This October I Will ...
MadisonMolly2017
Posts: 11,152 Member
Hi Fellow Habit Builders!! 💪🏻🎉😃
Please welcome @harvestmeadow & @jrsepe12 to our group!! See their posts in the Welcome new members area!
I thought I’d send this out a few days early! I know many of us like to brainstorm different habits & some even like to create trackers. That way we can “hit the ground running” on Oct 1st!
It's a brand new month! What's your favorite part of October?
What healthy habit would you like to work on this month? Is it something new or a continuation of your September focus? Whatever it is, let's dive in and make it happen!
If you are new to our group, welcome! Please let us know what you will be working on and how we can help! Just a suggestion: set a reminder to check-in periodically with us. Check-in daily, weekly, or as often as works for you, but let us know how you are progressing! We're here to support and encourage you, but if you don't post, we can't cheer you on!
You might frame your goal along these lines:
1. My goal for this month (This October I will...")
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible)
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? (Small positive feedbacks reinforce the habit you are trying to build.)
6. What help do you need from us?
7. What does success look like to you at the end of October?
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Just saying hi! Thanks for starting this month's thread with such a beautiful picture, Maddie! I hope @harvestmeadow and @jrsepe12 will jump right in with their goals as well as the rest of the members here. I'm waiting until Oct. 1st to get mine finalized, but definitely have a plan in progress. I love seeing the pretty yellow leaves float down outside my window knowing that we still have nice daytime temps in the 60's-70's for a few weeks so gotta enjoy that!3
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@lhaimbecker
This is the group. Had difficulty- I think - inviting you...0 -
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I’m working on my October tracker. Hi new habiteers, @harvestmeadow and @jrsepe12.1
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Hi, Everyone,
My goal for October is to take my medicine twice a day, as prescribed (diabetes, blood pressure, statin, plus vitamins).
To help me achieve this, I'd like to find/print a pretty tracker of some sort. I think I'd like to color in something each day, so perhaps I'll just "label" a coloring book page (sort of like "paint by numbers"); however, if anyone has any trackers to share, I'd love to see examples. I'll probably keep it on the kitchen or dining room table, along with my medicine, to serve as a reminder.
I don't want to be a pain but, if feasible, it might be helpful if someone could "ask" me if I took my meds. If not, that's okay. Thanks!
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Hello! My goal for October is to start a walking plan. I would like to walk after dinner at least 3 days a week. If I am unable to walk outside due to the weather, I will do a Leslie Sanson video.4
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Hello! My goal for October is to start a walking plan. I would like to walk after dinner at least 3 days a week. If I am unable to walk outside due to the weather, I will do a Leslie Sanson video.
Nice, realistic goal! I love walking outside but have a Leslie Sansone DVD that's a good option too. (Plus I pace around my house when I'm on the phone.) 😃
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Welcome @PKM0515 and it sounds like you have a great habit idea for Oct already. If you look thru Aug and Sept you will see some beautiful spiral trackers some of the gals have. I haven't invested in those yet but mostly I use excel and this month I decided to get fancy and put in a background photo to make it more fun. I was wondering if you use those little pill daily containers? I use one for the thyroid med I have to take daily and it works a charm to make sure I haven't forgotten it. They come with multis also and are not expensive. A good physical reminder to take the meds! We can all ask you if you have taken your meds but part of in my unexpert opinion the best way to form habits is to be self aware and self motivated. Personally if people ASK me I get recalcitrant about things and tend to stubbornly NOT want to do them like a child.. (spoiled brat summerskier)
And Welcome to @rhaiin this month as well. Looking forward to seeing how things go for you. Walking after dinner is such a wonderful habit to form. I mostly am a puddle after dinner and I am sure that is why I get night sweats. well part of the reason also.
@77tes and @nebslp I can't wait to see your new trackers for the month. I am working on mine and will still take another 24 hours to finalize things but I think I am going to do a tracker. I am not going to put a LOT of things on it just the new habits which I really want to work out for October so max of 4 or 5 items.
@MadisonMolly2017 thank you for starting the Oct thread!!!! What a great fall picture as well. Yes habits ALWAYS beat our willpower for sure.
Hoping that
@texasgardnr , @packerfaninGB, and @themedalist will also join us for Oct.
