vanillasyrupsblog

[vanillasyrupsblog]

good habits vs bad habits

So I've been thinking a lot lately about habits and some of the habits we think are helping us are actually making our lives harder. So let's talk about the habits that actually matter, the ones that are obviously terrible (but we do them anyway) and those sneaky habits that look good on paper but are quietly sabotaging your life !

The actually good habits (that don't require a PhD in self-discipline)

Morning Water Before Coffee: ur body just went 8 hours without water it's basically a human raisin. One glass of water before you caffeinate yourself into productivity mode helps everything work better. ur brain, ur skin, ur mood, ur ability to not feel like garbage at 2 PM.

The 10-Minute tidy: set a timer for 10 minutes and just put stuff back where it belongs. Not deep cleaning just returning things to their homes. This prevents the avalanche effect where your space gets so messy that cleaning feels like something impossible clothes back to the closet , that messy book shelf those simple stuff ..

Phone goes to sleep before u do: Put your phone in another room 30 minutes before bed or far from ur bed . ur brain needs time to shift gears from "consuming information" mode to "actually resting" mode. That last scroll through TikTok isn't relaxing you girlie it's like feeding your brain another cup of coffee and wondering why you can't sleep.

The sunday brain dump: spend 15 minutes every sunday writing down everything you need to do that week. brain-to-paper transfer , this stops your Monday brain from spending energy trying to remember what it forgot while also trying to function like a human.

The obviously bad habits ( and we keep doing them anyw)

The snooze button addiction: u are literally training your brain to ignore your own decisions. Every time you hit snooze, you're telling yourself "my word means nothing." Plus that extra 9 minutes of sleep is garbage sleep that makes you feel worse not better .

Stress eating ur feelings: food becomes the solution to boredom, anxiety, celebration, sadness ... . You're not actually hungry you're using food like a drug to change how you feel. The problem is it works for about 10 minutes, then you feel worse AND like sh!t

The comparison scroll: opening Instagram when you're already feeling bad about yourself is like pouring salt on a wound and expecting it to heal faster. You're voluntarily looking at everyone else's highlight reel while sitting in your own behind-the-scenes chaos and u start acting like a victim for the next days cuz u think u are not pretty as x

Saying yes when u mean no: this isn't being nice it's being dishonest y'know you're lying to other people about your capacity and to yourself about your priorities. Every yes to something you don't want is a no to something you do want.

The "good" habits that are actually destroying you

The productivity porn addiction: u spend more time organizing your to-do lists, finding the perfect app, and watching productivity YouTube videos than actually doing things. You've turned productivity into procrastination with extra steps. Your 47 different planning systems aren't making you more efficient they're making you feel busy while accomplishing nothing.

The morning routine obsession: You've created a 2-hour morning routine that requires waking up at 4 AM, journaling, meditating, working out, reading, making a green smoothie. One day you sleep in and the whole thing crumbles. Now you feel like a failure because you didn't do your 39 -step morning ritual (bruh 💀). A good morning routine should make your life easier, not turn you into a slave to your own schedule.

The Information overload trap: You're subscribed to 47 newsletters, follow 23 self-improvement podcasts, and have 12 books about habits on your nightstand. You think consuming information about improvement IS improvement no it's not. You're using learning as a way to avoid doing. Knowledge without action is just expensive entertainment .

The perfectionist planning: u spend three hours planning a workout routine that's so detailed and perfect that you never actually start it. You research the optimal time, the best exercises, the perfect playlist, the ideal pre-workout snack. Meanwhile you could have just gone for a walk. The perfect plan you never follow is worse than the imperfect plan you actually do.

The self-care performance: You've turned self-care into another item on your to-do list. Face masks on Sunday, meditation app every morning, gratitude journal every night. But you're doing it because you think you should, not because it actually makes you feel better. Real self-care might be saying no to plans, sleeping in, or eating pizza without guilt. But that doesn't look as good on Instagram so have ur OWN self-care ritual u are not forced to do a face mask on Sunday maybe it's a packed day, u can do it even on a Wednesday ?

