Getting into the swing of new routines…

I’ll be the first to admit that my self-discipline has evaporated over the Christmas holiday, with a lot less movement and a lot more eating and drinking.

Probably my worst new habit has been the sheer amount of time I spend on the sofa! Sometimes I’m afraid I’m going to physically bond with it and never leave the apartment again. I’m writing this from the sofa, where I’ve so far consumed two coffees, read the news and browsed social media. For the last two hours.

I haven’t even showered or put any clothes on. What a slob.

With a new year just a couple of days away, it’s time to get back into the (healthy) swing of things. No new year’s resolutions from me, thank you very much. But back into my healthier habits that I know work for me.

I’ve restarted my meditation habit, which took a beating this month. I always feel better once I’ve done that. It’s really about doing it at the same time each morning to ensure I sit down for a few minutes.

I’ve clarified my workload for the next 30 days and I’m making a start on some easy stuff today. Why? So that Monday next week won’t be a complete shock to the system! I’ve no scheduled work next week, so it’s all about planning, preparing some new training and coaching materials and ramping up activity for new projects. But if I start now, next week will be even easier.

What else?

I’m going to start going to bed at a reasonable hour again. With no morning alarm, the need to get into bed early seemed less important and I’ve found myself watching tv later and later in the evening.

I’ll have to start wearing normal clothes and not rely purely on a rotating wardrobe of hoodies and sweatpants. Yes, they’re insanely comfortable, but I associate clothing with activity quite a lot, so work-related clothes will help me focus. Don’t worry, it won’t be time for a shirt and tie, but maybe I’ll break out some of my nicer jeans and sweaters.

The food habits will be the easiest to change, particularly because I’ll have consumed all the unhealthy foods before January 1st rolls round – and they won’t be replaced. So no more mince pies with every cup of coffee. No dessert after every meal. No late evening Baileys. Butter will no longer be a food group.

Earlier morning starts will kickstart everything else. So it’s time to start setting an alarm again. My ideal will be for next Monday to feel like just another Monday, and not the catastrophic bolt of lightning to my brain that it has previously.

Sleep. Diet. Exercise. How hard can it be?