Full confession. I have some bad habits.
One of them is not taking care of myself. For example, during the last few months not only was I doing everything for the Realizing Genius Homeschool Conference, but I was also moving my mom into my home – on top of all the classes I’m teaching this semester. I didn’t take time to take care of myself and I crashed HARD. Big wake-up call.
Another bad habit I have is getting sucked in by television series. I have a really hard time not doing something so when I crashed I started watching TV. It helped keep my mind busy enough that I didn’t go stir crazy. But I get so involved in the storyline that I have a hard time turning the TV off. And then I would fall asleep and miss half of it anyway!
It’s not just TV. My family and I are big Harry Potter fans. We would go to the parties at the book stores when the books came out and I would buy the book and then go home, send the boys to bed, and stay up all night reading. The boys would be on their own until I finished.
I don’t read a lot of fiction due to this problem. Somehow nonfiction is easier (most of the time) to put down.
But back to my habit problem…
I was pretty much out of commission for two and a half weeks. And before that my routine was totally out of whack. I need to do SOMETHING to get back on track.
I’ve been in this place before so I know what I need to do.
I need to purposefully build GOOD habits and routines. And I need to make it as easy as possible.
It came to me last night that THIS is one of the most important things we can teach kids!
How to recognize bad habits, get rid of them, and develop good ones.
Yes, they need to learn to read, write, do math, etc. but getting habits under control supports that learning.
One thing I do in my Entrepreneur Game Plan classes (curriculum will be available in April!) is ask my students to pick a “frog” each week. It is based on Mark Twain’s quote about if the worst thing you have to do is eat a frog, do it first. Procrastination is something that can do an entrepreneur in. You have to take action to be successful in business. And it is a good lesson for life.
Some “frogs” for me…
A couple of days ago I read something about writing down six things that you should do daily that you know would contribute to your success. (I’m sorry I can’t find the source – when I do I will let you know.)
For me, it isn’t just about “success.” It is about making a difference.
I spent some time thinking about this and couldn’t find just six things. But I did notice all of the things fell into six different categories.
1. Exercise
2. Listening
3. Journaling
4. Reading
5. Writing
6. Speaking
Exercise is pretty self-explanatory but the rest may need some more details.
When I say listening I’m referring to several different things. I function best if I take time every morning to listen to my Creator and stop the world from overtaking my thoughts. But I also need to listen to my family, friends, and customers.
Journaling is something that I use to process my thoughts. I plan, organize, imagine, and innovate. I write down what I’ve listened to. It is at times a written prayer and other times a to-do list.
Reading is also multidimensional. I don’t just read books but also websites and emails. It is all about educating, inspiring, and motivating myself. I also count audiobooks that I listen to in this category. (Have I mentioned recently how much I like Audible?)
Some may think that writing is already covered by my journaling but for me, it means something more. This is where I share my ideas. I may write this newsletter or a blog post. I also might spend time editing the Entrepreneur Game Plan curriculum.
And last but not least – speaking. For me, this means communicating with others. I like going on social media and answering questions about homeschooling. But I also will be speaking at a couple of conferences coming up so I need to put those presentations together. And then I have goals to get on some podcasts. And… I could go on.
Before kids, I had a job where I created a lot of forms. To hold myself accountable I’ve made a form where each day I can check off each category. My goal is to get all six checked off each day but I’m giving myself some grace as I get started.
Do you want to join me? Do my six genius things sound good to you? Or do you have others that would help you have more impact in the world? Just click on the link below to download my habit tracker form. Enjoy!