up 1 load every day.
• Balancing the checkbook daily. Just a quick check means that I never have to spend over 5 minutes doing it. I added checking the health insurance website this year because they constantly make mistakes on how they charge us. 
• I clean the bathroom every morning while I'm in there. I wipe down one wall of the shower while I take my shower. I wipe the sink/faucets while I brush my teeth. I do the toilet and floor weekly when I clean the other bathroom.