Get in the Habit

We all have them don't we? Routines that we stick to like clockwork. I know I do. When I wake up in the morning and am going about getting ready for work, everything is done in a specific order. My teeth get brushed (can't ever feel clean in the shower if my teeth aren't clean first). Then I shower: shampoo on, face washed, shampoo off, conditioner on, shave, conditioner off, body washed. The same way. Every. Single. Time.

I don't think habits are a bad thing for the most part. A lot of the time they keep us productive. Like at work. The first thing I do when I arrive is check my voicemail. While doing so I turn on the computer and start up my email. Then bring up my claims processing program. (For those that don't know, I'm an insurance claims adjuster. I determine who is at fault for an accident. It's a better job than it sounds, I assure you.) Then I open up about 5-6 windows on the Wide World of Web and go about my day, having devoted just a few minutes to being ready for it.

Habits are hard to get into though. I've heard you have to repeat something 21 times before it really gets to be a habit. This list I found on WedMD of Healthy Habits to Improve Your Life seem like a good ones to put some effort into:


There are some areas that I'm pretty successful at - a Starbucks Green Tea is my favorite drink, and I've got about as many social connections as a mom of toddler who works full-time can really have. But there are some areas that I really need to work on - eating breakfast (I never do), taking daily walks (it is on my 30 Before Thirty list after all) and drinking water.

How did you fare and what do you think of the list? What habits will you be trying to get into in the coming year?