NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS AND GETTING ORGANIZED

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"The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine."

For as long as I can remember, I have set New Year’s Resolutions that I have (surprise, surprise) not been able to stick with. Things like losing 20 kilos or cutting out caffeine. This time around, I thought I might take a different approach. Again on January 1st, I made 13 resolutions, that I will endeavor to work through, however, already just three weeks later, I realise how hard it is to get these larger goals into play. So today I have started to break down my resolutions into mini-resolutions.  I took a photo, which is a habit I’m trying to start (I want an album with the whole year in it). Rather than saying that “I am going to cut out caffeine”, I have made the commitment at the beginning of each day to give up caffeine for ‘today’.

Today I made a commitment to make my bed before I started any work. I made this goal and felt good about it. So again, as my partner would say: start light then slowly build to a great height!

So far, I’ve come up with about 50 mini-resolutions. Some of its stuff like “remember to floss” and “drink more water.”

Some Ideas for helping with good routines:

  1. Get a juicer. Make a fresh juice every morning. It’s a fantastic way to start the day.
  2. Don’t buy anything ready-made. Get into a routine of making what you eat yourself.
  3. Buy seasonal; an extension of this is to buy products that are both local and do not use carbon-intensive farming techniques.
  4. Start a recipe blog. Cook from it at least 3 x times a week.
  5. If you want a good way to save money, then choose a note or coin and ensure that every time you get one you don’t spend it, but put it in a savings pot. For example, a $2 coin or in my case, simply 5 cent pieces.
  6. Getting up really early, and go out and do something. Walk the block. Take photos. Go for a swim. Learn to rollerblade. It’s hard doing a long project, and it’s natural to want a rest, so have a defined start and end date so you don’t wear yourself out, and then try something else.
  7. My thing is to try and learn a new skill each year. I’ve learned lighting and sound technical, Guided Imagery, The Art of Illusion, Improv Theatre and taught myself to play Saxophone. This year I am going to learn drumming facilitation! I can’t profess to be an expert or keeping things up, but each time I’ve been rewarded tangentially - finding new friends or a new perspective on things.
  8. Spend ten minutes a day cleaning my room. When I stick with it, I’m much happier.

Daily

  1. Breathing exercises. Take a minute to do some deep breathing.
  2. Have a grateful thought (or 2,3,4 or 5).
  3. Say thank you to someone, and share a smile.
  4. Go for a ten-minute walk.
  5. Wake up ten minutes earlier.
  6. Stretch.
  7. Do some pushups. (Another of my goals this year)
  8. Write a short journal entry.
  9. Take ten minutes after work to lie on the couch with a warm compress on your eyes.
  10. Wash the dishes.

Weekly

  1. Clear your inbox.
  2. Eat out alone. (could be a picnic)
  3. Balance your accounts.
  4. Donate five dollars to a charity.
  5. Go vegan for a day.
  6. Play a game.
  7. Go to a new place.
  8. Do some indulgent body thing - a facemask or a self-pedicure.
  9. Sweep and mop!
  10. Empty out your junk drawer/basket.

I have certain days of the week when I do certain things, so I know they will be done at least weekly. Because trash day is on Thursday, Wednesday night I empty all the little trashcans in the house and clean out the old food in the fridge. Sunday I do laundry. Saturday I go grocery shopping. Just imposing a set routine - and remembering to stick with it - helped keep all my resolutions in order, and kept them from falling by the wayside.