How to Start Good Habits When You're Less Busy
Here’s a thought experiment for you. Which would you rather do: start a new exercise routine in the middle of a chaotic season at work when you’re pulling long hours, unable to cook much for yourself at home, and not sleeping enough? Or start that same new exercise routine when things are going more slowly at work, you have a little time to prepare healthy meals for yourself, and you’re getting a manageable amount of sleep?
We’d bet dollars to donuts and a cuddle with a sloth that you’d pick the latter if you could.
Choosing that scenario is reasonable and, in fact, it’s smart. It’s easier to take up new habits when other stressors in your life aren’t so intense and when you aren't being pulled in several directions at once by a busy schedule. What's more, those new habits are more likely to stick if you can get them well-established during a period of relative calm.
It’s Easier to Form Good Habits When You’re Less Busy
Here at Myrth, we’re focused on proactive, not reactive, strategies for maintaining our health and wellness. The logic behind this is simple: it can be harder to start something new when you’re stressed, in a state of upheaval, and feeling overwhelmed. Your executive function (that is, your ability to plan, predict consequences, and make good decisions) is negatively affected by stress. Stress also hampers your brain’s ability to form new memories and learn new things.
Crowded schedules, especially schedules that are crowded with things we didn’t choose to put there, are a common, intense source of stress. The chaos of living an overcrowded life often keeps us from having time to sort and categorize our thoughts, commit new information to long-term memory, and sift through individual data points to look for patterns.
That means that if you want to set yourself up for success, it's easier when your brain is in a good place to make wise decisions and learn new things easily.
In other words: start the meditation habit before your work schedule picks up pace and intensity. Eat the veggies and get into an exercise routine before the serious health consequences appear. Check in regularly with yourself before you reach the point of burnout.
Use the Path of Least Resistance to Form New Habits
There’s another reason for picking up good habits when life is going more smoothly. It turns out that when a habit is easy to follow, you’re more likely to stick with it. That’s why we love habit stacking, which helps you leverage old habits to build new ones more easily. It’s also why we like starting new habits in good seasons of life as much as possible: because it turns out that using the path of least resistance can be a good thing sometimes.
So when life is mellower, that’s a great time to pick up a new exercise routine, commit to eating more fruits and veggies, start a meditation or prayer routine, join a book club, or do something else that takes effort but is good for your body or mind. We know choosing the things that are good for us can be hard work sometimes, especially during times of stress and upheaval, but it’ll be easier if you’re already in the habit before the hard times arrive.
Don’t Let Stress Stop You From Making Changes
Of course, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t try to start new habits during rough times, too. Any time is a good time to make good choices for yourself, but some times will be easier than others.
It’s also important to know that while stress is common in particularly busy periods of life, the two aren’t inextricably linked. We can be busy but relaxed, and we can be stressed but not have much going on, calendar-wise anyway (take, for example, being recently laid-off). In any event, whether you’re busy or stressed or both, don’t let that stop you from making needed changes anyway. It’s easier to make changes when life is calm, but it’s still possible (and healthy!) to make those changes when life is harder.
Remember the old saying: when life closes a door, it opens a window.
In other words, when something bad happens in life (losing a job, a major health event, an unexpected move), that can also be an opportunity to make some changes in your life. (But if right now you just have to focus on surviving, do that, first!).
If, though, this happens to be one of those mellower times for you, for whatever reason, try taking advantage of it. Have you wanted to practice a new language more diligently, check-in more consistently with a loved one, or make your bed every morning? Give it a try and see how much easier it is to do when you’re feeling relaxed and rested.
Have you tried starting new good habits during mellow times and busy times? How did the two experiences compare for you? Which do you prefer? Drop us a comment!
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