30 Personal Bad Habits
I have crappy habits that I need to fix. My wife will likely agree to all of these.
Random Observation/Comment #904: Let’s keep improving by breaking bad habits. If I can get rid of sugar, I think I can wean off other addictions.
//ChatGPT giving me some cool hair
Why this list?
We have some common terrible habits throughout our routine, so I will create some rules to hopefully fix this.
Using phone in bed (and screen time in general) - There’s a whole list of 30 to cover what I can do to reduce screen time:
Checking current events on a regular basis - This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I don’t see how it’s healthy to keep track of all this depressing news.
Leaving messages unread or way too many open browser tabs because there will be a magical future time when I’m in the mood - The magic time does happen, but it’s just a few weeks late instead of just doing it on the spot.
Snacking past 8pm - Some of this has to do with other influences with munchies, but I think I can replace the snack itself with fruits and nuts.
Not spending enough time prioritizing your most awake and attentive hours (8-11am, 9-11pm) - I tend to just do a bunch of random stuff that’s not really prioritized. I feel like I can get more organized by having my Clembot tell me what would be most useful to do during these times.
Not stretching on a regular basis - I just need to try to touch my toes everyday. I’ll probably create some little rules like touching my toes in a specific spot (when I’m halfway up the stairs in the landing for 10 seconds). I’ll find something that works. The best idea is to not do it everyday, but never miss 2 days in a row.
Jumping into action too quickly - Is this a part of my sign? I feel like I’m not a perfectionist, but rather I fear being lazy.
Doing "disconnect" activities for longer than 30 minutes - It’s so easy to put on a TV series with picture-in-picture mobile and to do a sudoku or crossword. It’s kind of using my brain just enough to feel productive because I have all these completed game levels. It’s also kind of not using my brain at all unless I’m looking up random trivia to answer the crossword itself.
Watching TV series without significant other - We don’t really get that much time together, so one of us will likely sneak ahead or “save” a show for only between us. I guess if we haven’t watched another episode of the series in a month, then I can ask to go ahead and watch all of it without her.
Not setting aside time for a family planning meeting - Family meetings are so important. I can’t believe how much easier the week goes when we sit down for 30-40 minutes on a Sunday to talk through all the things on the calendar. We work out who needs the car and what we’ll have for meals. We add to the happiness jar. It’s a great part of the routine.
Not setting aside time to look at budgets and recurring subscriptions - This is a part of the item above, but maybe our budgets are fairly static. I do think this is a useful conversation to have if we’re not watching anything on AppleTV or we need to change the payment option to AMEX because it has better cashback rewards for streaming services.
Drinking a beer with meals or drinking alone - I love beer so much, but with a meal is dangerous. It’s also an easy way to increase the restaurant bill by 40%. Drinking alone is usually pregaming for a dad hangout, but I think it's better to drink less higher quality alcohol. I think drinking with Vinessa also counts as drinking alone because we’re always up/down for a drink.
Buying $400 every time I go to Costco - I think it’s tied to the drinking side of things, but I don’t know why I can’t just buy 3 things and leave.
Reading lots of advice without doing anything - Extended reflection without action is also procrastination. I have a whole list thinking about shifting from passive inputs to active outputs.
Constant multi-tasking - I’m literally writing this list while on a work call because this was on my mind. Luckily I can do both.
Using "literally" for emphasis literally all the time - Literally just did it above, but I was also literal there. I usually mean figuratively.
Forgetting my TODO list - Sometimes it’s not forgetting, but willfully ignoring the list that I made that’s properly prioritized. I will go against my method of organization and just wing it every time. Why do I even write this TODO list then? I don’t know.
Communicating exclusively in gifs and Instagram messages - This is a bad habit, but not necessarily one that I want to change. I do feel like the Reels messages with my wife count as a version of love.
Talking to my kitties like they can fully understand me - Am I a crazy cat Dad? Yes. Do I really like saying their names and calling them “baby boy?” Also, yes.
Saving junk emails instead of unsubscribing - I am so good at swiping to archive now, but I should really just unsubscribe (especially because it’s made so easy with some Gmail updates).
Subscribing to more junk newsletters that say the same thing - Why do I need 10 AI newsletters? Luckily I have a dedicated email address for subscribing to these things. If you haven’t done this already, it’s a really important distinction to not flood your regular firstname.lastname@gmail.com combo with crap.
Keeping 100 tabs open to read and try out later - I feel like these are intermediary steps with phases of concentration. I should perhaps use my super concentration time to revisit and clear these. Maybe I have a nightly routine to keep this under 20 tabs.
Forgetting birthdays - I have put into my yearly repeat of birthdays into my calendar. It usually reminds me a few days ahead of time and then I say “happy birthday” at the wrong time. Luckily it’s a reminder for others.
Starting more projects - There’s so much joy in creating a project. I should find more joy in finishing them. I think I have a list of 30 projects I can complete.
Ghosting group chats, but reading all the messages - I am in so many chats that I do feel like I’m observing them. Every once in a while, I forget that I’m also actively contributing.
Singing Disney songs in the car without holding back - Sometimes I forget that we carpool. I do like being the embarrassing Dad. Sorry, Evie.
Forgetting names immediately after introductions - I have consciously tried to get better at this for the Dad’s of my daughter’s friends. I play a game where I need to repeat their name at least 3 times within the first hour.
Hoarding condiment packets and spare chopsticks - Vinessa made me throw a whole bag of them out yesterday and I think I might need them in the future.
Texting lol, but actually just exhaling from my nose quickly - Very rarely am I laughing out loud. I will likely be giving lots of love.
Publishing lists of 30 articles without doing the extra work of finding an audience who will enjoy reading them - The important thing is that I love writing them.
~See Lemons Break some Bad Habits