SummerinFallinTexasdrinkingcoffee
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@SummerSkier, thank you. I do have and use one of those weekly pill boxes. I was filling it once a week, and it sits right on my kitchen table by my food scale. I've been going through something the last few weeks, and the resulting anxiety/depression have altered my routine, made me forgetful, etc. I'm hoping to get myself back on track.2
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Hi, Everyone,
My goal for October is to take my medicine twice a day, as prescribed (diabetes, blood pressure, statin, plus vitamins).
To help me achieve this, I'd like to find/print a pretty tracker of some sort. I think I'd like to color in something each day, so perhaps I'll just "label" a coloring book page (sort of like "paint by numbers"); however, if anyone has any trackers to share, I'd love to see examples. I'll probably keep it on the kitchen or dining room table, along with my medicine, to serve as a reminder.
I don't want to be a pain but, if feasible, it might be helpful if someone could "ask" me if I took my meds. If not, that's okay. Thanks!
@PKM0515
Ignore my questions from other strand.
I took a coloring page & copies a grid over it. Then got to color in. The squares that I did. VERY motivating to not have a blank square in a pretty picture. I’ll see if I can find it.
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@PKM0515
Some of the other folks on here use emojis or a letter code in a post, for example:
D - diabetes C- cholesterol B- blood pressure
10/1/20 AM: 👏DCB. PM: 👏DCB
10/2/20 AM: 🌸 🌺 🌼 PM: 🌼🌺🌸
This method is faster, but the coloring is Really Relaxing!
Is there a small reward you can give yourself for taking all your meds ?2 -
Hello! My goal for October is to start a walking plan. I would like to walk after dinner at least 3 days a week. If I am unable to walk outside due to the weather, I will do a Leslie Sanson video.
Welcome @rhaiin !!
Terrific plan!
What will you do after your work each of those days? Arm pump? “Way to Go!!” Cheer to yourself?
Or update here?
10/1 -
10/2 - walking 🚶♀️ ❤️ 🎉👏
10/3 -
10/4 - walking 🚶❤️ 🎉👏
Etc.
One suggestion- to take or leave- is to identify the days you will do this.
MWF
TThSa
What I find easiest is Every Other Day & it will sneak in 2-3 more healthy walks per month.
Is a lunchtime walk a possibility?1 -
1. This October I will...create & do guided visualizations a minimum of 15 minutes every day. Update: my LACEMVP saved me tonight, so I will continue this through October. Adding 7 hrs of sleep = S.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal Straightening/clearing my art table each evening & looking at live sessions on Insight Timer & noting them in my calendar.Have veggies, hummus, & soups in stock at all times. Go to bed by 11, phone down by 12.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit When I record my food after each meal,I will check in with myself on all items.
4. I will do this daily!
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? Peace, they both make me feel peaceful & happy. I will write for 5 minutes after creating the art and/or the mindfulness but at least one of them each day. Insights!!I will be healthier & able to maintain this weight/go lower.
6. What help do you need from us? Participate in the group as you are able! I love reading about your lives & am inspired by your accomplishments & wisdom. I’m missing many of my friendships.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of October? I will have accomplished my goals & be even more peacefully happy & have even more ideas for future art creation in my 5-minute reflections!I will have a healthier diet quality & be this wt or lower!
Guided visualizations=🧘♀️
Create = 🎨 🧵 ✍️ 🍂 or ✂️ (Paint, textile arts, drawing or creative writing, nature art, or collage)
Reflections= 📓
LACEMVPS
legumes-art-clean-exercise-mindfulness-veggies-protein-sleep
Oct 1
Oct 2
Oct 3
Oct 4
Oct 5
Oct 6
Oct 72 -
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »@PKM0515
Some of the other folks on here use emojis or a letter code in a post, for example:
D - diabetes C- cholesterol B- blood pressure
10/1/20 AM: 👏DCB. PM: 👏DCB
10/2/20 AM: 🌸 🌺 🌼 PM: 🌼🌺🌸
This method is faster, but the coloring is Really Relaxing!
Is there a small reward you can give yourself for taking all your meds ?
Great ideas! I do want to think of a small reward for completing October successfully (I'm trying to be optimistic 😉).
I love what you did as a tracker! I picked a page from a coloring book and was using a separate sheet of paper as a key, but I think I can incorporate them. Also, it looks like you note a motivational quote or thought for each day? I love this idea, too, and plan on stealing it!
Thank you for your kindness and encouragement. (I did take all my meds yesterday.) 🌼 💕2 -
Well here we go for Oct. I am just STILL thinking perhaps mine should be to keep my socks paired up?
1. My goal for this month (This October I will...") manage my running socks
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal I will use one pair the entire month
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit putting my shoes on. If they feel funny I am missing socks
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible) daily of course!
