Following Jesus is a lifestyle you build through your spiritual habits. That’s why ABIDE & FOCUS Planner includes multiple tools to help you choose and implement these habits (which we call a SEASON RHYTHM).
But creating a new rhythm can feel overwhelming, right? So, here are 3 ideas to make building and following your SEASON RHYTHM fun and simple to implement.
IDEA 1: BUILD YOUR RHYTHM…ONE HABIT AT A TIME
If you want to avoid overwhelm, focus on one habit. Slow, consistent habit building makes success easier. This, in turn, motivates you to keep going because you can grow at your own pace.
So start by ask yourself this: What spiritual habit do I think will help me connect with God most?
(Not sure what habit to choose…this post can help!)
Once you’ve identified your ONE habit, write it in the appropriate box on your SEASON RHTHYM. That’s all.
Now you can decide when and where you’ll practice this habit during the week. As the habit becomes automatic, you can choose another spiritual habit to add to your SEASON RHYTHM.
IDEA 2: RANK ORDER YOUR HABITS
If you prefer to plan everything in advance, you can still focus on one habit at a time. All you need to do is rank order the habits you write on your SEASON RHYTHM.
The habit you choose as #1 is the habit you’ll work on building first. Once it’s automatic and natural, you can start working on #2. This strategy is great for gals who want to do all the thinking and choosing work at once. You don’t have to decide what spiritual habit to build next because you’ve already made a plan.
Another way to use ranking ordering is for weekly planning. Here’s an example:
There was a season of life when I really wanted to remind myself how important it was to keep the Sabbath. So, listed Sabbath #1 on my SEASON RHYTHM. Then, when I planned my week, it was the first spiritual habit I wrote on my calendar.
This ritual reminded me that this was what I wanted to prioritize.
To apply this to your life, simply ask: What spiritual habit needs to be a priority this season?
IDEA 3: COLOR CODE YOUR HABITS
We intentionally gave our Christian planners and journals a minimalistic design. That makes them simple to use…and lets you personalize them.
If you want to personalize your planner with color…why not make it intentional?
You can use color to categorize habits on your SEASON RHYTHM. That’s right…your rhythm worksheet is great for capturing spiritual habits. But you may also have relational and self-care habits you want to build. You can give each habit category a color so to make habit building visually appealing (i.e. FUN!).
You might use red for spiritual habits, blue for relational habits (ex: date night), and green for self-care habits (ex. 1 mile walk).
This is a great strategy for visual learners because it gives you data. Here’s what we mean: do you notice it’s easier to stick with your blue habits than your red habits? Then, it’s time to evaluate those red habits and see what strategy you need to apply to make it easier to stick with them.
CONCLUSION
Your spiritual and relational habits are what help you live out the greatest commandments Jesus gave us (Matthew 22:34-40). So, we want to help you find strategies that make creating these habits easier…and a little fun.
We’d love to hear how you use your SEASON RHYTHM. Pop us an email at karina@weabidetogether. We’d love to add your strategy to this list so other ABIDE & FOCUS Planner users can succeed at habit building too.
And if you’re new around here…you may not have a planner. No worries, we’d love to help you get started with intentionally planning your spiritual rhythm. Just download a free copy of our Spiritual Habits Builder workbook below. It will help you identify a habit to build and create a plan to stick with it.
