For the month of November our FFC group discussed "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. We learned about the habit loop and the cycle that all habits have.
For example, getting ready for bed is a cue for me to brush my teeth. The routine is to brush my teeth then wash my face, then my reward is feeling clean and fresh before going to bed. This is my night time habit and sadly flossing is not always part of it.
If we want to change a habit, we need to adjust the routine. In my case, I decided to change my routine to floss my teeth BEFORE I brush. I know that I won't go to bed without my teeth brushed so if I floss before brushing it guarantees flossing. I still get my clean and fresh reward at the end. It has been working pretty well so far.
So what about our money habits?
With Christmas so close, I am worried I'll really let my good financial habits slide. There are just so many coupons and deals!
One of my biggest spending bad habits is fast food on busy days. I know busy days are coming up with holiday concerts and travel and visits and more. So I am going to work on changing this particular habit loop this month.
The cue is driving in the car with children around meal times. Instead of driving through a fast food place, I plan on bringing snacks and bottled water in the car. Also, I need to plan my meals so I know that when I get home I have a meal idea ready to make. (Half the battle of making a meal is trying to figure out what to make.) Unfortunately, I am not so good at this because I need to make the time commitment to plan everything out better. I guess I'll see how it all goes.
Until our next meeting I will be working on these goals:
1. Change my drive through habit on busy days
2. Budget all my Christmas gifts and PLAN OUT MY SPENDING (I gave myself a pile of cash and that is all I have to work with.)
3. Read "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olsen. Another book on habits that we are reading for next month's preparation for New Year goals.
I'll let you know how it goes!
0 comments:
Post a Comment