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? (Small positive feedbacks reinforce the habit you are trying to build.) I will wear a nose plug so I don't have to smell my shoes or socks
6. What help do you need from us? No judgement!
7. What does success look like to you at the end of October? All my socks match up!!!!!
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I HAVE BREAKING NEWS!!!!! I found one of the missing black socks... So now to make Oct completely successful I just need to locate one more. BOOM!3
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SummerSkier wrote: »Well here we go for Oct. I am just STILL thinking perhaps mine should be to keep my socks paired up?
1. My goal for this month (This October I will...") manage my running socks
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal I will use one pair the entire month
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit putting my shoes on. If they feel funny I am missing socks
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible) daily of course!
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? (Small positive feedbacks reinforce the habit you are trying to build.) I will wear a nose plug so I don't have to smell my shoes or socks
6. What help do you need from us? No judgement!
7. What does success look like to you at the end of October? All my socks match up!!!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😊😊0 -
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »@PKM0515
Some of the other folks on here use emojis or a letter code in a post, for example:
D - diabetes C- cholesterol B- blood pressure
10/1/20 AM: 👏DCB. PM: 👏DCB
10/2/20 AM: 🌸 🌺 🌼 PM: 🌼🌺🌸
This method is faster, but the coloring is Really Relaxing!
Is there a small reward you can give yourself for taking all your meds ?
Great ideas! I do want to think of a small reward for completing October successfully (I'm trying to be optimistic 😉).
I love what you did as a tracker! I picked a page from a coloring book and was using a separate sheet of paper as a key, but I think I can incorporate them. Also, it looks like you note a motivational quote or thought for each day? I love this idea, too, and plan on stealing it!
Thank you for your kindness and encouragement. (I did take all my meds yesterday.) 🌼 💕MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »@PKM0515
Some of the other folks on here use emojis or a letter code in a post, for example:
D - diabetes C- cholesterol B- blood pressure
10/1/20 AM: 👏DCB. PM: 👏DCB
10/2/20 AM: 🌸 🌺 🌼 PM: 🌼🌺🌸
This method is faster, but the coloring is Really Relaxing!
Is there a small reward you can give yourself for taking all your meds ?
Great ideas! I do want to think of a small reward for completing October successfully (I'm trying to be optimistic 😉).
I love what you did as a tracker! I picked a page from a coloring book and was using a separate sheet of paper as a key, but I think I can incorporate them. Also, it looks like you note a motivational quote or thought for each day? I love this idea, too, and plan on stealing it!
Thank you for your kindness and encouragement. (I did take all my meds yesterday.) 🌼 💕
@PKM0515
Yay! Yesterday’s Meds!! 👏👏👏👏
One suggestion on the reward... when changing a habit, especially if it’s difficult, I will sometimes give myself a reward each of the first 3-7 days. By then, I’m usually in the groove.
OR, have a reward for every 3 days, or a week, 10 days, 1/2 month. You know you. What will work BEST for you is the way to go!2 -
Hi all ! I’m planning on joining you. I’m debating the new habit and the method of tracking. Will post tonight with my plan.2
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Ok - in case yall are new and don't quite get me yet, my previous post was pretty much just some humor to start us out.
For me I actually DO have a tracker this month. And IT IS COLORFUL because I could see @nebslp how much of a HUGE difference it made versus the little spread sheet. And for $4 I invested in some colored highlighters which I can use on my daily planner. The first attempt in Aug I made at a tracker was basically just keeping track of a whole bunch of things and altho some of them were habits I wanted to encourage a lot of it was just busy work because I already was doing them. So, it was a learning attempt. In Sept I went with just the one goal of "staying off the rollercoaster" because of injury and just in general like a few others here trying to survive. But for Oct, I am going with 5 habits which I want to inplement. I hope that all of them will be ones which I can incorporate into my life.
1) Extra weight training - 5 minutes. I have always done a little bit of heavy hand stuff after my run along with situps and pushups and stretching but I know that Osteoporosis is REAL in my family and I already have the Osteopenia so the barn work and my little stuff needs to be reinforced. So, I want to add a habit of just taking 5 minutes in the evening when I am watching TV or doing extra weight training of some sort. Maybe arms, legs, abs etc.. planks. WHo knows. The idea for me is just to start....
