2019 Mid Year Reset

Most folks have New Year’s resolutions, but I’m using the last half of 2019 – and  specifically July and August – to institute some new habits. If it takes 66 days  to train a new habit, then I’m hoping that  I can have some new behaviors in place by September. These habits specifically have to do with some relationship and productivity goals I set for myself after my Mid Life Reset retreat.

They are:

1. Remove electronics from the bedroom. When we filled out our Spouse Survey (https://www.viewfromthetop.com/spousesurvey) in preparation for my retreat, my wife and I both said that we were spending too much time on social media, and not enough time being intimate in the bedroom. And that’s not necessarily sexually intimate, it’s wrapping up our day together, praying together, even falling to sleep together. Part of that has to do with each of us  bringing our phones to bed and checking social media from the time we hit the bed until the lights go out. In addition, I hate that – since my phone is my alarm clock – the first thing I reach for in the morning is my phone. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I swipe off “Airplane Mode” and start the deluge of email, news and podcasts. I’m most mentally focused in the morning, and would rather spend that  mental energy on important stuff, like personal and spiritual development. So I’m back to a real alarm clock as of July 1. My phone and my wife’s phone are both sleeping in the kitchen at night instead of the bedroom.
2. No eating after 8:30. I’m a snacker. It’s easy for me to eat all the way until my head hits the pillow. And even though my snacks have morphed over the years from ice cream to almonds, going to bed with a belly full of food has lots of implications for sleep quality. I am a chronically bad sleeper,  so I want to do as much as I can to get high quality rest and recovery. In addition, I’m trying to widen my fasting window to 14 hours or so. I’ve been fairly successful with a 9am to 9pm feeding window, but I’d rather extend that to a 10am to 8:00pm window. Hopefully drawing this line in the sand will help.  I can tell you it was tough turning down my son’s home-made blackberry cobbler last night at 9pm, though.
3. In bed by 10. Again, this is related to intimacy (see #1, above). My wife crashes pretty early, but it’s easy for me to sit in front of the computer until 11 or 12. My wife specifically asked that I come to bed early in her Spouse Survey. If this is a priority to me (which it is), I should do whatever I can to help make this a reality.
4. No Alcohol. Last year I took a “Dry July” for a number of reasons (“On The Wagon“), and decided to do it again this year. I really like good wine and good beer (I don’t really care for spirits much). But in truth, there really isn’t any good physical reason for ingesting alcohol. Taking a break is good for my sleep, my budget, my stomach, testosterone levels and my attitude.

I know you’re not supposed to take on more than one habit at a time. However, I see these as all being related to my night-time routine. Success with my night-time routine will set me up for increased intimacy in my marriage and for success in my health and morning  productivity.  It’s worth trying!

Hold me accountable! Ping me on the socials (Twitter) (Instagram) and ask me how I’m doing.

Got any mid-year goals? Post below.