30 Days of November, Day 9: Of Habits

Everyone talks about setting goals, and building up habits that help you to achieve them; in fact that topic has started an entire industry of self-help with everyone who is or isn't qualified trying to sell you the answer to improving your life in 150 pages or less.

As a chronic procrastinator but avid reader, you would be correct in assuming that consuming self-help books was a favorite past-time of mine, and that with optimistic enthusiasm I would try every tip and trick with vigor believing that this would be the thing that would finally make the difference in my life.  And that, not surprisingly, seldom worked or if it did, didn't last.

Some habits however which I firmly believe are worth implementing no matter how hard you have to fight yourself to do it are as follows:

Flossing

If you have problems brushing your teeth twice or even once a day, then start with that first and then upgrade to this as soon as you get into a grove. Flossing is so important for good oral hygiene but yet it is so easy to overlook. If you don't like going to the dentist that it is even more critical that you brush and floss everyday. Although, even if you go religiously to your bi-yearly check-ups and also get a clean and scale, flossing can greatly reduce the pain of the 'pointy instrument of doom' as I like to call it, as the dentist works to scrape plaque off of your teeth.

Reading

Even if you don't enjoy reading it is imperative that you find time to read something! Insist on at least ten minutes a day spent with a book, digital or otherwise. The benefits are numerous: it can relive stress, improve your vocabulary, help with brain function and you may even learn something! Challenge yourself to read a book outside of your favorite genre every now and then, and especially to read something of history or a true story. The world is a fantastic, grim, gritty but ultimately wondrous place. Experiencing it through a book, adds a different dimension to the flavor of life.

Writing

While not every-one is a skilled writer, we will all be called upon at sometime in life to gather up our wayward thoughts and corral them into sentences. Make it a habit, to write something regularly be it a letter to someone, a short story or even a poem. Keeping a diary is also another great way to write which has enough benefits to warrant an entire point on its own. Expressing yourself is a building block to understanding yourself and being understood. Getting familiar with language is very important to self-confidence as well and it like very other skill can be honed with time and practice.

Getting Enough Sleep

I am guilty of struggling with this one, but I feel like I left the best for last. Getting a good night's sleep is the foundation of having a great day. You simply can't be at 100% productivity if your body is tired. Enough sleep is subjective because everyone is different, but the guideline of 8 hrs is ideal. I work shift and so my rhythm is a mess, but if you have standard job hours, take advantage of it and get as much rest as you can! You won't regret it.



There you have it! This list if is of course not exhaustive but as I have admitted some of these are still a work in progress. Hopefully but the time I grow up just a little more, I will have these ones conquered and can move on to conquer other things!