Have you ever noticed that when you workout you just happen to eat healthier? And when you eat healthier you feel like you have more energy so you are more active. And when you’re more active you eat healthier. And so the cycle continues.
The opposite is true too. You have a weekend with friends where you eat and drink all of the things (pizza, donuts, rosé all day). Then you wake up on Monday with the feeling that you MUST eat a bagel sandwich or you might fall over and the rest of the day is a battle between what you normally eat and sugary carbs.
Every decision you make—particularly the smallest—is either giving to yourself (your relationships, your happiness) or taking from yourself. Here are ten small decisions that I know make a big impact.
1. Don’t watch tv on weekdays
Jeff and I gave up TV earlier this year for lent and woah. It was amazing how much time was wrapped up in it—and I considered us to be light tv watchers!
I did start to watch The Bachelorette with my coworkers, but I’m good about only watching that episode and then turning it off. Shows are addicting, especially when they autoplay the next episode.
2. Establish an evening routine and stick to it
This makes such a difference for me. Once my bedtime reminder gives me a 30 minute warning, I put away what I’m doing, wash my face, brush my teeth, put on my pjs (if I’m not already in them) and prep the coffee for the next morning.
4. Put phone away by 9pm
I recently started doing this and it’s so helpful. I probably should do it even earlier than 9pm. Less distraction. Less light in my face. More focus and awareness on what I need to do to get to bed on time.
3. Device-free play with my daughter
When I spend the present, quality time I intend to spend with my family, it feels so so good. The hardest thing for me is that I want to document these little moments with Hayes so I like to have my phone near, but I am getting so much better at taking a photo of her cuteness and then putting my phone in my back pocket or up on the counter.
4. Phone stack dinner with my hubby
Jeff and I are pretty good about the phone stack at dinner, especially when we are on a date. I have a friend that actually leaves her phone in the car when they go on date nights—if you read that and immediately thought of 8 reasons why you wouldn’t want to do that, you’re not alone, but what does that mean for how addicted you are to your phone?! Things I’m asking myself right now 🙂
5. Establish a morning routine and stick to it
I wrote this post because when I was grocery shopping last week I listened to a few podcasts. First I started out with Dave Asprey’s Bulletproof Podcast episode 600 “The Good Life: Peace, Strength and Wisdom — Arianna Huffington” and then I jumped into Jocko Podcast episode 151, “How to Really Implement Change. Different Leadership Styles. Balancing Disciple. Different Jiu Jitsu Styles“, and listened to the first ten minutes or so.
At the beginning of the episode he told a story about a young man he grew up with and it’s a heavy story about how small decisions overtime can make a huge, life-changing, impact, for better or for worse. Listening to this made me wonder how I am setting myself up for the life I want. While these little things don’t feel like a big decision in the moment, overtime they have a big impact.