So the unpacking has all but finished - we're down to the "find homes for box of miscellanious things", and (and I suspect I'm going to wind up just putting said box of miscellaneous things in a cupboard somewhere...). Which means real life has to come back some time soon. 

Real life like writing, exercise, and not buying chocolate from the supermarket every lunch break to scoff in the afternoons. Real life like I haven't seen in about two months, now.

I find routines are the issue, here - either making them or breaking them. The chocolate-buying, for example, is a routine I have to break, and the writing and exercise are routines to be made. And they can both be made the same way:

1. Come up with a reasonable plan for a routine. For example, "I get up half an hour earlier and write every morning". Make sure it's realistic - if you already get up at 5am for other tasks, then getting up half an hour earlier might not be the greatest idea. Cutting your kilojoule intake from 9000 to 6000 is probably not a good idea. Ask yourself honestly - is this something you're really committed to do? If it's not, then revise it until you have something more reasonable.

2. Come up with a carrot. Something you will enjoy as a treat, and - this is important - not something you were planning to buy/get/do/have anyway.

This was where I always used to run afoul with my routine-instigation - I'd come up with a reward that I really wanted, but I wanted it so much that I knew I was going to do/buy it for myself anyway, regardless of whether I kept the routine. In short, I took something I'd already decided to do/buy and made that my reward. That doesn't work, because it no longer matters if you break the routine. So - pick something that would be fun, but is in no way important or needed - something that you could deny yourself. The point of the reward is just to be a little celebration of a milestone, not for you to be 'working for' something you really want - because that just pulls your self discipline in two directions - you're too tempted to just buy the thing anyway.

3. Come up with another few carrots. About four is good. Make them increasingly rewarding if you like, but that's not important, as long as they all obey the rules in step 2. They should probably be different things, (you'll see why in step four).

It's advisable to make them things that don't directly contravene your overall goal or lifestyle. For example, if you're also wanting to lose weight, food-rewards are probably not the best idea. If money is tight, buying things might be an issue - pick something that isn't going to make you feel guilty in another part of your life.

4. Come up with a timeframe for the rewards. For example, if I can go a week without buying chocolate on my lunch break, I get to buy some lolcat magnetic poetry for my fridge. If I can go two weeks in a row, I can buy the minecraft fridge magnets*. Three weeks, and I can buy something off my amazon wishlist. etc.

Note that the timeframes don't have to be consecutive. If I buy chocolate on Thursday, I just start counting over again from the next day. Assuming most people have the odd slip-up, it'll take about two to three months to reach your four-week goal. And that's long enough to have made it a habit - then it'll continue on its own. Or at least, be a lot easier.

There's no punishment for not meeting the goal, ever. That's not helpful - you're not at war with yourself.  Just a small reward for getting there, something to remind you that this is something you want to work towards, and something to celebrate when you manage it.

As a final note - don't try to make too many routines at once. One at a time, if they're a big change, maybe two if they're small, but no more. I know that sounds crazy when you're looking at six or seven things in your life you feel you need to change, but it's important. It's too hard to keep track of more than two; you pull yourself in too many directions and the number of changes you're making will scramble your nerves. Take it slow, and be patient with yourself, not antagonistic.  

After all, there's nothing stopping you from doing / not doing those other things occasionally anyway. They're just not the focus right now.

*Honestly, I don't have a fridge magnet fetish, I just made the mistake of looking on Thinkgeek the other day for other people's presents. Want!