Smart Habit Saturday

Updated with my Habit document below.

We had 22 Smart Habit Saturday'ers last week! I'm excited to have so many of you who are willing to make the huge effort it takes to participate with me. It is not easy but I can't even tell you what a difference it has made in my life this year. Thank you!

If you are new to SHS find out all about it here: Getting Started with SHS. Click here to read more SHS posts. Please don't forget to link back to this post so your readers can find out more about SHS.

Recipe for the formation of a habit from Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andereola :

"Let a mother discipline herself to establish a particular habit in her children that would be to her favor and theirs. With devotion she focuses on forming one habit at a time, doing no more than watch over those already formed. She strives to be faithfully consistent. Tact, watchfulness, and perseverance are needed, especially during the first week or so, but when the habit is formed, there is not much fear of its being broken. Patience does its perfect work too, for it may take several months for even one small habit to stick. This is when many a mother makes it her supplication to ask for more patience, as she may sense it running out. She prays she will not fall into the temptation to be discouraged, inconsistent, or complacent. The dangerous time to run out of determination is just before the habit is formed."

I have been working on a new way to keep track of my habits and chores. I loved using Joes Goals but it was too big of a distraction to get on the computer every time I wanted to check something off so I gave up on it. I think it would work great for someone with just a couple goals or someone using it for goals in the office since you're already on the computer.

Last week I made my own chart and printed it on a 4X6 card to keep in my planner. I use my planner continually all day long so it's easy to check things off as I complete them and there is no danger of being sucking into blogging while I'm at it! I have a week printed on my card and I'm going to print a new card every week according to my chores, goals, and habits for that week. I love this new system and I'm going to keep working on it this week for my new habit.

Smart Habits Here is the document if you want to add your own habits and print it out. I have it formatted for a 4X6 card so I hope that works for you. Let me know if you have to change your program formatting or if it works the way it is. It has some lists for the kids but it doesn't have my entire list on it. I print both sides of one card and I am working on getting my list the way I want it.

How are you doing on your habits now that summer is here and kids are out of school?

Here are the other habits I have been working on this year. Some of them are already habits and some of them still need a lot of work but all of them have improved my life.

I think my greatest habit of all is my habit of making new habits! How awesome is that???

Using Chapstick - Great! Oh yes. My life has been greatly improved by chapstick people.
Reading scriptures with kids - Great!
Getting to bed early, again - Only twice this week
Crafts with kids - Working on it.
Using Crock Pot - Great and loving it!
Paperwork, again, and again - I like how other people are saying "on hold". That's what this one is!
Have lunch ready by Noon - Ok
Turn Off Computer during chores - Habit
Become a Dresser - Habit
Playing games with my kids - Not great
Reading my Church Magazine - Habit, I lost my new magazine this week so I had to go buy another one because I couldn't live without it!
Kitchen and studio clutter free - Good
Clear Counters - Great
Clear Desk - Good
Review Planner - Habit
Daily Prayer - Habit
Clean Toilet - I have three toilets and I'm doing one every day.

*Important - Please link to your individual SMART Habit post instead of your home page or else my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder will have to spend time fixing the links. Here is how you link to an individual post if you’ve never done it before: Right click on the date at the bottom of the post you want to link to (or the post title depending on where you blog) click “Copy Shortcut” and then paste it into Mr. Linky.