With the Holiday season coming up, I’ve already started adding up New Year’s resolutions in my mind. I have lots of bad habits that are constantly getting in the way of productivity and living a less stressful life. Baby steps are, what I find, to be the best way for me to make a good habit. Here are some bad habits I have and how I plan to (hopefully) effectively grow out of them:
- Spending Sprees
If you can’t tell from my previous articles, I am a fashion fiend. I love thrifting and buying clothes but it drills a hole in my wallet. Not only do I spend so much money on clothes (that I do not need) but I also spend a significant amount on my hobbies, whether it’s air dry clay, yarn, or countless books that I definitely don’t have room for on any bookshelves.Â
Putting together fun outfits and diving into a book or crafts are great ways to distract myself from whatever is going on around me. However, it would be illogical to not admit how the money I spend increases my stress. I am quite the stereotypical “Broke College Student” so the topic of money is always on my mind.
My mother shared with me that when she is going to have a busy weekend with lots of chances to spend money, she takes out cash and that is all she is able to spend. I thought that idea would be so helpful because when I spend money on my card, I don’t give it much thought. An “out of sight, out of mind” kind of mindset, I suppose. This is one way I have begun to practice saving money. Another way I have practiced, (and this strategy involves way less effort) is deleting my card on all of my shopping accounts. This is helpful because if my card is not already there, it gives me a moment to stop and think “Do I really need this?” and “Is it worth getting out of bed and grabbing my wallet?”
- Excessive Screentime
It is so easy to doom scroll and fall down rabbit holes of social media. I find myself stuck scrolling on social media for hours on end. This prevents me from getting a good night sleep and/or being productive with my schoolwork.Â
As well as the fact that I strongly believe the amount of time I spend watching TikToks or Instagram reels have worsened my attention span. There are no true facts to prove this however, I notice I have a hard time watching shows or movies when I do not multitask. I usually need to scroll on my phone to be able to sit through it. Simply sitting and only watching something has become increasingly difficult for me which is why this is something I want to change.
One thing I started to do was charge my phone across the room and pick up a book or journal before I go to bed. I try to spend the first and last hour of my day screen-free. Unfortunately, this isn’t something I do everyday but I attempt it as often as I can.Â
I do think this one will be significantly harder to change than the previous bad habit simply because it will take much more self control and discipline but I am determined, nonetheless.
- Flaking on Plans
I struggle so much with keeping track of everything I’ve signed up/agreed to do. I always end up double booking myself and getting so stressed out that I cancel and simply don’t do anything at all. I have a pattern of getting easily overwhelmed and shutting down and it is a cycle I want to break.Â
There are a few strategies I want to practice to grow from this. One of the ways is to practice being more organized. I’ve never been the kind of person to keep a “planner” but it is definitely something that has piqued my interest in the last few weeks. Especially since my spring semester schedule will be so busy, I know it will be in my best interest to put effort in staying organized.Â
Another strategy I want to practice is saying “no”. As I am sure many of us struggle with, I am a people pleaser. I say “yes” to volunteering for things I don’t have time for and “yes” to hangouts on days I’m feeling exhausted. I believe beginning to say “no” will help me clear my schedules, since I won’t be jam-packing everything into short increments of time, and keep myself accountable for doing the things I agreed to do since I won’t be as busy as I have previously been.
It is important to stay aware of the fact that nothing changes right away. Getting rid of bad habits is not an easy task that can be done in a day. I know these bad habits are something I have to continue to work towards but I am determined to do so.Â