A belated welcome to 2026! I hope your holidays were everything you expected and more. And maybe you’ve decided to make some changes in the new year? I have. This will be my year of developing good habits. What brought this on? Listening to the audiobook Atomic Habits by James Clear and the Tim Ferriss Show podcast (particularly Tim’s interview with Arthur Brooks). They’re inspiring.
Part of this will be easy. For instance, I’m scheduling my monthly haircut and massage on the first Tuesday of every month. This means I won’t repeatedly check when my appointments are, or forget them entirely. Other habits might be tougher to stick to, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.
New Bedtime Routine – No electronics after 10:00 p.m. Read a book. Lights out at 11:00.
I’m addicted to video games. First Candy Crush, now, well, I won’t say—the game is that addicting! Last week, I played it for 21 hours. You heard that right TWENTY-ONE hours! Most of that time I was also doing something else—riding up to Eau Claire and back, listening to the Packer Game, etc.—but think of what I could have been doing with all that time instead. And I spent money on that damned game—paying for additional coins, bonuses, etc. Eek. So, I’ve deleted it. It’s not the first time I’ve gotten rid of it, but I’m determined that it’s my last.
I’m also a television streaming junkie. Current show—Netflix’s Peaky Blinders (can’t believe it took me this long to watch it). I’ll stay up until one or two o’clock to see just one more episode. Of course, I’m shot the next day.
No more. Now, at 10:00 p.m. I shut off my phone and TV. I read for an hour and then lights out at 11:00. Current reading material—The Skeleton Crew by Stephen King and Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy.
Up at 7:00 a.m. and exercise
You might have guessed, I’m a night owl. Mornings are not my friends. And I don’t drink coffee (how on earth can I call myself a writer?). I need something to get me started in the morning, and that’s exercise. New habit—exercising every single day at 7 a.m. I’ll alternate between weight and balance training (I have equipment in my basement), walking/treadmill (there’s a gym at my clubhouse), and pickleball. If I’m successful in making it a daily habit, I won’t debate about doing it; I’ll just do it. And for added motivation, I’ll put on some fun music (I’m hooked on the Google playlist for “Summer in the City” by the Lovin’ Spoonfuls) or a good audiobook (current one I’m listening to is Walkaway by Cory Doctorow).
Meditation
One of my goals for this year is to be more present in the moment. Getting rid of that game on my phone will help. Meditating will too. I’ve never practiced meditation, so I’m looking forward to trying it. I downloaded an app called Headspace, and so far I’m enjoying it. The basics start with just three minutes a day. After the first session, I felt more focused and calm. Placebo effect, sure, but I am looking forward to doing this every day.
Daily writing
After exercising, meditating, and eating a high-protein breakfast, it’s time to get to writing. Editing my work-in-progress (currently the fourth book in The Devil Particle Series) comes first. I’ll spend 3-4 hours on that and then write something new each day. This could be my newsletter, a new story, or an article to submit. I usually reserve writing my newsletter for the day before or even the day it’s due and scramble to get it done or get it out later than usual (like this newsletter). I’m hoping that with regular daily writing, I’ll have plenty of material, making it easier to stick to a schedule.
Daily marketing
Every day I’ll work on a marketing task, which could take anywhere from ten minutes to two hours. This might be polishing my newsletter and publishing it, querying a podcast host about joining their show, or learning more about Substack (and actually kicking mine into gear).
Marketing can easily get overwhelming—running Amazon and Facebook ads, posting on social media, submitting workshop proposals to conferences and articles to online magazines and blogs, learning tools like Book Funnel, Publisher Rocket, and Written Word Media, and much more. There have been times I’ve been so overwhelmed, I do nothing. If I complete one marketing task each day, and that becomes a habit, I’ll have a sense of accomplishment and get things done.
Okay, there you have it—my new habits for the new year. Next month, I’ll let you know if my good intentions have become habits.
What about you? Are there any new habits you’d like to create this year? If so, be sure to share them!
