The other day I had an epiphany while I was drying my hair. As usual, my thoughts were all over the place, jumping from personal reminders to work tasks to anticipated conversations to goal setting for 2016. I was debating whether I would make an official list of my goals for 2016, but as I mentally went through my list I realized that something was still missing.
After some careful thought, it hit me. I’ve focused so much on big, time-consuming goals and aspirations that I’ve forgotten about many of the simple, daily habits that create happiness in my life! In fact, life has felt a bit chaotic and unorganized for some time now, and it’s because I’ve let a lot of these daily habits slide. As I stood there blasting my hair, I realized I need to change my focus. What’s the point of setting goal after goal if the process itself doesn’t feel peaceful? Rather than plough ahead with tunnel vision locked only on the goals, this year I’m going to make room for the daily habits that bring me consistent joy – the ones that I haven’t allowed myself to make time for in a long while. I’m going to call these my “Daily Habits for Happiness”, and I truly believe that this approach can change my life.
What do I mean by daily habits for happiness? It’s anything that you can easily accomplish in your day to day life that makes you feel really good. These are often things that we brush off or let fall by the wayside because they aren’t given as much priority or importance as other things, but their potential to improve our quality of life is HUGE!
There are many things that I’m doing successfully each day (such as dedicated family time, exercise, etc), but there are many things that I can start doing to increase happiness quite easily. Here are some that I came up with. This list is a work in progress, and I’ll be adding to it as I see fit.
Make my bed each morning
I haven’t taken the time to make the bed consistently in the morning for umm….years? Since my mama told me to? In my defense, Eric doesn’t make it consistently either! The thing is, having my bed made in the morning makes me feel quite accomplished, but I’ve always told myself that other tasks are much more important and “I don’t have time”. Well, no more! It doesn’t actually take very long, but it sets the tone for the whole day and I feel like the reward outweighs any time spent on it. (I fear that I may fail miserably with this habit, but 3 days into 2016 I’m still on a killer bed making streak!!)
Shift workouts back to the morning
Speaking of convincing myself (or even bribing myself) – morning workouts! Because our schedule was so unpredictable last year (and still is at times), I shifted many of my workouts to the evening after Adriana went to bed. It seemed like the best time of the day for minimal interruptions (sleep regressions aside), but I started to really miss having restorative downtime at night. I recently started shifting my workouts back to the morning. I have Eric to thank for motivating me because he’s been rocking the early morning workouts with his buddy for a while. It’s challenging for me to workout first thing, but I always feel great when I do it. (If you’re curious – I’m doing a combo of running on my treadmill and online Barre workouts right now. I hope to add an in-person weekly barre or yoga class to my routine soon.)
Daily tidying
It’s amazing how much toys can take over our living room and kitchen area during the day (and how many times I manage to trip or hurt myself). We got into the habit of leaving the toys scattered all over the house because we were too tired to put them away before bed. But it really makes a huge difference to come out to a tidy room in the morning, rather than chaos. Now we do a quick tidy up after she goes down at night. It takes just a minute or two, but it makes me so happy to walk out in the morning and see a semi-tidy room (even if it doesn’t last!). The same goes for daily tidying other areas of the house…a quick vacuum in the kitchen and dining area does wonders for my mood.
Email management
Eric and I recently decided to disable the push notification setting on our Gmail accounts. I can’t take credit – it was his idea and I jumped on board. No longer will I be alerted every time an email pops into my inbox (which can feel disruptive and stressful – especially when it’s during the evening or on weekends). For years I’ve worked all hours of the day and on weekends. This year, email notifications are turned off and I’m checking email at dedicated times during working hours. Obviously, there will be times when I will have to break this rule, but I aim to make them far and few between.
I also find that staying on top of unsubscribing from emails and filtering out spam helps on the email front. I did it last year and it made a huge difference. I want to keep up with both of these daily habits this year.
Relaxed lunch + tea/coffee rituals
Adriana shifted from 2 naps to 1 nap a day in November. Now she goes down for her afternoon nap between 12-1pm each day. I used to eat my lunch while feeding her lunch, but I rarely got to enjoy my lunch before it got cold, or I just scarfed it down in record time without truly enjoying it. I can’t blame her though, I used to work through my lunches for years before she was born. Recently, I’ve started to make my lunch after she goes down for her nap. I find that it’s a lot more rejuvenating for me to have this downtime mid-day. I also aim to have a morning, afternoon, and evening coffee/tea/tonic ritual too.
