Five Habits That Help Me Stay Sane As A Creative Mompreneur

I know, I know, it's the end of the year.

Crazy, right?

And we hear all the "New Year, New You" content going around, but I kinda want to just...not.

I don't need to be a new me. I'm perfect the way I am.

Spoiler: "New Year, New You" marketing is just a way to get you to buy planners and weight loss supplements.

I decided that this year is going to be my year of transformations...but they're going to be gentle, habitual transformations.

I'm not buying a new planner. They just end up abandoned after a few weeks anyway.

I'm not vowing to lose weight, it'll just make me feel bad when I have a treat on January 3rd.

I don't need to change, and neither do you. We just need to lean a little harder into the things we want to cultivate in ourselves.

I'm not a New Year's resolutions kinda gal, and never have been. When I decide to make a change, I want to start NOW. Not tomorrow, not next month, but right. this. instant. It's part of my spicy brain that actually serves me really well (most of the time).

I started some really helpful habits in 2024 that I absolutely love, and I'm carrying them into 2025. I'm not starting any new habits, I'm just committing to keeping up with these on a daily basis:

1. Morning pages

   This one is my absolute favorite! I have a beautiful morning ritual that sets the tone for the rest of my day: each morning I write three things I'm thankful for, how I want to feel that day, and what action steps I can take to make sure I feel that way.

   
   

   It looks something like this:

   
   

   Three things I'm thankful for - my warm house, great coffee, and a beautiful breakfast

   How I want to feel today - connected and joyful

   What I'm going to do to make that happen - read a book with my kids and work on a passion project

   
   

   There's no reason to make your planning and journaling separate ventures! I can't keep up with a planner AND a journal, so this practice has helped me to stay connected to my goals without burning out.

   
   

2. Joyful Exercise

   I admit, I am one of those people who LOVE to workout. My first date with my husband was a trip to the gym! However, since I've been recovering from POTS disease, my workouts haven't been fun. They've been hard, and recovery takes a really long time.

   
   

   However, I've changed my approach a lot, and I'm giving my body the grace to let my workouts be fun rather than just pushing toward the next goal. I love running, but no more than 2-3 miles. I love yoga, but still can't do lunges. So I do what I can, and let it be enough!

   
   

   Side note: there's no need to have fancy equipment or expensive memberships. I have a $170 treadmill from Amazon and I use free yoga videos on YouTube. The best workout is the one that you'll do consistently, so try all the things until you find what works!

   
   

3. A High-Protein Breakfast

   This is the key to the rest of the day being, well, not terrible. I once read a quote that said "If you hate everyone, go eat. If you feel like everyone hates you, go sleep" and it feels SO TRUE. The level of dysregulation in my home has decreased so much since I made a "we all eat a big, nourishing breakfast" rule.

"If you hate everyone, go eat. If you feel like everyone hates you, go sleep"

4. Do Something Creative

   This isn't always easy. Even though I'm a professional creative, it can be surprisingly hard to find time to make things! Between the business-y part of my business and being a homeschool mom, I don't have a lot of free time (or mental space) to dedicate to my craft. But since creativity is part of my daily ritual, I make sure I do something creative every day, even if it's just doodling quilt blocks on some graph paper.

   
   

   To make this easier, I have "creation stations" set up all over the house: graph paper notebooks, an ipad, watercolor journals, markers, pens, crochet, and hand sewing supplies are in almost every room. Even if I'm just doing mundane tasks like watching TV, I can be making something with my hands. I also never leave home without my ipad and a notebook/pencil!

   
   

5. Bedtime Journaling

   After I put the kids to bed, I make myself a hot tea, and do an evening journal exercise: I write all the things I'm proud of myself for that day.

   
   

I sit in bed with a cup of tea and journal all of the things I'm proud of myself for that day.

This is so powerful, because it retrains our brains to focus on how worthy we are just for showing up. I don't write the bad things that happened, because then I start ruminating. I literally make a list of every single thing I can think of that I'm proud of.

If you're keeping track, I do a quick journal exercise in the morning and another one in the evening. They take less than five minutes total and have been so transformative. I don't need a planner, or a fancy-pants bullet journal, or a ten-step meditation routine. I just put my intentions and reflections on paper, and let the universe do the rest!