We’re a month into 2021, a new year like no other, and it would hardly be surprising if even our very best intentions to keep up good habits and new year’s resolutions have gone off track.
So rather than looking at big goals, we thought we’d take a look at going back to basics; thinking about simple habits you can incorporate into your every day, to help you stay healthy in body and mind. You might have heard them called non-negotiables; habits that you’ve decided you absolutely must do as a bare minimum each day. The best news is you can use your planner to remind you to do them each day and create good habits that hopefully last a lifetime!
It’s totally up to you what habits you’d like to record; things you think you can achieve each day that are personal to you. We thought we’d share some suggestions of ideas, to prompt you into thinking of others.
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Drink 2 litres of water
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Go for a walk/exercise
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Call a friend or family member
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Meditation and mindfulness
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Down time
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Quilting/sewing time
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Recording gratitude
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Quality time with kids/parents/family
Now comes the fun part, using your planner to track your habits, either throughout or at the end of each day.
Did you purchase the clip-ins when you ordered your planner? These are the easiest way to track your habits. Just write them down with the wet erase pen and check them off each day. Easy! Just make sure you keep them clipped onto the current week of your planner so that you see them often to remind you.
If you don’t have the clip ins, you can still create your own habit tracker. Why not use the dot or grid pages in the planner to create your own habit tracker, like the one shown here. Once you’ve created it, you could photocopy it multiple times, so that you have a blank copy for each week. Then make sure you fill it in each day. We’ve used rainbow colors, which always makes everything more fun!
If you think you need a little extra motivation to complete the things you’ve decided you must do each day, then why not give yourself a little reward at the end of the week if you complete or almost complete them all each day. There’s nothing like a prize to spur you on! At the beginning of the week, write down what your prize is going to be. It could be a drink from your favourite coffee shop, a candy bar, a new sewing tool or some fabric – what ever you think will motivate you to stay on track and focused!
We hope this helps you keep up good habits, which in turn will support your wellbeing. It’s so important, and more so than ever this year. Do share your habit trackers with us on Instagram @thequiltersplanner and in our Facebook group ‘Quilter’s Planner with Stephanie Palmer: Sketch.Dream. Be Inspired’ so that we can see them!