The busy badge of honor: u wear exhaustion like a medal. "I'm so busy" becomes your identity. You pack your schedule so full that you don't have time to think about whether you actually like your life. Being busy feels productive yes yes but often it's just a way to avoid dealing with the fact that you're not doing what you actually want to do.

🧾 - last note !

You don't need a perfect system but u need a few things that actually work for your actual life, not the life you think you should have , start small, be consistent !

helpful blog - how to build a habit

@bloomzone

[vanillasyrupsblog]

♡ JUNE GOALS ♡

My goals for June split into five categories: physical health, physical image, hobbies and intelligence and mental health. Whilst I've slightly given up on the 6 Month Project, and just slightly on the 5 weeks project, I've decided to take it month by month. If June turns out to be some sort of success, I'll return to the 6 Month Project. But I'll be updating this?/writing a conclusion on what I achieved and what I still have to work on by the end of June.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ PHYSICAL HEALTH

Diet -> drink only water and tea (no caffeine, alcohol or fizzy drink), eat 3 meals a day and a snack including fruits, eat in a more anti-acne designated diet.

Exercise -> either stretch or home workout everyday, go on a 30 minute walk 4x a week

Sleep -> go to bed at 10-10:30pm every night, aim for 8-9 hours every night

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ MENTAL HEALTH

Phone -> on greyscale, no reels, an average of 3 hours everyday

Routine -> follow the same morning and night routine everyday

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥˚ HOBBIES

Art -> practice two portraits everyday and two objects, start experimenting with pencils and watercolour

Reading -> make sure to read before bed for 30 minutes, read 20 minutes random non fiction and START READING HISTORY

Writing -> make a plan for writing, write up 5 chapters + 5 other drabbles/oneshots

₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ INTELLIGENCE

History -> finish Russia first year and second year content, and read Orlando Figes

₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ PHYSICAL IMAGE

Hair -> get a trim to cut off split ends, find a heatless curling method and a cheap shampoo/conditioner that actually works

Skin -> find a cleanser that doesn't break me out, find a spot treatment not in the shape of a cleanser

Body -> find a replacement to a loofah, add glycolic acid to the routine and make sure to follow routine everyday

Other -> find an effective nailcare routine + settle for press ons or nail polish, find something effective for eyebrows and eyelashes, start figuring out makeup, switch out jewelry

[vanillasyrupsblog]

what people think "getting started" means

waking up at 4 AM, eating some superfood with a side of supplements, going on a 5km run, taking a 25-steps shower, doing a 30-step skincare routine, gua sha, lymphatic massage, eating just salads and protein, deleting all social media, reading only productivity and self-help books, drinking 10 liters of water a day

what getting started actually means

daily reassessments of habits, slowly reshaping your sleeping schedule, researching about better choices, learning through failures, experimenting without shame or fear, taking more walks before you run, learning how to breathe, time-limiting your phone, understanding the importance of letting go, self-criticism without self-hate, being kind with yourself throughout the process, always remembering where you started and why you decided to change, staying grateful for the journey and not just the destination. and drinking 2-3 liters of water a day

🌱

[vanillasyrupsblog]

🪲🪲🪲Couldn't sleep so I painted a beetle for a couple of hours, kinda looks like it has a mouth on its head 🪲🪲🪲

[vanillasyrupsblog]

♡ 28 May ♡

Day 8/35 -> 35 days of (or 5 weeks) consistent change, and trying my best to keep going with my 6 month project <3 with everyday, i aim to introduce/improve within these areas: mental health, physical health, physical image, hobbies and intelligence

today's new habits/changes!

having a bowl of fruit everyday -> either with breakfast or after

going on a walk 3x a week -> most preferably it'll be a mon,wed,fri thing but ill see with my schedules!!

still in a little bit of a slump, but still blaming it on a caffeine withdrawal. i've started to move away from drawing portraits to drawing flowers and bugs, which is generally so much more fun. i still haven't worked out so it's been two days, since i've missed a workout but i know ill lock in for tommorow. thank you for reading!!

