Do you always press snooze? Or have that extra piece of chocolate, another glass of wine, pay for transport rather than walk?
I’ll admit, I press snooze on my alarm, eat that extra piece of chocolate, hold my glass out for more wine, choose to spend money on TFL when I can walk, and stay out until the early hours of the morning (usually when I need to get up early the next day).
These things, whilst small, can compound. If you are always allowing yourself to take the easiest options, when do you make time for you, to chase your dreams, to actually live (I mean, I think a lot of bad habits are also living, but you know what I mean) and have time to just be?
I didn’t question my habits until recently because my birthday came around and made me rethink every life choice (obviously, because isn’t that what birthdays are for?). The result of the inevitable birthday breakdown led me to create some new habits for myself.
So, over the past month or so, I’ve been forcing myself to get up earlier and am spending a lot more time (productively) in front of a screen than usual: writing, editing, creating visuals. (I also recently co-launched a sold out event series in London called Writers On Writers). The extra time, the good habits, have produced a lot of work that wouldn’t have been there, but I am equalling them with the same bad habits I listed at the start of this piece. I still stay out late, but force myself to get up early. I am burning the candle at both ends.
Work hard, play hard – words I live by.
Because I’m in my twenties, I believe I have some superpower and that I can do all this without any consequences to my health. (Reminder: this isn’t true, look after yourself). We aren’t superhuman, we need to rest. I don’t necessarily think half of the things I listed should be viewed negatively, but that’s a conversation for another time…
Sometimes we need to press snooze, or we crave that extra piece of chocolate, or it’s time to let our hair down and have a night out. But that can’t be every day if you actually want to get somewhere.
I think living in a big city has a lot to do with this. The rat race of London has me in a chokehold like every other person here. It was inevitable that I would question my routines, my habits, and being around the type of people the city breeds (positives and negatives)
I will still press snooze, just not every day. I will have sweet treats occasionally, and continue to spend money on TFL (because it’s getting colder, I’m not about to start walking more). The one habit I can’t give up is the late nights, and I don’t think I ever will. Live and let live (a little).
Livia x
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