I'm trying to get back to a more romantic mode after a couple month dry spell. Why is it so easy to get into a bad habit? And so hard to break it? Last week I wrote out a 10 step plan to get back on track with romance and doing special things for and with my wife. The first item was to get more sleep so I would have the energy I need to focus on her. Then there was exercising more, taking an hour for just the two of us each night, etc. Well… bad habits are easy to form and really hard to break.
I am frustrated with myself because although I took the first step of writing down my goals, that is where it ended. I haven't done anything else on my list. In just two months we have collectively formed some really bad habits.[more] One major thing is this: since my oldest went off to college, we have not had a dinner at the dining room table. Instead we have been eating in front of the TV. Bad, bad, bad – but oh, so easy! No setting the table or cleaning it up – each person just grabs a plate and digs in. But then we don't spend time as a family. Then the TV ends up taking up the night. One thing is certain: TV is bad for romance.
I have not been getting to bed at 11:00pm like I planned – more like 12:30am – after working on this site and my other projects. Another bad habit! Dawn has been doing her own stuff until late as well.
So – what does it take? How do I break the cycle? They say it takes 90 days to break a habit. But it sure seems to take less time to form one – especially a bad one.
I think I'll try a family meeting. Since my two youngest are only 15 months and 5 1/2 years, it'll be more like a meeting with Dawn and I that they get to watch. But the point is this: we all need to agree to work on this together and get back to being a closer family – not being TV mongers.
I think we should start with eating at the table as a family, limiting TV time and getting to bed earlier. After that, I hope the rest will follow – or at least come easier.