So, the great thing about this thread is that it has reminded me of the common habits that most people find supportive --
And... I realize (yet again) that everything I need to be happier and healthier I already have access to. I just need to actually do it.
However, I would also be very interested in anyone's housekeeping habits. I might start that as another thread. W2R and another poster touched on it -- but now that DH and I both work full-time and we're also engaged with our kids' schedules, I need to put some household stuff on autopilot.
As far as habits I've developed over the past three years or so (which is as long as I've been intentional about developing habits), I now:
1. Make my bed first thing in the morning.
2. Get completely dressed, including shoes, jewelry and makeup, when I "get dressed." This allows me to avoid multiple trips back to my bedroom/closet in the mornings, and really reduces my feeling of being scattered and forgetting things first thing in the morning.
3. Having a smooth morning routine. My consists of getting up, showering, getting dressed, taking care of the animals, unloading the dishwasher, making school lunches and my lunch, packing my work bags, and meditating.
4. Paying bills twice a month, on the 2nd and the 16th (based on paychecks). I used to pay every bill the day it came in. Now I batch them and it is so much more efficient.
5. Keeping the dining room table clear at all times.
6. Floss daily.
7. In bed at night, I count my blessings (instead of sheep), and try to really feel the pleasure I get from each one. I always fall asleep during this process, which means my last experience every night is a positive one.
8. Be done with work by 9 p.m. This is when I try to turn off the computer and put my grading / professional work away. DH and I have a cup of tea and read for an hour or an hour and a half or so, purely for pleasure. We do this instead of watching TV.
I am currently developing the following habits:
1. Daily meditation. I finally figured out how to fit it into my morning routine, and I add a single minute a week (I started with 5 minutes). Once I get up to 30 minutes a day I'll need to relocate when I do this habit, but I have a couple of months to get to that point.
2. Singletasking. I am trying to complete a task fully before moving on to another task. This will help decrease my switching-between-tasks-time, and also help me feel less scattered. For some things, like laundry, I don't worry about it -- but for other household and work tasks I try to complete an entire task before moving to another. This also means that I need to break projects down into tasks of about 45 minutes in length, which allows me to finish them one at a time.
3. Weekly menu planning. We do this often, but not always -- and I can tell when I don't.