[vanillasyrupsblog]

♡ 27 May ♡

Day 7/35 -> 35 days of (or 5 weeks) consistent change, and trying my best to keep going with my 6 month project <3 with everyday, i aim to introduce/improve within these areas: mental health, physical health, physical image, hobbies and intelligence

today's new habits/changes!

planning my day every night to make sure i'm organized!

studying russian history -> im back to my sixth form roots, and hopefully by the end of june i'll know russian history like i did last year. i'm slowly starting with 20 minutes of flashcards and i'll be upping it every other day by 5 minutes

i'm massively in a slight slump?? like it's been really hard for me to productive in the mornings, and i mostly bedrot. but i find it easier to be productive in the evenings. i'm not really sure if it's just laziness or caffeine withdrawals or just bad sleep?? but hopefully i'll pull through within the next couple days, as i was too tired to even workout today. anyways thank you for reading!! <3

[vanillasyrupsblog]

♡ 26 May ♡

Day 6/35 -> 35 days of (or 5 weeks) consistent change, and trying my best to keep going with my 6 month project <3 with everyday, i aim to introduce/improve within these areas: mental health, physical health, physical image, hobbies and intelligence

For Day 6, I'm not adding any new changes instead reflecting on what I've added and what I want to focus on for the next 6 days.

5 days of new habits/changes:

starting a phone detox -> phone on greyscale + no reels

starting to establish a night routine -> journalling every day and going to bed at 10pm

spending at least 30 minutes on art everyday

quitting caffeine

adding exfoliating to my shower routine

started at home workouts

reading before bed

using lotion after the shower

reading minimum 20 minutes of non fiction everyday

so for the last 5 days, i made some changes in diet, morning routines, night routines, and a little bit of hobbies like reading and art. what i'm hoping to really focus on for the next 6 days is establishing a proper morning routine and a nicer night routine. i'll also want to develop my hobbies a little bit more and focus on my physical image (??) routines!! hopefully i will do a little bit better for the next 6 days, but either way i think this has been a good start to the 5 weeks! thank you for reading :)

[vanillasyrupsblog]

gentle reminder you can rise up from everything. you can recreate yourself. nothing is permanent. you are not stuck. you have choices. you can think new thoughts. you can learn something new. you can create new habits. all that matters is that you decide today and never look back.

[vanillasyrupsblog]

[vanillasyrupsblog]

♡ 25 May ♡

Day 5/35 -> 35 days of (or 5 weeks) consistent change, and trying my best to keep going with my 6 month project <3 with everyday, i aim to introduce/improve within these areas: mental health, physical health, physical image, hobbies and intelligence

today's new habits/changes!

• reading minimum 20 minutes of non fiction everyday -> starting with a book on the middle ages but ill be evolving this habit into a more specific history study!!

• moving workouts to the morning -> this is so i can have a more organized morning routine!

today was a bit of a lazy day?? i had a shift from 3-8 but i did get my workout, some cleaning, some reading and a little sketching done. my biggest concerns rn are my break outs so diet and my weight gain 😞 so diet and exercise. therefore ill be focusing on those next. i didn't get to write in my diary or read before bed and it's currently 11pm but tommorow is a new fresh chance of a day :)

[vanillasyrupsblog]

♡ 24th May ♡

Day 4/35 -> 35 days of (or 5 weeks) consistent change, and trying my best to keep going with my 6 month project <3 with everyday, i aim to introduce/improve within these areas: mental health, physical health, physical image, hobbies and intelligence

today's new habits/changes!

