Tip #4 Journal for change

If you have an area of your life that you want to see improved...journal your existing habit to begin with!
Yes, it is proven that writing down the specific habit in disapprove will greatly improve your chances of changing for good.
Hello??? Weight control, budgeting, time management...etc
Truth is, if you can't stick to journaling down your existing problem area...then you probably are not ready for a real change!
Once you journal the way you use your time for 2 weeks...or the way you use your money for 2 weeks...or what you eat for 2 weeks...or the way you___________ for 2 weeks, you will more than likely see a pattern that needs to be addressed verses a flippant thought that you try to act on and end up exactly where you started!
(I like to add a list of the pro's and con's of the habit change I have in mind...)
For example, when I was beginning to have a desire to change my time management one of the first things I did was write down in detail how I spent every minute of my day. Did it take time to do?? Yes, but it was the first step in the process to disciplining myself to change. After 2 weeks I was able to zero in on the specific times of day that were issues for me...and I began to make calculated changes as to ways I could "redeem the time" during those hours. If I had not written down my time...I would have just decided to change one day and started writing a strict schedule for myself to follow...get up early....breakfast at 8:00....YMCA at 9:00 and by day 3 I would have been exasperated! However, with the 2 weeks worth of journalling, I was able to see that the after noon hours were the hours that I needed to focus in on..and with just a few changes I was able to tweek the schedule to be more efficient...making the change more intentional and concrete.
This is not a guarantee...but I truly go through this process before I make calculated changes. That way..I am not always saying..I need to change this...or I need to change that!!!
The more calculated your intentions are ...the more efficiently your energies will satisfy!!