With the new year I've recommitted to some old habits and hope to form a few new ones.

The first habit I'm reviving is one of mindful attention toward my food intake. I've done this before by tracking meals, and have found success in losing excess body fat from this, but this time I'm taking intermittent fasting for a spin, aided by an app called Simple. So far this practice of finding 14 hours in my day to abstain from eating anything is most effective at building my ability to notice and make a concious decision before I engage in one of my most enduring vices, midnight snacks. Along with the other widely recognized benefits of fasting, I find this mindfulness carries into the rest of my life and helps me be more aware of how I spend my time in general.

A new habit comes to me as a gift from a friend in the form of a very well timed recommendation to check out "You Need a Budget" (YNAB) - an online budgeting and financial tracking program that has to be one of the best new pieces of software I've used in a very long time. YNAB has already brought me nearly incalculable peace of mind as I plan the coming years - having a six month old at home has made it impossible to avoid thinking and planning on this timescale and efficient, consistent budgeting may end up being one of the best gifts I've ever given myself.

They say habits take thirty days to acquire so I look forward to reflecting back on this post in mid-February with more perspective.