December is Practice Month!
For me, every December is practice month! I try to work on just one new habit (or two) that I want to implement in January. I figure this gives me a bit of a head start with developing the habit, and if I miss a day or two, I don’t beat myself up about it (or give up completely) because I’m just practicing the habit. It’s a nice way to ease myself into new habits. AND, if I can do it during busy December, I should be able to do it the rest of the year too, right? In December I’m going to be practicing being consistent with my evening routine.
Do you want to join me?
Maybe if you read some habit ideas it’ll inspire you? What about practicing habits of:
- Daily Bible Reading
- Daily prayer
- No phone/screens in the morning until you’ve done _____. (fill in the blank)
- No phone/screens in the evening until you’ve done _____. (fill in the blank)
- Floss/Brush/take Vitamins
- Workout/exercise
- Music/instrument practice
- Create and stick with a written budget
- No phone/screens after ____p.m.
- Scripture memory practice
- Read for ___ minutes (or ___pages) every day
(Click here for ideas on how to read more & then think about joining the Brighter Winter reading challenge in January!) - Morning Routine
- Evening Routine
- Deep clean zones with FLYlady (I love this and this playlist of zone cleaning)
- Cook all your dinners at home (except for __ special, planned, and budgeted meals out)
- Take your lunch to work each day for the month
- Plan and follow daily themes each week
- No fast food/drive through for a month
- No soda, etc.
- Delete time wasting apps for the month
If you want a simple printable, here’s a free and fun one.
If you want to join in, leave a comment below on what habit you’ll practice! (If you can, leave a comment and also reply to someone else’s comment if you can! That makes it super fun!)
Habits I want to practice are drinking more water & daily devotion/Bible time. Thanks for the challenge (motivation).
Just checking in with you! How are you doing on water and Bible?
I’m trying to be intentional about reading my bible in the mornings. I’m reading a chapter of Genesis, a chapter of Job and a chapter of Matthew and writing summaries, thoughts and observations at the top (like how you did in the “ruining my bible” post. I started this in late October, and I’ve missed days, so only on chapter 25. But I’m trying and I keep getting back on the wagon!
Getting back on the wagon is important. Don’t beat yourself up just pick yourself up and start again.
How’s it going with this?
I so enjoyed this list and idea! The best thing that I learned from this list is: Hiding God’s Word in your heart is not a race; it’s a lifelong habit.
I need to remember this (about a lot of things, actually). The truth is, a little bit done every day – or most days – adds up to a LOT more over time than large amounts done occasionally, which is how my “all or nothing” brain usually tries to make me operate. Even though I KNOW my brain is tricking me I still fall for the idea that I’m going to do a lot and I’m going to do it perfectly every day. Hilarious.
I love seeing your bullet journals and all the great ideas. Show anything and everything you’re able to lol. I really like the idea of practicing a new habit in December before Jan comes. I’ll going to try that. And how you track your habits. Love that. Thanks, Kari and Merry Christmas!
The rebel in me knows that January 1st is a really arbitrary date and it’s silly to start a new habit just because it’s a new year. I love the idea of practicing. I really want to work on a morning routine and also start getting up earlier. I’m a homeschooling mom of 5 and my husband and I stay up REALLY late, we are total night owls and just aren’t tired until 2 or 3 am, and then we end up sleeping until 11 the next day. Guess how good that works out? I’ve noticed I wake up every single day feeling anxious and behind schedule – and that I’m a crappy mom for sleeping in, even if my kids don’t “need” me. I’d really like to have a little more self-discipline, if only to prove to myself I can follow through with what’s best for me.
Are you making progress on this? I’d love to hear!