“Everyday do something that will inch you towards a better tomorrow”
Warning- I’m probably the worst person to admit that adding some discipline or straight up routine has benefited my life. You see, I’m an old school Aries (if that’s a thing) and we don’t deal well monotony or routine well. So when I started this 30 day challenge last year I didn’t want to share it until I had some results or at least something to warn you to never try! Even though it’s been an entire four months, I really wanted to make sure this was working before sharing with you guys.
I Started Waking Up Earlier
I typically would get up around 6:00-6:30, which might seem early enough. But what I wanted was some time before my typical day would start. So I incrementally started setting my alarm back 5 minutes a week until I was at 5:30. I wanted an extra hour to myself to get some reflection and reading time in. This also meant an earlier bedtime and limiting Netflix or mindlessly scrolling on social channels before I went to bed. Guess what, I still get at least 8 hrs of sleep a night, which is actually a lot more than the 5-6 hours I was previously getting if I “accidently” stayed up late watching just one more episode of a season I was binging.
I Started expressing gratitude and affirmations
Sounds easy right? Just express gratitude when you wake up and then at night before you go to bed and set some intentions or positive affirmations for the day. In this busy, overwhelming world we live in, the time to take care of our families, jobs and put the phone down for the whole 5 minutes to do this exercise can be easily forgotten. Then I bought the The Five Minute Journal. It literally takes me 3 minutes in the morning to read a positive quote, express the main things I feel gratitude for that day and set an intention or goal. In the evening, another 2 minutes to reflect on things that went great and what I maybe could have handled or done better. I have a rule that I don’t touch my phone until I complete my 5 minute journal in the morning or after I complete it at night. I can’t say how much clarity and peace of mind the consistency in this simple exercise has brought. Also, I’m not trying to sell you on the book, it’s an easy exercise you could do in any journal or notepad. I just found it to be an easy, convenient tool to keep me on track.
1 Hour a Day for Personal Health and/or Development
I know, for you busy mom’s and dad’s out there and hour a day seems like A LOT. However hear me out- it doesn’t have to be in one continuous block. Some morning’s I read articles or books on topics that benefit my personal development for the entire hour. Other days, I might read for 20 minutes and dedicate the rest to walking the dog or getting in some exercise. Other days- self care with a bath and/ reading or listening to a podcast. The reason I wanted to get up earlier was to start my day with this personal development, to get a little something in before the rest of my world gets started. I’ve found doing this helps me prioritize my day and consistently helps my wellbeing, happiness and productivity. Also, I tracked the hour, it gave me an idea of areas that weren’t balanced in my life- sometimes too much reading and not enough exercise so you could look back and tweak things accordingly throughout the week.
So that’s it- Three Simple Things that have changed my life. I feel energized, motivated and way less stressed than I had before. I don’t have many resolutions this year than to stay dedicated to my little routine and carry it on regardless of where I might be in the world or how busy it gets. Sure I need to probably drink more water, less wine and maybe have the patience to meditate- all in due time. It’s all those inches that add up to miles in the long run.
