How to break bad habits by replacing triggers and creating a new routine - Day 6/90

Once you've developed a habit, you'll notice that there are certain routines and environments that trigger it. Once you become aware of that trigger, you can use your routine & environment to turn it into a positive habit that will allow you to be more productive and effective in your life.

I'm actually writing this post the next day due to an unfavorable habit I have formed over the years!

I started my day off late... again. Luckily, it was Friday and I knew this would be the last day I would allow myself to be out of my routine. The weekend was coming, and that was my time to get my life back in order, routine and all! 

So, with 15 minutes to get ready, I threw on a maxi dress for comfort and cuteness, grabbed a LARA bar and my dried mangoes for breakfast and was on my way out the door. I had a super busy work day (again, happy it was FRIDAY!) and couldn't wait for lunch time because I was going to one of my favorite restaurants to celebrate my multi-monthaversary with my boyfriend!

For lunch, I had my favorite salad of all time! It's called the Fire Roasted Southwest Chicken Salad form a local restaurant here in Northern California.

​Ingredients:
Chopped romaine
Cherry tomatoes
Jalapeños
Roasted red peppers
Corn
Chicken
Salsa ranch dressing (on the side for dipping)
and I always swap the cheese for avocado :)

When I got home, I threw myself on the couch and immediately turned on Hulu. That should be the first habit I kick, to be honest! It's super important to determine your triggers for habits that you want to break. Once you figure out what those are, you change them, or make sure you don't do that thing that triggers the habit. For me, it's throwing my stuff down in front of the door and laying down on the couch. As soon as I'm down, I turn on the TV and watch something solely for entertainment. Although there is no problem with giving yourself a break after work & taking time to relax, that's not something I want to do anymore. When I get off of work and get in my car, my brain is immediately in entrepreneur mode and the only thing I can think about is getting work done! But I ruin the flow of all of that by going back to my old ways as soon as I walk inside. I don't even put my bag away or clear out my lunch box. I just throw it down and go lay down.

Now that I know what my trigger is, I need to figure out how to change my post-work routine to encourage the habit of working on my business shortly after I get home. Again, there is no problem with relaxing, but I don't want to relax when I get home - I want to work, create, connect & discover. So when I get home from work, the new routine is to hang my purse (I just put a clear tack on the island wall next to my front door) and take my lunch box to the sink to clear it out. Once I put my lunch box away, I will pour a glass of water and take it directly to my bedroom. I will change into athletic clothing, sit down at my computer, light my candle, and turn on my focus playlist. Doing this 2 minute routine has now overcome so many unfavorable habits.

This new routine will help me keep my house tidy so things don't pile up in front of the door after work. This new routine will help me drink more water and rehydrate my body since I don't drink enough water during the work day. This new routine will help remove any excuses to workout later since I already put clean workout clothes on and don't want to throw them in the laundry without even making them useful. This new routine will help me work on my business, social media, and marketing now that my iMac, focus playlist, and candle are now a positive trigger for working. Hopefully this will inspire you to form your own routines to trigger habits you want to include in your life to help you get one step closer to turning your dreams into a reality :)

Oh, I suppose you might want to know what I ate for dinner! Well, I made one of my absolute favorite meals in the whole world: sweet potato hash with eggs, veggies, & avocado. I just put the cubed sweet potatoes in a pan on the stove with a quarter cup of water and a little bit of coconut oil & cover it for about 10 minutes as it cooks. Then, I'll take the lid off and let it fry a little in the oil until they are soft, but crispy. After that, I put the potatoes on a plate and throw in some spinach to cook in the pan. Once the spinach is done, I make two over easy eggs, throw those on top of the potatoes & spinach, lay some avocado on top, and finish it off with my favorite hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot) and Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel Seasoning... and voila! My favorite breakfast dish!

P.S. I didn't exercise, work on my business, or do my skincare routine today. Only my nutrition goal was accomplished, but that is okay! Today is a new day, and I promised myself that I will prepare ahead of time for a successful week full of early mornings and homemade, meal-prepped meals. That's all for now!

Thank you for being you & thank you for being here,

​Leah Jean