2) Record meds - I am AWFUL about taking meds. I hate it hate it hate it. I only regularly take 1 baby aspirin and synthroid. But I need to convince myself that it's not a BAD thing to take the odd IBU or T3 every once in a while. By recording for a month or more what "extras" I take I think I can prove that I am not using them as a crutch but rather as a tool.
3) Write in weekly planner - I like this because I already sort of do this each week and I had one of those post it pads which I wrote down just a task or two I wanted to do every day. Putting them in a planner is the next step and then I can use my colored highlighters and actually also have room to put a note each day about what made me smile.
(today I am pretty sure it's this rose the first bloom since the summer) And it smells lovely too.
4) Revew photos and flag favorites. I have gotten behind in doing this on my MAC but I am starting small. Not trying to file or go back months but just look at week or day's photos and flag one or two I love most. At the end of the month I will copy all the favorites again to the thumb drives which go in my 2 digital picture frames so they will be updated with a whole fresh batch!!
5) Getting running back on track. So this is going to be a difficult one which will probably take the entire month. My goal for the year is to run 1700 miles. So far I was actually WAY ahead until boom, injury, in mid August. Now I am behind and finding it difficult to catch back up to schedule and at the same time not reinjure. So, I am giving myself the entire month to slowly recover the schedule and to implement this I will use the excel sheet I use to track mileage and put in daily goals. Adjusting for injury recovery as I go. The new habit here is creating a plan without pressure for my runs for the next week vs just going out and doing whatever happens.
So that's it. And here is what my COLORFUL tracker looks like. Good Luck everyone!! And kudos @PKM0515 for getting the meds done.
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SummerSkier wrote: »Ok - in case yall are new and don't quite get me yet, my previous post was pretty much just some humor to start us out.
For me I actually DO have a tracker this month. And IT IS COLORFUL because I could see @nebslp how much of a HUGE difference it made versus the little spread sheet. And for $4 I invested in some colored highlighters which I can use on my daily planner. The first attempt in Aug I made at a tracker was basically just keeping track of a whole bunch of things and altho some of them were habits I wanted to encourage a lot of it was just busy work because I already was doing them. So, it was a learning attempt. In Sept I went with just the one goal of "staying off the rollercoaster" because of injury and just in general like a few others here trying to survive. But for Oct, I am going with 5 habits which I want to inplement. I hope that all of them will be ones which I can incorporate into my life.
1) Extra weight training - 5 minutes. I have always done a little bit of heavy hand stuff after my run along with situps and pushups and stretching but I know that Osteoporosis is REAL in my family and I already have the Osteopenia so the barn work and my little stuff needs to be reinforced. So, I want to add a habit of just taking 5 minutes in the evening when I am watching TV or doing extra weight training of some sort. Maybe arms, legs, abs etc.. planks. WHo knows. The idea for me is just to start....
2) Record meds - I am AWFUL about taking meds. I hate it hate it hate it. I only regularly take 1 baby aspirin and synthroid. But I need to convince myself that it's not a BAD thing to take the odd IBU or T3 every once in a while. By recording for a month or more what "extras" I take I think I can prove that I am not using them as a crutch but rather as a tool.
3) Write in weekly planner - I like this because I already sort of do this each week and I had one of those post it pads which I wrote down just a task or two I wanted to do every day. Putting them in a planner is the next step and then I can use my colored highlighters and actually also have room to put a note each day about what made me smile.
(today I am pretty sure it's this rose the first bloom since the summer) And it smells lovely too.
4) Revew photos and flag favorites. I have gotten behind in doing this on my MAC but I am starting small. Not trying to file or go back months but just look at week or day's photos and flag one or two I love most. At the end of the month I will copy all the favorites again to the thumb drives which go in my 2 digital picture frames so they will be updated with a whole fresh batch!!
5) Getting running back on track. So this is going to be a difficult one which will probably take the entire month. My goal for the year is to run 1700 miles. So far I was actually WAY ahead until boom, injury, in mid August. Now I am behind and finding it difficult to catch back up to schedule and at the same time not reinjure. So, I am giving myself the entire month to slowly recover the schedule and to implement this I will use the excel sheet I use to track mileage and put in daily goals. Adjusting for injury recovery as I go. The new habit here is creating a plan without pressure for my runs for the next week vs just going out and doing whatever happens.
So that's it. And here is what my COLORFUL tracker looks like. Good Luck everyone!! And kudos @PKM0515 for getting the meds done.
Gorgeous!!! Third month’s the charm❣️
I love your I Will’s!