reading before bed -> for about 20/30 minutes, until i'm tired enough to fall asleep

using lotion after the shower -> i'm v slowly trying to fix up my shower routine

not much of a day today, because i'm still experiencing insane caffeine withdrawal fatigue. but i got some groceries done and picked up some books from the library! <3

[vanillasyrupsblog]

♡ 23rd May ♡

Day 3/35 -> 35 days of (or 5 weeks) consistent change, and trying my best to keep going with my 6 month project <3 with everyday, i aim to introduce/improve within these areas: mental health, physical health, physical image, hobbies and intelligence

today's new habits/changes!

started at home workouts!! -> mostly just following 20/25 minutes emi wong workouts but hopefully ill be back to running in two weeks

adding exfoliating to my shower routine -> 3x a week so monday, wednesday and friday! hopefully a habit i can keep up as it's crucial and only happens 3x a week

[vanillasyrupsblog]

♡ 22nd May ♡

Day 2/35 -> 35 days of (or 5 weeks) consistent change, and trying my best to keep going with my 6 month project <3 with everyday, i aim to introduce/improve within these areas: mental health, physical health, physical image, hobbies and intelligence

today's new habits/changes!

quitting caffeine (yes i swear this time im being fr)

not much of a heavy day of changing today, because i'm still stuck on my period and i had a tiring shift but tommorow i'll put in more effort!

[vanillasyrupsblog]

♡ 21st May ♡

Day 1/35 -> 35 days of (or 5 weeks) consistent change, and trying my best to keep going with my 6 month project <3 with everyday, i aim to introduce/improve within these areas: mental health, physical health, physical image, hobbies and intelligence

today's new habits/changes!

starting a phone detox -> phone on greyscale + no reels

starting to establish a night routine -> journalling every day and going to bed at 10pm

spending at least 30 minutes on art everyday

cleaned my room to get it into some sort of order!

[vanillasyrupsblog]

it’s awesome how we have unlimited chances to become a better version of ourselves

[vanillasyrupsblog]

Horse study 🐎🐎🐎

[vanillasyrupsblog]

WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER: Improving Mental Health

'Glowing up,' or even 'looksmaxxing,' is an intimidating concept. With so much information circulating on what to do, what to change, how to look, it's easy enough to get lost. Especially, when you're trying to balance that with school, work or other commitments. And the sheer workload of getting better can put you off of it.

So, if you're just starting out with improving your life or maybe you're trying to balance it with other things, these are the small steps i'd take to see a change to work smarter not harder!!

i'd suggest leaving a day between each step, so it feels easier and the changes aren't too sudden

steps:

turn your phone on 'greyscale,' -> the lack of vibrant colours, makes your phone less appealing and interesting. plus helps you notice how vibrant the real world is over a tiny screen!

make a playlist with only happy/positive music -> whilst mitski and adrianne lenker make amazing music, it's generally no way to start a day. i'd suggest cutting down on the depressing music and starting your day with motivating music!

journalling/writing in a diary -> this can either be done in the morning or evening, to help you unpack your feelings and help you understand them

make a list of positive/inspiring videos/movies/series to watch -> it's no secret that the media you consume has an impact on your mood. so by watching 'bojack horseman' or reading 'a little life,' you could possibly be making yourself feel worse.

having a glass of water with every meal -> keeping hydrated is key to feeling good. and if you like drinking sodas/juices/coffee, it's not about completely cutting them out but just not having them during meal times

spend ten minutes everyday walking -> if you're currently not doing any forms of exercise, walking is the most accessible exercise there is. spending a couple minutes outside, even if it's getting off a bus stop earlier than you normally do and walking home, is extremely good for you

going to bed at the same time every night -> this will help you not only get a good amount of sleep in the night but it'll also help you form a good night routine! and consistent habits are is what is important for successful change!

COMING SOON:

Work Smarter Not Harder: Morning/Night Routines

Work Smarter Not Harder: Physical Health

Work Smarter Not Harder: Hobbies

Work Smarter Not Harder: Physical appearance