A Post a Day in May 2019 #23: When routine can change your day

I have pledged to write a new post for this blog every day in May.

About five years ago, daily life in my world was a bit challenging. My partner, Val, was coming off chemo for a cancer recurrence, the follow-up drugs were hard on her, the daily requirements of work and chores, and just simply getting through the day were taxing my capacity to live the thread of my own life within the tapestry of our partnership.

Many years before, in another life with a different partner, I had managed the demise of the relationship by walking several miles to and from work each weekday. Long before the days of iPods and iPhones, I had nothing to plug into other than my own thoughts. Those twice-daily walks gave me regular time to myself during which I got exercise (important) and time to think (vital).

So during that spring about five years ago, I reminded myself of that strategy from way back and I committed to putting daily walking back into my life. It would give me time to myself, to think and to get some exercise. But I didn’t know how I was going to actually achieve this ambition. It was so much easier — and quicker — to simply catch the bus at the top of the road. 

Then I remembered a motivator from even further back in my life: my mother’s clever star chart that motivated me to stop sucking my thumb. Each day that I kept my thumb out of my mouth, I received a checkmark on the chart; at the end of week, if I had seven, I got a lovely shiny star. After four whole weeks (a long lifetime for a young child), I remember the grand reward being a pack of chewing gum. Wow! Or maybe it was a pair of roller-skates; regardless, it worked. I no longer sucked my thumb.  

It takes more than a pack of gum to motivate me these days, but I do still love a star-chart-type visual motivator So, those five years ago, I drew a rough calendar for three weeks and promised myself that I would walk to the further bus stop at least three times every week. That seemed achievable. And it was: seeing the check marks add up each week, and then over time, kept me motivated. My reward was better ability to cope and an improved sense of well-being. 

Today, I walk even further to catch the bus, and I can no longer fathom not incorporating this now-routine activity into my daily life. 

They say that it takes just three weeks to transform a behaviour into a habit or routine. They make no mention of star charts as motivator, but I say they sure don’t hurt — no matter your age. 

Thanks for reading. 

My current star chart

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