I am reading Gretchen Rubin‘s book, Better Than Before, to share strategies for making and keeping good habits and break bad habits. She find making and keeping habits easier than most people. She is among the small percentage of people who are “upholders”. These are people who are motivated by both internal and external expectations. Thankfully she is empathetic to the ways different people approach habits and she provides a multitude of strategies that make success more likely.

Reading this book is giving me an opportunity to rewrite my story around habits. I woke up this morning and thought about what I have to do today and for the holiday weekend. I realized that I have about six super flexible days. I can make it an at-home writer’s retreat. I am calling it my Freedom Writing Retreat.

The Tour de France also begins on Saturday and this is the first time since 2013 that I will be home and able to watch on television for the entire race (July 2-24). This is exciting because I will be able to immerse myself in an event I truly love. I will also be able to frequently hit the open bike trail and enjoy cycling, which reinforces how much I enjoy watching the professionals ride.

These are not habits that I am trying to form for life. I am just focusing on a blitz of behaviors that will make me happy for the next six days, and some other behaviors that will also make me happy through July 24. My questions include: will this increase my overall happiness and energy for daily life, will these habits be easier to uphold because I have reframed them based on my own tendencies and personalities? I will let you know.