Work was super busy this week, and after missing Monday due to illness, I spent all week double timing it to try and keep up. I will say this though, I was 10 times more productive this week without any side interruptions. I emailed shortly back and forth I believe once with a friend, but I killed it pretty quickly when I realized it. Otherwise, no slip ups on the internet, and no side tracks to TV at home.
One thing I am noticing though this weekend, is as I am winding down to the end of the trial, I feel my discipline slipping a bit. Sort of 'I have done so well, just a small look at this shouldn't matter'. I would like to finish strong, so just need to stay on top of everything. I think being worn out mentally from work, and physically from being sick, I want to 'reward' myself by easing up on my rules a bit. My ultimate goal though was to make it 30 days, and not 'almost' 30 days....so just need to remind myself of that.
There is also the fact that one person who sort of laughed and said I would never make it around day 4, will be at a function I am attending next Saturday. It would be great if I could show up and tell her thank you for the extra jolt of motivation that first week, it helped me greatly. I don't intend on saying that in a mean or sarcastic sense at all, I truly do want to thank her. I think a lot of folks do not believe in pushing their discipline, maybe because they do not see it as something one can truly improve. I would like to be able to offer her a new perspective on the matter, so she understands that anything is possible if you truly want it.
Even though I didn't know what exactly I would wanted from this year, outside of knowing I wanted to tackle quite a few 30 day challenges, I believe I have put the pieces together. One frustrating aspect I have brought up time and time again, both internally and in discussions with my husband, is that I KNOW all the right things to do, but I have lacked the ability to put them all into motion. I know what to eat that makes me feel better, I know what to do to help clear my mind up, I know how to stay in shape based on my bodies needs, I know what I am capable of at work, and I know what I am capable of if I put my mind to it at home and career wise. But I have always struggled to get everything firing at once. I have always pushed each piece forward, usually one pushing in front of the others, only to fall back later to a different focus at that time, and so forth. It seems sometimes that I am crawling forward, flopping back and forth, two steps forward, one and a half steps back.
The clarity I have felt in this 30 day challenge made me realize something. Its not that this year is my '30 day challenge' year, more so that it is the year of learning the discipline to put in place all the knowledge I have gathered the last few years. Using the 30 day challenges will just allow me to put 100% focus on one area of my life, and by the end of the 30 days, the habits and discipline formed will carry me forward towards the ultimate goal. The challenges will be my tool to feel more in control of what I want and know I can do.
Also, in consideration, I almost believe I need to go overboard on my goals in each 30 day trial, so that when it is complete, even if I back down a bit on whatever I was trying to accomplish, that level is still a large improvement and is easy to maintain. Example, this 30 day unplugged, I could have very easily allowed say an hour of TV now and again, or some internet time on the weekends, and probably would have been just as productive. But after going 100% unplugged like I have, it almost feels like a very minor allowance of internet and TV relaxation would be an indulgence, and that is what I want. It will be very easy for me to maintain a high level of control after this extreme version of being unplugged. I am excited for the year, this should be a lot of fun.
I have put some consideration into my upcoming challenge that will start on the 16th. It includes daily meditation, getting up at a set time 7 days a week, and daily yoga/exercise. Going over this challenge, the meditation and yoga will take up about 90 minutes of my daily routine. With me waking earlier each day, truly only 45-60 minutes of my current schedule will be devoted to this challenge. It almost seems like too easy of a challenge, if I consider how many hours a day I gave up of average internet and TV time this month. This concerns me from several angles, one being I do not want to default back to too much plugged in time, I need to keep myself busy. So I am weighing an addition to this program, but haven't decided what my strategy is yet. I still want to stay very focused, and would like to keep my goal very clear and not spread out with too many tasks. The meditation and waking time tie together because my best time to meditate is in the early morning, and in order to do that, I need to wake up at a regular hour so I have time to complete meditation before work. The yoga and exercise tie to the meditation for me, because especially the yoga, helps to clear my mind greatly and get my energies flowing freely which will help my meditation.
I am having some food issues at the moment, after being ill earlier this week my entire digestive track has crashed. So maybe I can tie some food cleansing with the meditation and yoga and still stay focused on an achievable goal. If I tackle food intake, it will have to be 100% laid out so I do not deviate or spend more hours researching a subject I already have confidence in. Another angle I may take is tying in a work goal at the same time. It will require me to maintain my no personal internet or email at work which is a good follow up to the 30 day currently, but on the flip side, does not necessarily tie into the yoga/meditation theme very well.
I have another week to decide, next weekend I will be preparing and laying out my plans in detail for a start on Monday, so many things to consider in the meantime. Note to self, need to get another alarm clock this week.
Day 22-26 Results:
- Work Productivity -High (very happy with my productivity)
- Home Productivity - Med/Low (sick and sore have taken there toll)
- Energy about challenge - High
- Physical Energy - low
- Mental clarity - High
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