Connecting with friends/family
This could be a lunch with a friend, a date with my coach, a late dinner at home with Eric, a girl’s get together, or a simple phone call. These connections increase happiness a lot, especially during the winter when it’s easy to hibernate.
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I’m not forgetting about my big goals for 2016 because there are many that I’m super excited about. However, this year I’m making time for the “smaller” things that help me feel balanced, peaceful, and organized on a day to day basis. This is the year that the small becomes the big. I’d love it if you joined along with me!
Cheers to 2016, friends. I hope it’s off to a great start in your neck of the woods!
Photo credit: Sandy Nicholson
Great post Angela!
I have a couple similar goals this year including tidying every night! A little bit sure adds up!
Happy New Year!
-Brittney
it sure does…I’m always amazed by what 5 minutes can do!
I agree with having the house a little tidier can make you feel much more productive when you get up in the morning. It’s like the mental preparedness you get from it. If your house is in shambles when you wake up so is your mind.
Great post! I’ll try to put in my effort to keep this an ongoing thing.
we’re like new people all up in 2016 lol
Plus when you go to bed with the house a mess ~ don’t you just have the worst nightmares? It’s like I can sleep when my kitchen is trashed.
You are so right about morning workouts – they truly help with all day energy! If anyone out there is looking for an awesome cardio workout, my hubby got me (i know really thoughtful!!!, hehe) the Billy Blanks TaeBo Cardio Explosion, in the cover he is wearing an orange shirt. Anyhow, it’s super awesome, all cardio obviously, no floor exercises and no tools if you know what I mean. Really happy with what it is doing for my abs thus far!!!!
it must be something in the air, because I have come to the same conclusions about goal-setting this year, its more about the small ‘tweaks’ rather than the huge goals.
BTW, I just made your mushroom walnut pesto tart from your cookbook and it rocked! even hubby (fanatical carnivore) scarfed down two helpings. thanks so much for your wonderful work, and best wishes for a fabulous 2016!
I love this way of looking at the new year! Going to spend some time thinking about habits that can help me everyday too :) Thank you!
Just curious- what online Barre workouts do you use? I’d love to give that a try!
Hi Angela,
I love this post and love your blog (I have your enchiladas in the oven while I type this!)
Last year two of my goals were to make my bed every morning and tidy before bed and I can assure you it made such a difference to how I felt. Now if I could just switch to morning workout sessions…..
This has come at a perfect time for me, thank you! I’m 11 weeks pregnant and also trying to plan an engagement party off the back of a crazy silly season – i really want to try to remember to cherish the next 6 months and not lose the plot! Have to admit, making the bed has become a must-do for me in the mornings, gives me a moment of satisfaction and a breath of accomplishment. my other challenge is to consistently do the dishes when i’ve messed them and not “save them for later”! :D
I also love that dishes one! I’ve been putting that idea to a lot of house messes….I try to do it now rather than put it off (garbage, dishes, etc). I ask myself if I can do it now and if the answer is yes (which is usually is) it gets done.
On this same thought, I once read a tip that I think is really useful. If it takes you less than 60 seconds to do, just do it now – don’t save it for later. That includes making the bed, putting your dishes in the dishwasher rather than setting them in the sink, hanging your clothes up when you get home from the office, putting those cans in the recycling bin rather than setting them on the counter. All that stuff is so easy to do and makes a big difference at the end of the day!
Yes! And putting the roll of toilet paper on the holder…bahaha
hahaha – good one!
I definitely need to do a few of these myself! Especially determined to workout in the mornings.
Nourishing Amelia | Food, Health and Lifestyle Blogger
I really love this post, Angela — It’s full of tips that are practical and easy, but impactful. I think I’m well overdue to manage my own inbox better, and I’m also a big believer in the value of connecting with friends, even if that’s as simple as an email or text. All best to the whole family for 2016! XOXO
I love this list, enjoy the routine and the simple things in life.
