It’s a new week, new month and perhaps, a new season for some with kids finishing virtual school. I can’t think of a more motivating time to start a new habit or drop an unhealthy one. Normally, we may feel like a slave to our calendars but since “stay at home orders” have been enacted, some of us may not have looked at a planner in a while and are actually missing it.

Do you need a little more structure to your days? Take today, June 1st, to brainstorm about where you are health-wise and where you want to be. What is going great right now? You may have a consistent sleep schedule, a structured exercise regime or a simple food tracking routine. What is not working? There may be too much alcohol consumption with not enough water, mindless afternoon snacking, or an abundance of sitting motionless staring at a screen. Throw observations down as soon as they come to mind, then feel free to classify them in categories such as sleep, nutrition, exercise, goals, projects, hobbies, etc.

After seeing your life on paper (and don’t let that scare you), start looking at things deeper. If you have placed your habits in categories, you may want to work on one item from each list. On the other hand, you may want to tackle all the items, but create baby steps on how to manage small changes.

When deciding what you will do or will stop doing, also decide when you will do it. An idea is to follow a 30-60-90 day plan. In this case, today is Monday, June 1st, an excellent start date (but this is also arbitrary so June 2nd will work just fine too.) Can you follow a plan or change a habit in 30, 60 or 90 days? Some lean toward 30 days because they want that intensive burst of effort utilized. Others may think 60 or 90 days is more realistic for a successful change. Still others may set a 90-day goal but will have mini goals within that area of life to be completed at the 30- and 60-day marks. You can never deny the power of being held accountable either. Working with an accountability coach or sharing your plan with friends, coworkers or all of social media can be very effective. Scary but effective!

Take the time today to brainstorm, write and plan. What do you want July 1st, August 1st and September 1st to look like? Enter those dates on your phone’s calendar, hang a reminder on your bathroom mirror (to look at as you perform calf raises while brushing your teeth), and stick a Post-It note on the A/C control in your car. Work with an accountability coach or tag team with a willing friend to join you in this effort. Schedule a call now with that person for these three future dates.

Your goals, projects and plans for these summer months may be big or small. That does not matter. They also may make absolutely no sense at all to anyone else (aka I want to remove every item out of every drawer so I can wipe it down completely only to put everything back in exactly as it was), but the more specific and unique the aspirations are, the better chance you will stay motivated and committed.

Personally, I’m ready to starting cooking from healthy recipes again and I’m excited about getting back into tennis. These are a couple of items I know I will have on my list today. What about you? I’d love to hear your ideas and how you plan to follow through in the comments below. I’ll be checking back on the first of each upcoming month so let that be additional motivation.

Here’s to a great summer! (Insert the clinking of a water glass here because an additional item to add to my list is to consume a minimum of 80 ounces of water a day.)