How to audit your routine to find time for health habits

Let’s cut to the chase, what you do every minute of the day is either building the life and health you want or distracting from it. When we get sucking into So if you are ready to do the hard work of seeing the reality of your day to day life, here is how to take a lifestyle audit to find out where small changes can be made.

How to take a lifestyle audit

On a blank sheet of paper, write out every hour of your day and then as the day goes by fill in exactly what you do every hour. Do not fill this in in advance, that would be a plan, fill it in as each hour passes. From the moment you wake up to when you go to sleep. Include everything, even the things that feel small or easy to ignore like scrolling, snacking, hitting snooze, or multitasking.

Most people skip this step and go straight to trying to fix things, but without clarity, you’re just guessing. When you see it all laid out, patterns become obvious.

Ask the Question That Brings Everything Into Focus

Once it’s written out, go through each part of your day and ask one simple question. Does this support the life I’m creating? That’s it.

From there, you can start to label things honestly. Some habits are serving you. Others are costing you time, energy, or attention. This step requires honesty, but it should feel neutral. You’re not criticizing yourself, you’re gathering information.

Don’t let this become a game of making every waking moment productive, ensure you leave time to unwind, to take a break, for empty space in your day. But make those breaks intentional. Instead of scrolling first thing in the morning, could you get in a 15 minute gentle yoga flow to wake up your body and mind. Instead of watching 3 episodes of your favourite show before bed, could you watch just 1, then read a book and get to sleep earlier?

Tips for replacing habits

Often times, replacing feels easier than strictly stopping. So, to replace a habit you need to full understand what it’s purpose was to determine what could replace it. For each habit you want to change, ask: What need did the unwanted habit fill? From there determine what alternatives you could substitute it with?

If a habit is filling a need like comfort, distraction, or a mental break, removing it without replacing it usually doesn’t last. Your brain will just go back to it. So for these habits especially, instead of focusing on what you’re taking away, focus on what you’re adding in its place.

This is also where you get to think a little bigger. What habits would actually support the version of you you’re trying to become?

Make a list. Not just what looks good on paper, but what would realistically fit into your life. Remember there needs to be a balance here. You want habits that move you forward, but they also need to feel doable in your current routine. If they don’t fit, they won’t stick.

Tips for stacking habits

Don’t forget the power of small actions and how they can add up, sometimes smaller habits are better stacked. Let’s say for example you struggle to fit in mindfulness. Brain training style meditation could be stacked on top of brushing your teeth, making your coffee. If you struggle more with exercise, you can workout while you watch TV or stretch while your child is playing in the bath. For more tips on habit stacking check out my post on how to get started.

Focus on one change at a time

This is the part that determines whether this works or not. Don’t try to overhaul everything at once. Pick one habit to protect, something you want to start or continue, and one habit to challenge, something you want to reduce or replace. Give it your attention for a couple weeks to a month. Let it settle into your routine before adding more. This is how real change happens. Not through big resets, but through small, intentional shifts that you can actually maintain.

Ready to go deeper?

This is exactly the kind of mindset work we build on inside Mindset Medicine. Learning how to look at your habits honestly, shift them in a way that feels realistic, and create a supportive mindset to solidify routines that actually support your life.