Every year, usually in January, I make some sort of plan for the year.
In 2017 and 2018 I had a long list of goals that covered various areas of my life. I wanted to achieve them during the year. I also had myself a vision statement in 2018. I didn't quite meet all these goals, but I made progress on all of them. In 2019 and 2020, I decided to have a "word" of the year. Then, run everything through the filter of my word. You can read more about that here.
2020 was tough for everyone and I decided that my lofty 'goals' were well thought out and perhaps "SMART" (read more about SMART goals here) were too much for me. In 2021, I changed tack a bit and decided that I wanted to work on developing some healthy habits that would help me reach some of those long term goals that I had hoped to achieve.
After watching a Clutterbug Video I decided to use a "Daily Dozen". In a nutshell, you list 12 things you want to do daily, and plan to do them everyday. The great thing about this, is that you don't have to start on 1 January. You can start any time and as you are trying to develop long lasting habits, you should never really 'stop'. Once you feel a particular habit is well cemented in your daily routine, you can choose to change the point and add a different point to your dozen or you can leave it in the list while focusing on a different point that you might not be doing so well with. I didn't share my daily dozen here at AGT in 2021. I'm not sure why.
At the end of 2021, I decided that 'a dozen' was too many things. I realised that the only real reason for having 12 things on my list is for the sake of alliteration and I didn't need to do that. Calm down people, it's okay. So, while it's still called my daily dozen, I don't have a dozen 'habits' on my list. It's okay, really it is.
One of the keys to feeling some success with the Daily Dozen is to keep some things on your list that you already do daily. You can latch your new habit to an established habit to help you develop the new habit quicker. Check out this video from How to ADHD, if you want more info about this.
Here's my Daily (not a) "Dozen", in case you are interested.
1. Read my bible and pray.
2. Drink Water (at least 1.8L).
3. Eat two serves of Fruit.
4. Exercise/ Stretch.
5. List three things I'm grateful for.
I realise I don't even have 6 things then it could be a half dozen. You could technically make Bible reading and Prayer different points.
The Exercise/Stretch point means that I have to, at the very least, stretch, every single day, no matter what. I try to include more vigorous exercise each day as well, but when you have chronic pain you have to give yourself grace.
I'm maintaining a gratitude journal. While I'm not quite managing to list three items in the journal everyday, I am acknowledging three things everyday, before I go to bed. I say them to myself. 5 days is the maximum number of days I have gone without writing in my journal. If this is the case, I reflect on the past 5 days and include several items to my gratitude list. I use prompts to help me think outside the box a bit when I'm considering what I'm grateful for.
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| Not my actual light swith! ;) |
My Daily (not a) "Dozen" is posted in my bedroom - right next to the light switch. Just before I turn the light out each night, I read my daily dozen and tick off which ones I have managed to do that day. Most days, I can tick off all the things. Some days, I haven't had enough water (and I know it, because I have a headache!) or I only ate one piece of fruit. Some days, I realise I haven't stretched since morning, so I do a few quickies before getting into bed.
My Daily (not a) Dozen has really helped me this year to focus on small steps and remember to start fresh each day. I have always had a goal of drinking a minimum quantity of water and for several years, I have read my Bible and prayed daily. These are not so hard to "check off". It means that whenever I read my list, I still feel a sense of achievement even if I can't tick off everything.
What habits would you include on your Daily Dozen? Would a Dozen be too many for you too? Let me know in the comments.
Next time, some snippets from my gratitude journal. :)
I appreciate you!
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