Looking back on January…

 

I thought it might be fun to create a theme for each month of this year, partially inspired by Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project.

I do like a new year’s resolution but to be honest they are usually based on ‘should’, rather then ‘could. So, this year, perhaps because we were in another lockdown, I took the time to consider what I would like to achieve, what impact could be gained and how I could bring in change with as little pressure as possible. So, January was the month of Routine & Possibility.

My ‘bible’ for this month has been James Clear’s Atomic Habits, and my plan was simply to create a strong routine for both my days and my weeks. By starting small, making it easy and stacking habits together, I now have a few practices I am happy with and whilst I continue to do them, they will remain habits.

For example, here is my morning ‘habit-stack’:

Get up, weigh myself, clean my teeth, put the dogs outside, make a hot water and lemon, write two sides of a notebook, update the Noom app, take the dog for a walk.

I started with just three things (get up, clean my teeth, and walk the dog) but then I added on the other bits and it was so easy to do.

Similarly, I have started tracking my habits by colouring in (hand-drawn) squares in my diary if I complete three exercise classes a week and fit in three types of self-care. I cannot leave those squares uncoloured. I just cannot. Sometimes I get to the end of the week, and one or two of the self-care boxes are empty, so there I am in the bath on a Saturday lunchtime or watching a film on a Sunday afternoon.

Working alongside my theme for this month, I attended an interview with Shahroo Izadi who wrote The Kindness Method and completed another module of my Time Management Course. Being so driven by my diary and To Do lists, scheduling everything has helped me stay on track and I cannot recommend it enough. I have even kept up to date with my CBT classes on emotional eating (normally, I use the catch-up week to realise just how far behind I have fallen).

So, all in all, a good month, and a solid foundation to work from. February’s focus is to rejuvenate.

I interpret that to mean sleep, strength, and growth...