This is a sister post to How To: Make the Most of the Last 90 Days of the Year. These 5 things help keep me on track when I’m working towards a goal and part of what I believe has made my Last 90 Days experience so successful each year! But they also work anytime you want to drastically see improvement in your life.

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Recently I shared how I make the most of the last 90 days of the year by setting a goal and putting my foot on the gas. I realize this is pretty opposite of the norm (most people slow down at the end of the year), but I do it so that by the first of the new year, I’m off and running and already in a good routine before everyone’s New Year’s hangover wears off.

Keeping momentum through the last part of the year isn’t as easy as just setting a goal and waiting for everything to work out. Reaching any goal takes hard work and consistent effort. But even beyond directly working towards the goal, I have found some key habits that work alongside the hard work and consistency to help reach the goal without feeling burned out or like you want to quit every other day.

I have developed 5 habits in particular in my years of doing this that I find really go a long way in getting to the goal. Some of these I do everyday regardless of whether or not I’m within the last 90 days of the year. A couple I do especially during the last 90 days because I know how effective they can be. But all of them work.

Here’s my 5 habits to help you thrive for the last part of the year.

I feel like a broken record with how much I talk about the benefits of moving your body every single day, but it’s also THE MOST EFFECTIVE and FREE tool there is, and frankly…not enough people are doing it. The health benefits alone are worth every minute, but I particularly love it for the mental clarity.

I hate being tired or feeling brain fog. It’s one of the most annoying things for me when it happens, and one of the easiest ways for me to eliminate it is to move my body and get the endorphins going so the fog lifts.

Moving your body daily also strengthens your immune system. The last three months of the year are notorious for illness. Adding this to your daily routine is more important now than any other time of the year as a defense to keep you healthier.

Whatever you decide to do to move–lifting weights, walking, yoga, pilates, cross-fit, running, cycling, etc.–will be one of the most effective things you can do to retain energy. Even more than caffeine.

And contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a gym membership, a wardrobe full of workout clothes, or even equipment to move your body. In many cases, you don’t even need athletic shoes.

There are also tons of free resources out there to help guide you. You can find guides to basic lifts with weights, or even just your body weight (which are still extremely effective!) on YouTube and Pinterest. And if you don’t know what the move is, a quick Google search will explain (or even show you!) what the move is and how to do it correctly.

If you want to make it even easier, you can use my favorite free resources, ChatGPT.

Ask it to create the type of workout you want for the number of days you want per week. For example, “Hey ChatGPT, could you create an easy beginner dumbbell workout plan for me for 5 days a week? Can you also include a description of each move and a picture of how to to do it if possible?”

Currently, I workout five days a week, with a sixth day of intentional movement (stretching or a walk), and a rest day. For the last 90 days of the year, I aim to do six days of workouts and the seventh day is reserved for stretching or walking. I typically do not have a rest day. The only exception is illness or injury.

I also have an amazing online wellness community for accountability.

Accountability is an incredible tool to use if you struggle with the motivation. I’ve said this before and I’m not shy about saying it now–I do not like to work out. I hate it. I love the benefits, I hate the sweat and the time it takes. I constantly think of every other thing I would rather be doing instead.

Which is why having accountability in a wellness community where I check in every single day, share my workout, and see other people doing the same thing is a great tool for me. If I know I have to check in with someone, I’ll absolutely do what I said I was going to.

If you want to join the online wellness community I’m in, with optional wellness challenges for a reasonable price for added accountability, drop me an email or message and I’ll get you the info for joining!

The most important thing about this daily habit is to pick a routine that realistically works for you. That way you’ll have fewer excuses and more daily success.

This is going to become your daily non-negotiable. You have to drink water to stay hydrated, especially after doing a workout.

Your body is made up of up to 60% of water. You need it to function and keep everything operating smoothly. Drinking water eases muscle fatigue, joint pain, keeps you…uh, regular in the bathroom department (if you catch my drift), and removes toxins.

Anyone saying they don’t like to drink water because it’s boring…yeah, you’re right. But enough with the excuses. Drink it.

Get a cool water bottle that you can use just for water, and one that you enjoy drinking out of because it’s cute or has a good straw. Add ice if you need to. But drink the water.

And for the last 90 days of the year, drink half your body weight in ounces of water every single day. I weigh about 165 lbs on any given day, so I will be drinking 83 ounces of water per day (rounded up).

Not only will this keep you healthier, it will also make your body function better, improve your sleep quality, and help fight off any sickness or infection.

Very few of us can afford to get sick this time of year, either for time or money reasons. Drinking water and staying hydrated is a simple (and generally free) way to keep yourself healthier.

If you’re Catholic, this category may feel like lent. For the last 90 days of the year, remove a food that you consume regularly that you don’t need.

Chocolate, soda pop, chips, crackers, cookies, cupcakes, daily Starbucks. Or go bigger and remove a category of food you know doesn’t serve you well, like alcohol, sugar, or take-out.

Why?

Because you don’t need it. Because you deserve to feel your best to round out the year. Because your health is your most important asset. Because sometimes adding some discipline to your life helps you thrive in ways you didn’t know you could. Because proving that you can keep a promise to yourself is an enormous confidence booster.

I could go on and on but the bottom line is that, for all these reasons and more, doing this will 100% help you thrive during the last 90 days of the year.

I’m going to be removing soda pop (which I only drink occasionally anyway) and processed foods with more than 4 grams of sugar per serving. Why 4 grams per serving? Because 4 grams is roughly equal to one teaspoon (mind blowing if you didn’t know that, right?).

