New Habit/Routine Accountability

Sorry to keep posting--this is my last one, I promise.

Morning routines

One thing that has really helped my mornings is having a Mr. Coffee-type coffeepot that has a timer. I set it every night when I set my alarm clocks. I have to force myself to fill up the water and put in the coffee, but it sure pays off the following morning. I have figured out the exact coffee-to-water ratio, too, which sounds obvious, but I come from a family that doesn't measure stuff!

I also got a giant-size pill organizer that holds all of my Rx and vitamins in one place. I reload this on the weekends. Take my morning medications when I put my feet on the floor, but before I actually get out of bed.

I have pared down my wardrobe to mix-and-match skirts and blouses, so I don't really have to lay out my clothes. I admire people who lay out their clothes.

One thing I'd like to start doing is packing my backpack every night. I'm still muddling through this in the morning.

I'm a long-time shower at night person, but now that I have to make my hair look at least semi-professional, the only way it works (for my thin, wispy hair) is to blow it dry after a morning shower. Air-drying with conditioner or blow-drying at night before bed does not get the job done for me (for work-appropriate hair).

During the winter, I put some oatmeal in a mini crockpot for breakfast--get the Little Dipper size, 3/4 cup oats, 1 1/2 cups water--but I have no appetite at all for breakfast during the summer. Hat tip to my distinguished therapist, who makes his oatmeal in a rice cooker with a timer.

What are your morning routines?

No sorriest 952p65823 for giving us ideas !!

- I ate my 2 eggs today, although I ate different things in the morning as well.
Trying to get in 3 meals a day
Having Orange Chicken later for Supper..

It's okay, I didn't stick to a schedule at all today nor am I going to hit my step target.

And I slept most of the day away. But I did work on one of my portraits but it came out totally not good and I need to find a new reference picture to work on. So I'm a little upset, but my Marilyn portrait I had to do twice too to get it right.

I didn't really stick to my schedule at all. But it's okay, I'll do a better job tomorrow.

I hope everyone is doing well with their new habits/routines and if not, just consider it a bump in the road.

Seesaw

3:45am wake up drink coffee pet the dogs and watch one tv show

Sunrise: hike the dogs 5 miles then feed tham( but always forget to eat breakfast myself)

8 am to 3pm teaching

ne day a week see T at 9am

Trying to work on writers block/ reading Irvin Yalom and Rollo May instead of wasting so much time on Facebook

meds and bed at 9pm unless boyfriend stays over then 12

I'm doing this thing called the 100 day project. I'm practicing my instrument for 100 days and uploading videos of it to my social media. Not only does it help my practicing by creating a kind of practice log, but it also is forcing me to get dressed everyday. Consistent self presentation. My summer job has finished so technically I have no reason to get up, except this 100 day thing. More later about my thesis which I WILL succeed in.

So yesterday I did not make 2 hours drawing, only 1 and half hours. I done 30 squats, but in the end my knees hurt.

Today goal only doubled up in drawing like yesterday. I guess I should stick with 15 squats until my body get used to it.

That's a great one. Link to us (if you don't mind)!

That is a great idea. I have a Facebook page for my dog's service dog training and I use that to 'keep me honest.' I also have one for my art, so I try to post something to each of them every day. Same with my blog. I need to find a way to keep myself honest on my everyday schedule though, and that's partly what this thread is for.

Seesaw

I went off to sleep around 1:30am y'day night. So I was supposed to get up by 10:30am this morn. But I managed to get up at 11am. Maybe if I try for 1wk I may succeed at not sleeping for more than 9hrs every night.

Irving Yalom is the best!

The day is still young, but I think I can avoid ordering food today, since I have appointments that will take me out of the house. I ate the last of the unhealthy food I have around (not going to literally throw it out).

Oh, I did terrible today, but it's the weekend, so I"m kinda of excusing myself. But I am going to really make an effort tomorrow. I will post my planned routine a little later.

How's everyone doing today?

Seesaw

^same, I only managing 1 hour drawing because I was gaming all day.

Today goals back to normal, no doubled up.

I went off to sleep around 12:30am y'day night. So I was supposed to get up by 9:30am this morn. But I managed to get up at 10.45am. I'll try again tmrw morn. I was feeling hugely sleepy and unrefreshed after waking up. Felt so sick that I had to rest again from 1pm to 2pm. Then I felt better. I think I don't get deep sleep at night, that's why I don't feel fresh in the morn and can't get up early.

I have managed to increase my exercise time by 25mins.

Couldn't clean my room y'day. Will try today.

Tmrw I am going for a movie and afterwards lunch with my Mom and buy meds for the rest of the month. So my routine would be a bit different.

Did quite a bit of work on my memoir this morning (woke up at 2:30 AM).

Done writing for the day and booting myself off social media. The most of the rest of the day will be spent walking, cooking, cleaning and focussing on my family....

Okay, well, I slept the past three days like straight, except I did in the evenings illustrate one portrait each of the past evenings, and walking the dogs.

