In previous years, I opted for “guiding words” instead of setting new year’s resolutions. The idea was that I could always turn these guiding words as a reminder of what I wanted to do or achieve. For 2021, I decided to take a slightly different approach. Some people may say these are still new year’s resolutions — a fair observation, perhaps — but I see them as establishing healthy, positive habits.
They’re about more than simply hitting some goal this year. Instead, I want good habits I can take with me moving forward, well beyond 2021. Once you’ve firmly established a habit, they’re a lot easier to maintain. For each of these, the goal is to hit the daily habit 250 times over the course of 2021. That’s a little better than two-thirds of the time (68.49%). This way, I can cut myself some slack if I miss a day here or there. At the same time, there’s enough consistency to keep the good habits going. This aligns with the two-day rule. At least, that was the thinking behind it.
So, now that we’re six months into this thing, now that we’re halfway, how am I doing?
Read at Least 25 Books in 2021
I’m not entirely sure what it is, but it seems like I’ve been reading a lot more in 2021 than I have in the past. For context, I read 33 books last year and 30 books the year before that. Even though we’re only six months into 2021, I’ve already completed 27 books so far. And I’ll add one more to that tally in the next day or two.
That puts me on pace for 54 books this year, or approximately 216% of my original goal. Wow.
Hit a Daily Step Goal of 8,500
My physical health and fitness have never been all that great and I know that I should be much more active than I am. One step at a time, I guess. Last year went pretty well, so I increased my daily step goal from 8,000 to 8,500 steps. In six months, I’ve hit this daily step goal a total of 145 times. That puts me on pace for 292 on the year — remember the goal is to hit these daily habits 250 times — which works out to 117% of the goal. It looks like I’m on track.
No Screens at Lunchtime
Before I decided on adding this to my list of 2021 habits, I’d often turn to my phone (or Google Home or laptop) for some lunchtime entertainment. I’d mindlessly scroll through social media, watch a YouTube video, or some other passive watching activity. In an effort to reduce screen time and be more mindful, I thought I’d be a good idea to get away from screens while eating lunch. I kept this promise to myself 159 out of 181 days, putting me on pace for 321 on the year or 128% of the goal.
No Work After Dinnertime
The lunch and dinner habits are similar in that I hope to achieve better balance and a healthier state of mental health. When I can work at any time, I feel like I should be working all the time. And that’s not healthy. Some days do necessitate work after supper, but I’ve been trying really hard to keep these to a minimum. Most things can wait until the next day. To that end, I’ve managed to keep this up 146 times so far, putting me on pace for 294 times on the year (or 118% of goal of 250 times).
Just 10 Minutes of Stillness
Keep calm and carry on? Or at least be quiet for a few minutes and catch your breath. In an environment where it feels like we’re constantly go-go-go, it can be hard to slow down and choose to “do nothing.” To be fair, most of my “10 minutes of daily stillness” are either first thing in the morning or the last thing at night, but at least it’s something that I try to keep in mind each day. To that end, I’ve done this 163 times so far, which sets an annual pace of 329 (131% of goal).
Keep Daily Screen Time Under 3 Hours
My relationship with technology is complicated, to say the least. I absolutely rely on the powers of the internet, computers, and other devices to do the work that I do. They can also be terrific sources of information and entertainment. Totally. But, too much screen time is likely detrimental to my overall health, both mentally and physically. This has been the most challenging of the habits. I’ve kept my (mobile) screen time under 3 hours on 123 days so far, which is on pace for 248 on the year (99% of goal).
Drink More Water (Keep a Bottle Handy)
The recent BC heat wave really brought this habit to the forefront. I still don’t think I drink enough water over the course of a day, but I am more mindful abut at least having water handy throughout the day. Given the original goal of “keep a water bottle handy,” I’ve achieved that 170 times. That sets a pace for 343 on the year, or 137% of the total goal of 250. If the habit were more like “drink at least 2 liters of water a day,” the success rate would be much, much lower.
June Was an Especially Hard Month
When you look at the percentages above (as they relate to the 2021 habits and goals as a whole), it looks like everything is going pretty well. And, for the most part, I think they are. These daily habits frame a lot of decisions and they serve as powerful reminders for how i’d like to live my life. That’s good. But, I feel like I’m hitting a bit of a slump lately.
I’m not entirely sure why it’s the case, but June was particularly challenging. I only managed to keep my mobile screen time under 3 hours on 16 out of 30 days, or about 53% of the time. Not good enough. Similarly, I only managed to get my 10 minutes of stillness on 20 of those days (67% of the time). I hope to turn things around in July. Wish me luck?
How’s your 2021 so far? If you have new year’s resolutions, are they still going strong?
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