It’s the last month of the year, and I was at a loss to choose a single habit. Many of the habits I have tried through my 30 day challenges over the past year needs some reinforcement, so I thought it would be good to spend a month making those habits stronger.
In some cases, I have let things fall by the wayside, and I am looking to restart them. In some cases, it is a matter of making sure that they are happening as often as I can manage, and to challenge myself to do better.
Here are the habits of the month:
- Exercise. I need to reinforce the movement during the day. I am still sitting too much, and I want to take advantage of two pieces of technology to make me feel better: my Fitbit notifications to move, and my standing desk.
- Planning. My days just go better when I have a plan. Especially when it is a reasonable plan and not one that will freeze me in my tracks from overwhelm.
- Spending Freeze. I am enjoying not bringing tons of extra stuff into the house, and I’m enjoying the junk-less existence. But I want to make sure that I don’t break this all during the holidays by buying quantity over well thought out gifts.
- Touch It Once. There are two places where things end up as a partial backslide on keeping clutter down. The first is my dresser, and the second is the kitchen table. I will do my best to touch things once and get them in the place they need to be.
- Early Morning. I am still struggling with the early morning routine. My goal is to really get into the habit – and make it super rewarding – to get up early.
- Bullet Journal. I don’t need reinforcement on this one – I’ve been using my Bullet Journal steadily since the beginning of the year. I want to keep it strong, and look forward to buying my new journal for the new year!
- Saying No, Completing Tasks. I won’t do a life reboot this year, but I need to spend time on two things: saying no and completing tasks to get them off my plate. The holidays are usually terribly busy for me as I get drafted into performances. This year I will say no. And I will finish projects off so that I have time so relax and start things I enjoy.
Why?
You may ask why I am tackling all these things at once. If they were brand new habits I was trying to form, it would be foolish indeed! However, most of them are established, and just need a good brush up. I want to make sure that the things I chose – thinking they would make the biggest difference – are solid before I move on to a new year of challenges.
The Rules
The rules that I implemented at the beginning of each of the challenges still hold. It’s a reinforcing time, rather than an expansion time, and I don’t want to add anything in. The rules are fairly simple, just as the challenges were. You can refer back to the original challenge articles if you want to see the specifics.
What I Hope To Gain
I hope to firm up what is wobbly, acknowledge what I do well, and make sure of these habits I have chosen. I still see the value in all of them, and want to continue to keep them in my life.
Want to Join Me?
What have you worked on this year, habit-wise? Could you use a firming up? Join me. You can let me know you are with me by contacting me on Twitter (@LJEarnest), Facebook(@LJEarnest) or email (laura@lauraearnest.com)