Anything more than 4 grams per serving and you’re literally adding teaspoons of sugar to your body. I definitely don’t need any extra sugar during the last part of the year. It makes me feel sluggish and if I consume too much, my joints ache the next day (side effect of too much sugar).

Get rid of a food you know isn’t serving you well. It’s only for 90 days. Imagine how great you’ll feel knowing you can hold off on something for that long. HUGE ego boost.

And get yourself an accountability buddy so you can check in each day or when you’re feeling a craving and need some support.

So far these have all been health related, and that’s not an accident. Your health is wildly important for you to truly thrive. And while this one isn’t related directly to you physical health, it sure does to your mental health.

For the last 90 days, it’s time to schedule some daily time for yourself. Read a book, knit, spend time in your garden or care for your plants. Disconnect for your routine. Or use this time to work intentionally towards a goal you have like writing the novel, starting or building the business, or starting the non-profit you’ve dreamed of.

Use this time for you and only you. Schedule it like an appointment for one hour per day.

Traditionally this one is usually phrased to wake up an hour before everyone else in your house, especially your kids. However, I don’t have a traditional household. My husband gets up anywhere from 3:30-5am and my daughter wakes up almost habitually at 5:30am.

Frankly, that just doesn’t work for me. I also really don’t want to stay up much later than 9pm, because guess what? I’m tired too. So I figured out that if I can schedule some time during the day (usually early to mid-afternoon after lunch and during quiet time), I actually can pour into the things I’m working on and loving instead of blowing it off.

Arguably this will be the hardest of the five for you to do each day. Especially if you have kids. It’s hard for it not to feel selfish to take time for yourself when you could be spending time with your kids, spouse, or wrapping up chores, errands, or projects. I get it.

But even though this is what I believe to be the hardest one to do, it’s also the most important.

People, especially women, and especially especially moms, pour from empty cups every day. We do so much for others that we always put ourselves on the back burner. We’re biologically caretakers, so it makes sense.

However, it’s not healthy to pour into everyone else but yourself. It’s important for us to have interests, hobbies, projects, and goals. You need an outlet too.

So for the last 90 days of the year, set aside an hour each day. Whether it’s waking up an hour early, going to bed and hour later, or shifting things around during the day, and just do you, boo.

I also spend an extra hour or two on Sundays when my husband is home all day to plan my week ahead and get myself organized so that I CAN take that hour each day without feeling like I’m running late, behind on things, or skipping my hour of “me” altogether.

So, pull out your calendar and physically write in your hour each day over the course of the next week. Mark it as busy, block it off, and treat it like an appointment you cannot miss.

Last, but certainly not least, practice daily gratitude.

I feel like people hear this and think it’s too “woo woo” to have any kind of dramatic effect on their life, especially over the course of 90 days, but I can assure you that you will notice such a pivot in your mindset.

Starting your day intentionally and thinking about the best things that happened in the past 24 hours puts you in a great mood and gets you thinking about the good stuff right away.

I’m not talking about things like “having a roof over my head” and “my kids” or “my spouse.” Of course we’re all grateful for those things. But I really challenge you to think through the past 24 hours and pick out little things that brought you joy, moments that made you smile or laugh, and what really made you glad to be a part of.

For example, catching a really beautiful sunrise full of pinks and oranges during your hour of ‘you’ time. Or making every single green light on your way to work. Or getting a front row parking spot at the grocery store. Or drinking a hot cup of coffee under a fluffy, warm blanket and having your cat hop onto your lap and start purring.

By thinking about the these beautiful moments, you start to look for more of them in your daily life, and I’ll be damned if you won’t find them. It also helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, because you’re thinking of things that bring you joy versus things to worry about. It’s a great way to foster a more positive outlook on life.

And we are heading into a season of gratefulness, after all.

Grab a blank notebook you’ve got laying around, or one that you can use daily, and write down five things each day. After 90 days you’ll have a nice journal full of things that brought you joy, made you laugh, and moments that you are glad happened.

You can read about my entire gratitude practice in How To: Develop A Daily Gratitude Practice, where I break down exactly what I do each day.

You’re armed with information and you’re ready to start thriving for the last 90 days of the year!

I recommend taking a quick couple minutes to think through how you’ll incorporate your 5-to-thrive habits into your life and consciously make a plan to hit them all each day instead of just winging it.

For example, if you’re giving up chips as your food, clean out all the chips from your cabinets, vehicles, snack backpack (if you’re a mom) or snack drawer (if you have an office).

REMOVE THEM from your automatic grocery order so they don’t accidentally make their way into your home again.

TELL your partner or spouse that you are not eating them for the next 90 days so that they don’t surprise you and bring home your favorites.

Cover your bases and remove the obstacles as much as you can.

Don’t forget to schedule your “me” time into your calendar. Treat it like an appointment you cannot miss. If you’re worried you’ll skip your workouts, schedule those too.

If you need to choose a workout regime or routine or program, do the work and choose one so that you are ready to go on October 1st and don’t have any excuse to stall or blow it off completely.

Have everything you need to set yourself up for success ready and available so that when you wake up on October 1st, you can hit all five of these daily habits easy peasey.

And then, on October 1st, go do all of these. Every day. For 90 days.

Allow yourself grace when you need it, but stay consistent in the habits and make the effort to do them. momentum you create over the last part of the year will sail you straight into the new year feeling confident, successful, and accomplished.

And if you just aren’t sure you believe you can do this…you can borrow my belief in you. Because I know you can.

You just have to get started. So, get started.