Creating Healthy Habits in 2021 | Interview with Doug Platts

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that you could have a curveball thrown at you at any moment; what’s important is having a strong foundation of habits and routines. The time has finally come for us to ditch the resolution mentality, and focus more on making small, sustainable changes that make us happier and healthier.

The great news is that you don’t have to wait for the turn of a calendar year to focus your energy on developing yourself. If you’re feeling stressed at the prospect of starting a new routine, try starting a container garden; it’s simple, it’s not time-consuming, and it provides a physical reward for your hard work and dedication. 

This week, we had the pleasure of chatting with Gardenuity’s COO, Doug Platts, about what it means to truly make healthy habits and break bad ones. Keep reading to learn more about embracing positive and sustainable changes.

Setting Mindful Goals

Yes, it’s a new year and it’s officially time to think about all of the ways that you wish to improve yourself – whether it be mentally, physically, or at work. Never fear; if you haven’t figured out your new goals by January first, that certainly doesn’t mean that you’ve missed your chance. 

“You can start thinking about your goals any day,” says Doug, “you don’t have to wait for some special date on the calendar to start your growth.”

Doug emphasized that it’s essential to consider the incremental steps that can be put in place in order to make progress on a goal; little changes will stack up. When your goal is both achievable and intentional, you will have the chance to celebrate more small victories along the way.

“What is the reason why you’re choosing to make a change?”

Doug Platts

Goals vs. Resolutions

“Resolutions are another way of saying, ‘These are my goals for the entire year,’” Doug says. “They’re usually pretty lofty. Something like, ‘I want to quit smoking’, or ‘I want to get promoted at work’. It’s typically a big, hairy, audacious goal.”

“We are trained to think about the big goals,” shares Doug, “but in reality, you should really only set yourself a couple of goals that are measurable, strategic, attainable, realistic, and time-bound.”

There’s a special significance involved in the intentionality of setting a serious goal for yourself; if you don’t want to make the change, then it won’t happen; flipping the page of your calendar isn’t what’s going to make you feel sincerely committed to making a new habit – and you shouldn’t feel that you have to wait for the New Year or that you can’t make the change because you missed January 1st. You have to want it for yourself.

Find the Right Mindset

When asked what the most helpful mindset is when it comes to making goals, Platts answered, “Nothing happens as fast as you want it to – it never does. If you think it’s going to happen in 3 months, 6 months, or even a year, track progress and don’t get defeated if progress takes longer than originally thought. You do want to find ways to set yourself up for success and experience incremental wins to keep you motivated.”

“Breaking a large goal down into smaller steps is a great way to experience those smaller wins along the way.” 

Doug Platts

Grow your Habits

If you’re feeling challenged by the idea of developing new habits and routines, gardening is a wonderful way for you to test yourself. Sometimes a lack of reward or tangible progress is discouraging along the journey towards a goal; gardening is the perfect way to keep yourself disciplined and experience immediate satisfaction.

“Our gardens make success super attainable,” Doug states, “If you get into the habit of 15 minutes a day, every morning, taking care of your garden, you will see it flourish; you’ll enjoy the harvest! It’s a super visual and rewarding way to experience the positive benefits of working with a routine.”

Gardening is a fantastic way to develop goals, core routines, good habits, as well as a visual way to experience progress, success, and fulfillment. Take a look at this article about Why Gardening is so Good for You to learn more about why you should start your container garden today.