My colleagues and I at the 2022 Air Apps Get Together

Habits I will keep in 2023 versus habits I will retire

Habits I will keep:

Intermittent fasting

• I find that intermittent fasting is one of the easiest and most sustainable ways to maintain a healthy eating regimen. Me personally, I find that if I eat too much early in the day, it can lead to grogginess, especially if the food is carb-rich like many breakfast staples. Waiting till later in the day to eat leaves me with the ability to focus longer and keeps me from too many trips to the fridge, which as someone who works from home, can add up quickly.

Using timers for Deep Work

• Even if you aren’t familiar with the Cal Newport coined term “Deep Work,” the principle may be familiar. Setting aside periods of time for extreme focus, free of distractions is a massive productivity booster. My personal approach is to set timers for 1 hour periods where I do not allow any external distractions in, and commit myself 100% to completing a singular or set of tasks within the given time frame.

Going to the gym once a week

• This may be obvious to some but going to the gym is a great way to stay healthy and can give you a nice energy boost. I personally go once a week, which for me is enough to keep a stable level of basic fitness.

Habits I will retire:

Scheduling my workday

• There was a period in 2022 when I tried to map out my work days in advance using a spreadsheet that displayed tasks in scheduled time blocks. Over the course of a month or two of trying this, it ended up being way too much to keep up with and I later learned that keeping a more intuitive approach to planning your day is more effective.

Reading before bed every night

• For most of 2022, I read every night. It was a ritual that I enjoyed and I gained a lot of insight from the books I read. However, I now believe pre-sleep activities should be allowed to vary depending on one’s mood or energy levels. Allowing yourself a tv show indulgence or writing instead of reading are both equally valid, and trying to be so rigid as to only require reading is a quick way to get burnt out with it.

Being a people-pleaser

• This one is close to home since it is a habit I’ve been stuck with my whole life. Recently, I’ve been feeling bitter about aspects of my life and the people around me. I blamed others and didn’t realize that it was my inability to say no to things and tell others what I wanted that was the cause. Going into this year, I intend to be very vocal about what I want with the intention of living more authentically and bringing others closer to me in the process.

These are the top habits I will keep versus the habits I will retire for 2023. I hope you got some new ideas about what habits you take with you into the new year or perhaps are even trying some of these already. If you would like to chat about learning or unlearning habits, please feel free to send me a DM or message me in the comments.

Thanks for reading!