Saturday, February 4, 2012

Establishing a Solid Routine


I'm currently getting back into a workout routine and, wow, it's not easy! It's a daily struggle but once it's done I have the satisfaction of saying I accomplished my goal. From past experience I know that once this habit is established it will no longer be difficult. It will be a part of my daily routine. With a small amount of initial discipline, I'm learning I can create a new habit and make it stick. Here's some good advice I recently read about creating a new habit:

1. Commit to Thirty Days – Three to four weeks is all the time you need to make a habit automatic. If you can make it through the initial conditioning phase, it becomes much easier to sustain. A month is a solid block of time to commit to a change.
2. Make it Daily – Consistency is critical if you want to make a habit stick. If you want to start exercising, go to the gym every day for your first thirty days. Going a couple times a week will make it harder to form the habit. Activities you do once every few days are trickier to lock in as habits, so make it a daily activity.

This strategy also applies to developing the habit of proficient reading....consistency is critical! May I encourage you and your child to take the 30 day challenge in regards to reading habits? Make reading together a daily activity. At the end of the 30 day challenge, I'm sure you'll both be glad you did it! Your child will be on the road to being a proficient reader and you will have the satisfaction of bolstering your child's literacy efficiency. Keep up the good work, dear families!