I didn’t make any resolutions for 2021. I tend to take resolutions too seriously, and anything that obligates seriousness is not what I need in my life right now. I also didn’t make any new personal commandments, because the ones I wrote for 2020 still feel prescient. But I did spend all of my winter break reflecting on life changes– what I need more of, what I need less of– all of which resulted in some new habits.

Habit #1: Waking up to the light

Over break, I suddenly realized that I hadn’t been doing my winter light therapy. This is something I typically need during the darker months, especially this year, as I don’t even go outside to commute to work. My parents helped me improve the light-therapy experience by getting me a gradual-wake alarm clock. It starts to luminesce half an hour before the sound alarm. I generally wake up sometime within that half-hour, feeling more ready for the day because the light has prepared me. My waking moments have been far more positive as a result. I no longer resist getting up!

Habit #2: Putting work in its place

In order to separate my work life better from my home life while I am working from home, I am not starting work before 8:30AM. I used to jump onto work email and Google Classroom almost before I got out of bed. Not anymore. The hour before my kids get up is for writing and reflecting, journaling and preparing for the day. I also have a firm endpoint of 4:30 PM, after which I do not check my school email. This is vital for my soul. If I burn out again, I won’t be a good teacher (or a good mom, or a good anything).

Habit #3: Exercising later in the day

I used to exercise in the morning, after I’d done a little bit of writing. It took up most of my time before the kids were up. But I decided that morning time was too precious to use on something that didn’t take much brainpower. My new ritual is to end my work day with exercise. It’s good timing, because I’m antsy from sitting down all day, and it provides a clean break between school and home that I’m not currently getting through my commute. I get more creative time in the morning, and I still get my workout done. Win win.

Habit #4: Time-Blocking

When you work from home, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the work AND home tasks that need accomplishing in the same space. I’ve always kept lists and checked them off throughout the day, but for my own mental relief I’m now taking a few minutes every morning to time-block my available time so that I know when I’m going to accomplish it all. I bought a cheap day-planner and grabbed my favorite colored pens, and now instead of worrying how I’m going to get it all done, I can show myself that I already set aside the time.

Habit #5: Sunday is the new Monday

This is more of a mindset shift, and it may sound silly to some people, but for me it makes a big difference. For the past few years I’ve thought of Monday as the start of the week, and that’s how I set it up in my planner. I make a big push on Monday to start the week right with exercise, eating well, and making headway on my most significant work. But if Sunday is the start of the week, I can make a push for my healthy habits and creative work before the work week actually starts. It makes the earlier part of the week go much smoother, knowing I already have that workout and that creative project under my belt. And I can relax even more on Friday and Saturday.

Have you made any habit changes lately? How helpful have they been?