How To Make Preparedness a Habit – Rogue’s 31 Days To Readiness [Day 30]

How’s your daily schedule look? I’m guessing pretty crazy. Or maybe it’s pretty chill. No matter how it looks, we all have 24 hours in a day. No matter what you choose to do or not to do, prioritizing is key.

I have two children, a 40 acre ranch that we’re always expanding and seems like there’s endless amount of things to do. I run Rogue Preparedness where I post a video a day on my YouTube, write this blog and I’m quite active on social media, in addition to holding down a few jobs to bring in income for the homestead and the few bills we have. Of course, my husband has a lot to do as well. We’re quite busy and there’s always something to do.

I’m busy, but I’m also very motivated.

We don’t get it all done everyday, that would be unrealistic. In fact, I have a daily task of items that I want to get done, but sometimes I have to prioritize and push a few things to the side, depending on what else I have on my to-do list. And that’s ok! Some days my ambitions are a bit too much. But other days, I’m right on track. It just really depends.

The point is, I have to prioritize. Preparedness is a priority to me. It wasn’t always like this, though. There was a time that I wasn’t as hardcore as I am today. And let me be clear, you do as little or as much as you want when it comes to preparedness; when it comes to anything.

Here’s how to make preparedness a habit:

1. Why are you getting prepared? To cement the importance of preparedness, ask yourself, why am I getting prepared? Once you’re able to truthfully answer this, it will create the foundation for everything you do related to getting prepared.
2. Set reminders. I live my life based on reminders. Set consistent reminds in your phone for when you think you’ll have time to do certain tasks. If you know you have an hour on Saturday, maybe you could read a book? Practice a skill? Pack some food into mylar bags? Be realistic about your time and set tasks and reminders around those times that you’re actually available to do them.
3. Turn everything in micro tasks. Does preparedness sound like a daunting task? Turn everything into a micro task. What this means is, if you want to make a fire, micro task it out:
   1. Get up
   2. Put on shoes
   3. Grab lighter
   4. Grab fire starter
   5. Walk outside
   6. Collect some wood
   7. Start the fire
   8. Enjoy
   9. Breaking everything up into little micro tasks like this makes everything sound way less intimidating and way more doable. It’s all about gaining that momentum. Getting up? Hoorah! You finished task #1! Putting shoes on? Yay you’ve finished task #2! You’re on a roll! It sounds silly, but it really works.
4. Be consistent. Starting is the hardest part, so if you’re constantly trying to start or start over, then it’s going to feel like you’re getting nowhere and you will hate life. Try to be as consistent as possible, this means to do something each week. Keep preparedness top of mind and always be mindful of it in some way or another. Take a look at some of my daily prepping skills ideas.
5. Keep it visual. Out of sight, out of mind. If you’re trying to create a new habit, like maybe you want to remember to carry a tactical pen with you everyday, then place the pen with something else that you take with you everyday; like your car keys or water bottle.
6. Set realistic goals. If your end goal is to run 25 miles, great! But let’s first start out with some realistic goals like walking around the block. Then walking half a mile. Then walking a mile. Then jogging half a mile, then jogging a mile. And so on. Having an end goal is great, but there need to be realistic goals in between in order to get you to that end task. If you have a goal of 2 weeks worth of food storage, then start small by getting a couple cans each time you go to the grocery store. Little goals over time add up to big things later on.
7. There’s no such thing as perfect. One of the biggest factors that holds us back is failure. You can’t fail if you don’t try, right? Well, that’s true. But, you’ll also never progress forward or attain any of your goals. It’s ok to fail! As long as you learn from those failures and keep moving forward. You’re not perfect. Let go of perfection and instead aim for consistent progress.

Preparedness should never be a burden. It should be part of your life. If you ever feel like it’s becoming too much and you’re feeling burned out, then take a step back, do something completely unrelated to preparedness for a while. While being prepared is important, so is your well being and sanity.

Over time, you’ll create a habit out of getting prepared. Take it one step at a time and don’t try to rush ahead, especially if you can’t afford it. Take a breath and do what you can, when you can.

Just do the best you can, because that’s all we can do.

You got this!

See you on day 31! (the last day!)