9.23.2025

The Four Habits of Well-being

My wife came up with the idea of the Four Habits of a Day a couple months ago while I was wrestling with how to finish my paternity leave well.

I had a finite window of time before returning to work, and I was pulled in so many directions. I wanted to rest and sabbath, knock out a long list of house and yard projects, explore a few personal hobbies, and of course, soak up time being “dad” to my girls and our newborn son.

How could I do all these things in just a few short weeks?

The honest answer? I couldn’t.

And for someone like me—driven, goal-oriented, and energized by progress—that was hard to accept.

This simple reframe shifted everything:

What if, instead of doing everything, I simply did something meaningful in four core areas of life each day?

The Framework

It was an idea simple enough to stick and flexible enough to apply beyond just this short season.

And it became a framework I refer to as the Four Habits of Well-being.

Here it is: Do one intentional thing in each of these areas every day: Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual.

Addressing each one consistently brings balance, presence, and a sense of alignment between your actions and your values.

Some of my Four Habits

Here are some of my core habits:

Physical

• Going on a run or walk

• Taking the girls on a bike ride

Mental

• Reading a book

• Writing or creating

Emotional

• Having a heart-to-heart with my wife

• Journaling

Spiritual

• Reading Scripture

• Prayer

• Journaling what God is teaching me

What could this look like for you?

Big Idea

Reject Addition: Don’t add more if you’re already doing enough. If you’re already going for a morning run, that’s your physical habit for the day. If you regularly read before bed, consider that part of your mental practice.

What I’m reading

**Just a heads-up: this post may include some affiliate links, so if you make a purchase, I might earn a tiny commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, I only share books & resources that I personally use and love!

Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer

On the Road With Saint Augustine by James K.A. Smith

What I’m listening to

Practicing the Way Podcast Luminary Interview: Andy Crouch

Quote for reflection

From Sheldon Vanauken in A Severe Mercy:

If there were a choice…between, on the one hand, the heights and the depths and, on the other hand, some sort of safe, cautious middle way, he, for one, here and now chose the heights and the depths.

Take care,

Mark