Better Than Before?
I finished reading Gretchen Rubin's Better Than Before; Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Livesover the weekend. I enjoyed the book and have SO many thoughts. The book offered a really interesting look at the world of human habits and I learned a lot about myself, namely that I am an Obliger, a Lark, a Marathoner, an Overbuyer, and Abundance Lover, an Opener, a Novelty Lover, and Promotion-Focused. All of these aspects of myself, Gretchen argues, and compellingly, inform how I will create, and maintain, habits.
Speaking of habits, here are four I have vowed to focus on, for now:
1. My Daily Bookends. Pun very much intended. I will begin each day with writing and end each day with reading. Even if I just write a few words or read a few pages. (These are two things I value immensely.)
2. Stepping It Up. I will periodically combine mindless, guilty pleasure television with cardiovascular exercise (Gretchen refers to this as the strategy of pairing) and I will also monitor my steps with my FitBit and shoot for 10,000 steps a day.
3. A Friend a Day. I will see at least one friend a day or send one thoughtful email to a friend a day. (Sisters and Mom count!) I realized last week how vital friendship is to happiness.
4. Cutting El Carbs. In her book, Gretchen sings the praises of following a low-carb diet, noting how much better she feels when she eats this way, how her family members have benefited health-wise from doing so, also how pounds fell off her when she started eschewing carbs. Call me impressionable, but I'm curious. Replacing bagels with bacon? Here we go! Let's see what happens to my energy levels and to my waistline. I'll keep you posted!
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I look forward to thinking and writing more about habits and I look forward to hosting Gretchen for a Happier Hour Literary Salon next week. She and Ron Lieber (author of The Opposite of Spoiled) will be joining me (and 70-80 others!) for what will no doubt be a fascinating (and squishy) night in my yellow living room.
Thoughts on habits? Are there any "good" habits you'd like to create or "bad" habits you'd like to break?