Note to newbies:
@SummerSkier and I & many others have been doing this awhile. If you are new Baby Habit Changers, I *highly* recommend doing ONE habit change. Keep it simple as you learn the ropes❣️4 -
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October looks to be an AMAZing month! I have too many comments to make and too many things to do yet, so that will wait until tomorrow, as will my chart reveal.
@SummerSkier Congratulations on your 3 year maintenance anniversary! (Hear the far away WOOT WOOTs?) That must feel incredible
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@SummerSkier , I love your 5 goals for the month! And @nebslp, adding the colors to your tracker it so nice. I feel like coloring in my little boxes on a tracker is part of celebrating my accomplishment.
I’m going to focus again this month on my journaling habit since I really want to nail it down.
Today this Quote from James Clear was in my inbox:
"Go smaller.
Can't learn an exercise? Reduce the range of motion.
Struggling to grasp a new concept? Break it down.
Failing to stick with a habit? Make it easy.
Master stage one, then advance."
1. This October I will journal at least one sentence
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal - Keep my Journal and pencil by my chair
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit - As soon as I finish my reading, I’ll open my journal.
4. How often will you do your new habit - every day
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? I’m actually finding the writing itself very rewarding, so that’s good, but I’ll also smile and color in the box on my tracker
6. What help do you need from us? Encouragement and accountability
7. What does success look like to you at the end of October? Maybe my journal will be half full.
My new tracker:
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@77tes thank you for that quote. It really struck home to me last night as I struggled with NOT wanting to spend time doing any weight work.
Today this Quote from James Clear was in my inbox:
"Go smaller.
Can't learn an exercise? Reduce the range of motion.
Struggling to grasp a new concept? Break it down.
Failing to stick with a habit? Make it easy.
Master stage one, then advance."
As usual you have a beautiful tracker and I am excited also to see what @nebslp s "reveal" will be today. What I especially enjoy about this group is how diverse we are and how many ways there are for each of us to improve our lives and happiness. Such great ideas!
Anyway, I managed to complete my first day but I won't lie and say it was easy and it is probably in order to form this habit that I need to do the extra weight 5 minute training in the afternoon perhaps after one of my walks as I am such a rag after dinner that I only want to chill out. And you would think the photo thing would be easy but apparently my photo stream was acting up so my favorites from my phone were not on my computer and I had to spend extra time getting them there.
@MadisonMolly2017 I am absolutely astounded that you can ADD anything to your already busy habits! But sleep is very important and I find that it is something I am not able to get consistently no matter what intents I have.
Altho I thought the rose I took early in the morning would be my favorite for the day, it turns out that this little crittur gave me a better one. I wonder if pets reflect their owner's personalities?
And sock update of course! I found ANOTHER PAIR OF BLACK SOCKS @ However i still have the odd one out. So I am not sure if that is progress altho it means the percentage of matched ones has gone up, yes? If my socks were Waldo....... Now if you wonder why some of the socks reside IN the shoes it is because below crittur likes to CHEW shoelaces so the bast prevention is to stuff them in the shoe with a sock.
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@SummerSkier I have 2 minutes to respond and have no choice. Look at the artistic quality of that photograph! You captured the light perfectly. Your kitty looks so regal and sassy at the same time so, yes, perhaps a resemblance❣️
Hope everyone has a stellar day! Happy Friday🙂1 -
@SummerSkier, love your photos. The rose is beautiful, but that cat! 💞 🐈 💞
For my tracker, I'm just coloring in one element of a coloring book page each day. However, I have a corresponding notebook page with a daily quote, inspirational thought, etc. All inspired by @MadisonMolly2017 (I even stole my first quote from her, but it was so meaningful to me.).
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awwww thanks @nebslp and @PKM0515 (HEY DID YOU TAKE YOUR MEDS YESTERDAY!!!!!!!) gotta check up on ya.
I would not mind seeing your daily inspirational quotes either. Just because sometimes it's nice to pause and reflect for a moment....
To my california and west coast peeps. I hope that you are not continuing to be smoked out!!!!1 -
SummerSkier wrote: »awwww thanks @nebslp and @PKM0515 (HEY DID YOU TAKE YOUR MEDS YESTERDAY!!!!!!!) gotta check up on ya.
I would not mind seeing your daily inspirational quotes either. Just because sometimes it's nice to pause and reflect for a moment....
To my california and west coast peeps. I hope that you are not continuing to be smoked out!!!!
Yes, I did! 😀
I tried posting pics, but was having an issue. They are in my profile, but I can't seem to get them in this thread. I may need to get on my laptop and try again.1
