I have a variety of habits, a number of which it would benefit me to abandon or at least change. Kettle chips comes to mind almost immediately, specifically HyVee kettle chips. I can also tell you that there will be no change and certainly no abandonment of that habit. They have just the right crunch and the requisite salty/greasy. Yes, you could consider this an unpaid promotion. If you can tell me how to turn this into a paid promotion that would be great, especially a paid in-kind promotion.
I actually have some habits that are beneficial to me also – ones that I certainly need to continue, and perhaps even strengthen. Keeping a glass of water on my desk at work all the time is one. Daily quiet-time when I first get up in the morning is another.
I tend to be a creature of habit (no pun originally intended). I don’t vary much in what I do each and every day. My habits are deeply ingrained in the fabric of my being. Changing or abandoning a habit is pretty difficult for me, as is acquiring a new habit.
Last fall, a colleague started a writing group. I asked to join even though the intent of the group was more about professional writing of research papers, articles, and conference presentations, and my writing was personal. She graciously added me in. It was wonderful. We didn’t read or critique each others work (I’d be surprised if any of them read this blog), but rather we touched base everyday to report whether we had written that day. Some days people reported that they had done an outline of a presentation or they had complete editing a journal article. The writing activities varied from day to day for everyone. There was also much grace for the days when life crowded out writing completely. It was very helpful for me in that I was much more conscientious about dedicating time each day to writing because I knew someone was interested in whether I had done so or not.
It almost formed a habit! But once the group ended (it was only set up to go for six weeks), I stopped being as diligent about writing each day. As I reflected this week on things I enjoy and would like to make more of a priority, writing is one of them.
Maybe I can combine writing with eating kettle chips – you know, as in no kettle chips unless you are writing! The outcome could be a greasy keyboard, extra trips to the grocery, and more writing. It’s worth a try!
Just Sayin' 