So the habits I'm trying to create are 10,000 steps a day. I had been doing that regularly but after I lost my job, I couldn't keep it up. And to send out resumes or offers for freelance work. And work on my art for a couple of hours.

So I want to get in three walks with the dogs, that should help me get to the 10,000 steps. A couple of hours on work and employment stuff. And a couple of hours in the evening of art creation. I have lots of phone calls to make tomorrow about my unemployment and getting reimbursed for medical expenses, etc. I have to fight the durn FSA because they denied a claim, and I appealed it within the appropriate time frame, and then they said "oh, just submit this paperwork" which I did, but now they are saying it's too late, when they never got back to me within the cut off date. Anyways, I have to call and deal with them again tomorrow.

1. 3 walks/10,000 steps
2. A couple of hours of work/employment stuff
3. A couple of hours of art work
4. Very little napping

Seesaw

Walking works best when there is a definite reason for it , not just an aimless promise to yourself ' I must walk more'. To work, to get shopping, to see friends, to get from A to B . I will walk to the sports centre later for my exercise regime. It amuses me that people drive there then spend 30 minutes on the treadmill. Just walk
I'm sure your dog appreciates you walking with it. Great for both of you. I'd get a dog but i'm out a lot so it wouldn't be fair to shut it in all day. Another reason for walking ( and possibly for getting a dog) , is that you meet people. On my walk I sometimes meet a guy who is taking his dog for a walk and we normally have a chat. His dog is a French bulldog and i saw it from a puppy. OMG it is so cute I told him one day i'm going to put him in my sports bag and kidnap him. The dog not the guy haha.
Consider your arse kicked if you don't do those things seesaw
Have a good day everyone.

Yesterday done well. I almost break the phone-time rules, but I able to stop right on time.

It still half day, but I've finished squat and done 30 mins doodle already! I guess I should do squat first in the morning.

Other than this and one PM, no writing today; depressed. The only thing on my mind is my son--can't think of much else. Other than calling him--no plans whatsoever to be productive. It's OK to be this way for a day.

Hello everybody. My good intention of daily walking has had so-so results. That means not great. It is a good inspiration to read others' posts. I have been on walks, but they are rather short and very slow and sporadic.
I overlooked the obvious, that I have been in lousy shape for too long and worse, I became willfully blind to the obvious--I need to start regularly walking. That includes days I am so down that I have forgotten that spark of enthusiasm, and my other excuse-laden self takes charge, and I get lost in overblown feelings of negativity. My dogs are bewildered by me. So I am taking their logic to heart. Dogs do not let their minds wander. Dogs just wander.
Day One of Good Intentions: it is a downpour outside today, but I'm going to get soaked on my walk. I will keep you posted, because, as seesaw has pointed out, this will work better if I include my failures and successes, a diary of my progress in using daily exercise to combat the depression.
Thanks. Best wishes to everyone!

Well, one goal was to finish the rough draft of the novel I'm writing by the end of the year (about 150k words). The smaller goal was to get to 75,000 words by the end of October (in order to set my up for the next 50k in November for NaNoWriMo). Right now I'm at 33,400, so that's an average of 500-600 words a day until the end of October. I have about 240 so far today.

Actually, just stayed busy as usual; the only change to my schedule was that I did not write this morning. I like to stay distracted. There is nothing I can do about my son until he calls/asks for help. When he does, I will do what I can.

Exercise in the morning +
Sticking to a diet -, only in the evening,
Avoiding skin picking + mostly, unless I completely negate that while I'm trying to fall asleep, in which case it'll be a -.
It would be nice to go to bed a little bit earlier, but this conflicts with the previous point.
Posted here.

I'm changing my goals to taking the dogs on their potty/business breaks three times a day, so that may not be a long walk. Then I can either with one of them or on my own, do a mid-day two-three mile walk. I find I need to just carve out one of these walks for me without the dogs to worry about.

So three dog breaks tomorrow. My walk. One training session for my service dog in training, and then I have an appointment with a lawyer and in the afternoon I will work on a freelance job (which gets me pretty pumped).

Then the evening we will do the dog park and I will walk laps and listen to my music and be inspired.

You gotta start small, so I think this is starting pretty small.

Seesaw

I ended up writing over 1300 words today.

Today I practiced my instrument but it was not a significant practice session. I think I need to do some significant thinking on how to improve. I have the notes down now and need to work on some other technique in the bowing. I never really learned or kept up my bowing technique, so this will be a good challenge. I'll need to introduce some new repertoire to figure this out, but perhaps I should only introduce a tiny amount. I don't want to get distracted from the piece I'm working on now.

For my thesis, I think I'll take it as it comes. I think I'll create a schedule for my walks to add more structure to my week and hopefully then I won't feel so difficult about my time management. I also need to deal with my anxiety over writing a thesis anyway. I'm going for a walk tomorrow, so I'll write a bit then about my walking schedule.