Create A Healthful Schedule

It can seem too simple to make things easy for yourself, but, hey, when you know that’s how your brain works best, you might as well give it what it needs to achieve the best results. For example, when I wanted to start taking vitamin C for my teeth and immune system, as well as my nervous system and glutathione recycling system, I decided I’d take it right after I brush my teeth each night. I know I’m going to brush my teeth. All I had to do was think, Brush teeth, take vitamin C. And after doing it a few times, it stuck. I mention this trick to patients when they are trying to get into the routine of taking a new supplement or remember to bring a protein snack when leaving the house. Tie the new habit to an old habit and, voilà, you’ll remember. Our brains respond much better to positive associations, too. What this means is that when we give ourselves a reward, we are more likely to choose that behavior in the future. It is like training a dog. When you give the dog a treat, it is more likely to sit or heel. An example would be eating chocolate or doing something enjoyable after studying or finishing a project.

One More Try

When you want to create a new routine or habit for yourself, think about it in terms of what you can do immediately afterward that will give your brain a signal that you enjoy this new habit. This will allow you to establish your new routine more easily and much faster. I also want to acknowledge that some of us prefer to integrate variety into our routines. If following the same routine and doing the same activities seems boring to you, you are likely a person who needs to mix it up a bit. For example, some days I wake up and meditate first thing, then walk outside or take a swim, before taking a shower and having a protein shake. One thing to definitely include in your routine is breaks. Even one minute every hour can make a difference. Studies show that when we take breaks, our stress level decreases and our creativity and productivity increase.1 In the moment it can seem like you don’t have time to take a break, but in actuality, taking a break will help you accomplish more in the long run. Don’t feel that you have to do the exact same thing, in the exact same way, at the exact same time every day. That might just create more stress! What’s more important is that you are consistent in when you wake, when you go to sleep, and the intervals of time between meals, and that you regularly take breaks, spend time in nature, and participate in stress recovery activities. To take back your health requires intention and a plan.

Taking A Chance

You may need to write your new schedule down, put it into your calendar, and tell those around you that this is your new agenda. You may want to share that you’re taking steps to improve your health, and that you’re learning as you go, so your schedule may shift until you find the best way of being. Start by thinking through your day and week. What are your usual work hours? Is this schedule working for you, or does it need to shift a bit? What are your best sleep hours? Set these hours in your schedule. Is there anything else you need to do on a regular basis? A class you go to, a church or temple service you attend, a care routine you have for your parents, volunteer work you do, an activity you bring your children to, or an event or meeting you regularly attend? Put those into the schedule, too. Keep in mind that anything in your schedule can move. Nothing is set in stone. If you need something to shift, there is a way. It may require a conversation that you’ve been avoiding or a decision you haven’t wanted to make. It could also mean that you need more help getting tasks done or caring for your children, pets, home, or parents than you have considered in the past. But there’s only so much you can do in a day. To start, make a list of possibilities.

Back In Business

Don’t feel that you are committing to anything at this moment. It’s just a brainstorm. What could someone else do for you? Delegating is a process of identifying what you do best, including which activities absolutely need to be done by you and which activities could be done by someone else. In a business, there are processes and tasks that need to be done repeatedly. Each process has a set of steps, takes a certain amount of time, and could be batched so the same steps are repeated in a block of time to improve efficiency. The same can be done for your home care. Doing the laundry, for example, is a process that needs to be repeated. When done in a batch, it’s completed most efficiently. The same goes for cleaning the house, opening mail, shopping for food and cooking it, doing the dishes, making the bed, and getting ready for bed. It may help to closely examine a few days and write down everything that you do each day. What are the steps involved? How long does it take? Is this something that only you can do, or could another person do it for you? Better yet, could it be automated? You can also add up the amounts of time that you spend on your most essential tasks to get a total for the day, and the week. Then subtract that number from the total amount of time in a day and week, and then subtract the number of hours that you need to sleep. I remember when I first went through this process and started to think of each task and activity with intention.