How Simple Games Can Help Build Good Habits

I think I?m one of those people who needs to be tricked into something.

Like?through a game, say.? We play games in our family all the time.? There?s the ?magic disappearing broccoli!? game we play with Finn.? Or the ?you can keep all the toys you put away!? game with Lucy.

Sometimes I even play games with Conor, who kindly humors me.? ?How much do you think we can get cleaned during the commercial break, Babe? Let?s race and see!?

That?s sort of just how my mind works.? Games are the spoonful of Splenda to help the medicine go down.? And because I know this about myself, I have started employing ?games? as a technique for self-improvement.? Especially with regard to habit-building-and-breaking.

Habits.? They sort of dictate how your life goes.? You have a habit of eating clean?? You?re likely going to fit into your cute new matchstick, ankle-length jeans. ??You have a habit of exercising?? Your heart will be healthy and your skin will glow.? You have a habit of hoarding?? Trash will build up in your house and the A&E network might contact you about their reality show.?? And so it goes.?

I?m looking very closely at my habits these days.? Trying to break bad habits and create good habits. (So funny that Ginny Reddick wrote about habits this past week too.? Same wavelength, she and I lately.? Could it be she?s wearing off on me?? There?s hope!)

I know I have some good habits, and I can build on those.? Alas, I know I have some bad habits, and they need to be addressed.? (I have let some of my bad habits linger for far, far too long.)

But here?s the thing.? If I try to change my habits simply by organizing, improving and streamlining my ?to do? list, my habits just never will change.

Why?

Truth be told, I guess my ideal ?to do? list reads rather bland in print.? And at the same time, if I am thorough with my list of ?should?s,? I get totally overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed and uninspired.

In fact, I started typing out my ?to do? list here, but it just got so boring and I felt so far behind that I had to delete it all.

And then there?s another phenomenon.

If someone says to me ?Liz, under no circumstances are you to think about Las Vegas.? Just DO NOT think about it!? You are to avoid the thought of Vegas at all costs!? ??it?s a pretty sure bet that I?ll start thinking about slot machines, Celine Dion concerts, and the spa at the Mandalay.? I just can?t help it.

Direct commands aren?t always super helpful for me.? I just start looking for loopholes.

I?m the same way with dieting.

If someone (Hi Ginny!!) tells me to eat only salad and lean proteins, and nothing else, I?m going to start thinking about shrimp tempura sushi rolls, and if there is any way fried shrimp and white rice can fit into the ?lean? category.? How peanut butter M&Ms do in fact have protein?

But..if I make a game of it?much better results.? If I require myself to eat 6 servings of fruits and veggies during the day, for the most part, I?m going to crowd out the M&Ms.? I?ll have tricked myself out of them.? The banana will accidentally crowd out the cake.

Here are some of my current games:

?I can eat anything I want for breakfast, as long as FIRST thing in the morning I have a honey crisp apple and a large glass of water, THEN my coffee an hour later, and THEN whatever I want.?

(But by then I?m hydrated, sated, and ready for a small bowl of oatmeal with a few walnuts, yum.)

?I don?t need to clean my house for longer than 15 minutes?I?ll just turn on iTunes and when three songs are done, I?ll stop cleaning.?

(I can get an astonishingly large amount cleaned in a speedy 15 minutes. On this note, if you are into cleaning, that crazy FlyLady is amazing, and my new BFF.)

?I can totally watch TV at night, as long as I clean the kitchen, tidy the house, lay out clothes for the morning, prepare my work ?to do list? for the morning, and get upstairs for bed at a decent hour.?

(This gives me time for about one show, which is PLENTY, and then also gives me time to read before bedtime.)

?Before I turn to a friend for counsel, I?ll just lay it out in prayer, see how I feel about it then.?

(I know, I know this game is irreverent, but God knows that I?m just trying to amp up my prayer life through this game, and I?m sure His dignity is not hanging in the balance over it.)

Games.? They?re fun!? They help!? Why not use them, right?

Do you all have any game ideas for good habit building / bad habit breaking?? If so, share here?like Pinterest but with words!? See how much you can share in 45 seconds?

Source: http://stillthesea.com/2013/02/habit-building-habit-breaking/

madison bumgarner wnba draft tax day april 17 boston marathon tu pac hologram shuttle