Waking up to dishes in the sink, or things left untidy makes me want to do them first thing in the morning. But I feel my mind is freshest in the morning, so I always try to do my most important tasks first thing. And that lunch + tea time is sacred for me!
Hope your 2016 is filled with love and happiness!!❤️
My heart is warmed reading this post, totally with you on this one!
Thank you Jane!
Morning workouts are the best! I’ve always taken 6am barre classes, and now I’m loving 5:30am cycle classes because I get home so early! It’s a game changer now that we just had our fourth child. But here’s the big question — what time of day is your favorite to cook? For some reason, I love doing it in the crazy morning rush before the kids head out the door. Maybe because they don’t scarf down every bite and it lasts until they get home? I know I enjoy the pressure of seeing if I can cook in time!
The early morning classes are hard in the winter, but makes for a great day! Way to go.
Favourite time to cook? Well I really enjoy making Adriana her meals each day, but I also love to cook during nap time when I know I have a good chunk of time without screaming and leg pulling, haha.
What a calming post! You have taken a maelstrom day ( big plans, emails, work, baby, excercise, cleaning) and seemed to make it sound peacably achieveable. Hiw did you do that? Having daycare sweeties arrive at 7am and teens that tend to eat all day led to a ” peaceful” start habit for me…every night before bed, I clear the counters in the kitchen of their debris instead of leaving ut for morning. I also fill the teapot and get my mug ready so that coffee or tea is a simple step away. Less having to think in the morning brain fog! Thanks for an inspiring post :)
This is such a great list of ideas, Angela! Making the bed in the morning makes a huge difference for me, for sure. And getting rid of those push notifications is a great one too. On a related note, I’m trying this month to check my email only at specific times during the day (especially my blog email, which I typically check waaaaay more often than necessary). I want to try to be a little more “in the moment”, and I’m hoping that will help.
Happy New Year to you and your family!
Really great and inspiring post, Angela. I love that you are trying to change some of your daily habits to be happier instead of setting some huge goals. Also I feel like your ‘goals’ are realistic which I like too :)
Happy New Year to all of you!
Brilliant idea, and you’re so right, making the place look tidy really does something for the spirit doesn’t it! I need to do this. Happy New Year xx
Best wishes to all who are trying to incorporate these “little things” into their daily lives! I think these things fall into the category of SELF CARE, which is essential to feeling peace and joy every day. Allowing yourself quiet moments with a cup of tea/coffee is good for the soul! Also, once things like making the bed and keeping up on dishes become habits, there is a sense of satisfaction and freedom you feel every time you notice the results! =) Two dish-washing habits I learned from my mom are washing-as-I-go when cooking and getting right to washing the dishes when I get up from the table; dishes are done in very little time!
This is perfect! We have very similar goals for the new year–the e-mail one definitely resonates with me the most.
I am new to your blog and have been trying to find joy in the kitchen after a bumpy, 10-year journey to recovering from an eating disorder. Your recipes have helped me learn to enjoy food and, most importantly, to eat healthy! Thank you so much. I plan to try your chili, stuffed shells, and burrito bowl this week! I’ll let you know how it goes!
Happy New Year! :)
I do get the bed made and am in a yoga class every morning possible, but how I forget the little things as well! I attended an awesome 2016 goal-planning workshop this past weekend, and my list was long and detailed…but I did’t include the little things that can also bring me joy. I will be revising and adding to it now…I loved this post, thank you!! (Note to self: re-read “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo!) Happy New Year, and thank you for your inspiration and positive, always-happy spirit–oh, yes, and those recipes!!! Blessings!
I have a 2.5 year old and a 10 month old and we started having them help put away their toys before their afternoon nap and before bed. We started with the 2.5 year old when he was young and he knows that clean up time comes before he goes to bed. It really helps him start the calming down process before bedtime and just kicks off the bedtime routine.
Thank you for sharing this! I love the idea of focusing on
small habits and rituals. I agree that it is the small, day-to-day
choices that will have the greatest impact (on our life
and our bigger goals). This goes right along with my current
Blog series, “How to have a Healthy & Happy 2016.” I do
hope you and your family have a blessed 2016!