Coffee + Conversation: A Habit Makeover

If you're anything like I am, then you love reading articles about how successful people spend their day. Many times I browse through and think wow, if only I did HALF of those things. So let me indulge you in a bit of fiction here. If someone interviewed me for a magazine and asked me about my routines and habits, this is what I would like to say...

Q. So, Jordan, tell us about some of your routines or habits during a given day?

A. I wake up bright-eyed at 5:00AM and do a workout. My favorite things to do are yoga in my backyard or jogging. Getting the workout out of the way first thing is really refreshing. Usually, the baby is not yet awake when I am done with the workout, so I make a latte from my Nespresso machine and sit at the computer to check e-mails and read up on current events. My blog is on scheduled-postings, so I usually don't have to worry about that as long as content is generated. I eat half a grapefruit and an egg before hopping in the shower to get ready for work. I manage to get myself ready before I need to get Eila ready, then I feed her, change her diaper and put her in her swing for Lucas since he is the one who drives her to my parents' house in the mornings. I get to work early to get a jumpstart on the day. By lunch, I already have 5,000 steps logged on my Apple Watch and I eat a healthy packed lunch with my coworkers. After I pick up the baby after work, I go home and prepare a nice dinner for Lucas and me and make sure the baby gets fed as well. Once the baby goes to sleep for the night, I draw a bath and sip on a glass of red wine while reading a magazine. By 8:00, I don't let myself look at my phone or iPad anymore and sit in bed reading an actual paperback book.

Okay, so that was mostly all a lie. Here's the truth...

A. I wake up somewhat groggy at least by 6:06A when my alarm goes off but also sometimes sooner due to my mental alarm clock or my crying daughter. Sometimes I am able to shower, throw up a blog and get completely ready before she wakes up. Other times, I need to tend to her first and then let her watch Paw Patrol (yes, she watches it) while I finish getting ready. It's a good day if I am wearing makeup and styled my hair in the same morning. I don't eat breakfast or drink coffee before I leave the house. I get to work early most days and catch up on the news and e-mails once I am there. I microwave oatmeal in the break area and brew a cup of coffee from the community Keurig and fish my Cinnamon creamer out of the refrigerator. I usually forget my Apple watch, so I have no idea how many steps I log in a day. I eat lunch at restaurants with my coworkers most days and my biggest debate is fries or no fries? I drive to my parents' to pick up the baby and head home after a brief visit and update on her day. I am usually home by 6:00P whereby we either discuss cooking (mostly Lucas cooking), going to grab something, having Lucas go grab something and bring it back or I'll just decide to open a can of green beans and eat that for dinner. We make sure Eila is fed and she goes down to sleep by 9P at the latest. We usually spend that time watching our usual television of Big Brother, The Bachelorette or Friday Night Lights until one or both of us passes out on the couch when we should really be in the bed. At some point we both saunter into the bedroom and pass out.  Oh yeah, and I am on my phone or iPad  constantly.

Sometimes I just want a habit makeover.

 I want to be the girl who loves going to the grocery store, picking out fresh ingredients and whipping up dinner each evening.

I want to be the girl who gets her workouts done in the morning before the day starts.

I want to be the girl who can zen out doing yoga or watering plants as the sun rises. 

I want to be the girl who knows when to put down the devices and read a real book.

I want to be a girl who gets into reading.

But it's the usual excuses.

In the order listed above

...but I don't like the grocery store and I am too tired to prepare a meal when I get home

...but I'd really rather sleep another hour

...but I'd really rather sleep another hour

...but I have a hard time not wanting to be plugged into what's going on

...but reading makes me tired and I'd rather spend my time with Lucas.

My Plan of Attack

I'm not going to try and tackle this makeover all at once like a revolution, but I may try one new habit per week to see if I like the change. If I prove that I can wake up an hour earlier and have more me-time to exercise or water flowers, that's a great thing! I've slowly tried to scale back on the screen time before bed, but some nights are better than others. 

What are the habits you wish you had? 

..