Thursday, March 12, 2015

Marching On


Woah.

Would 2015 just settle the hell down?  Why is time travelling at like super-morph-speed this year?  What's it all about?



Last month (feels like yesterday) I wrote about a few goals I had for the month of February.  Well February has come and gone and faster than I can say "Where did the last thirty days go?" and here we are a good way into March.

Holy Guacamole Batman, how did that happen?

So I thought it was time to take a little stock.  To touch in and and see how I did with last months goals and look to adding a few for this month.

(I think really it's just my way of trying to slow things down a little, to take a breath, to stop and reflect.)

I had four goals for February.  Here's a recap and and update on them:

Give Up Alcohol


I totally nailed this one.  Nailed. It.  It's mid-March and I haven't had a drink since Feb 1.  Of course all good things must come to an end and tonight I'm out for dinner at a girlfriends place.  Hello wine!  Although, I have to say given how much I enjoy drinking I found this one way easier than I thought I would.  I give myself an A+.  Job well done.

Drink More Water


I did super well at this for a few weeks, but lately I've been a little slack.  This is so me.  As soon as I feel like I've got something down it's like I take my foot off the peddle and things just grind to a halt.  So I need to focus on this one a bit more.  For this goal I give myself a B-.  A good start, but room for improvement.

Exercise Four Times Per Week


Hmmm.  This was always my most ambitious goal for February.  And I have made progress, so I'm not going to call it a fail.  However I am still struggling to get in four exercise sessions per week.  I have added a 6km jog to my weekly Group Training Session, so I'm half way there.  But my son is conspiring against me getting to the Bikram class I am coveting by insisting I drop him off late to kinder, pick him up early and read him a gazillionty stories in-between.  Hey.  I'm not going to complain.  A big part of the reason I gave up working was so that I could do this stuff.  And next year: School.  So I'm enjoying it while I can.  Hot Yoga will still be there. Until then I'll keep up with my two sessions per week and look for other opportunities to fit in some extra exercise.  I give myself a C.  Solid effort, could do better.

Be in bed by 9:30pm


Funny, I thought I'd only be doing this one for a week because who can be in bed by 9:30 every night?  But seriously the more I slept the more I realised I needed more sleep.  Add into that equation a few middle of the night wakes ups for various reasons (I'll spare you the vomit-in-the-bed details) and suffice to say I could continue aiming for this one from here to eternity.  Will I ever catch up on my sleep?  I give myself an A.  Good job.

That's where I'm at with my February goals.  And here's what I've learned.  Sleep is a problem.  Even when the kids sleep well I don't.  I can only blame a snoring partner for so much.  I'm having fitful sleep and having real trouble getting back to sleep once woken.  It's not fun.  And I'm pretty sick of waking up feeling tired.

So here's what I've decided to do about it.  These are my March goals.

Give Up Coffee


I've been amazed in the last year at how addicted I have become to coffee.  I have gone from having the occasional decaf when I've been at a cafe to NEEDING a coffee in the morning and then often another in the afternoon.  I have finally had to admit that my caffeine consumption is quite likely affecting my sleep, so it's had to go.  The first couple of days were hard, but I drank lots of water and now I have become obsessed with low caffeine chai.  Yum.

Meditate


I know that Meditation improves sleep.  I know this.  And yet I have persisted in putting off meditating because I am waiting for some perfect lifestyle in which the time for meditation is just going to open up and present itself.  But let's face it.  That is a mirage.  I have had to admit that I am a meditation snob.  I think of silent sitting meditation as "proper" meditation, and I tend to view guided body scans or visualisation meditations as somehow less worthy.  Once I admitted to this snobbery and began to give up on it, it helped.  A lot.  Because while I struggle to find two 20 minute sessions to sit in silence during my day I find it really easy to meditate for 40 minutes in bed before drifting off to sleep and another 40 minutes when I wake up in the morning before the kids wake up.  So in this way I am finding more time to meditate than I ever thought possible and I am seeing the benefits already.  Only a week of meditating this way and my sleep has improved already. So has my mood.  I am less angry and my anxiety levels are down.  Why, when we know something is so good for us, so integral to our wellbeing do we put up so many road blocks to doing it?  Crazy.

My last goal for March, because remember I still have to keep up a couple from February too, is around writing and computer use.

Internet Free Time


You may have seen me banging on about my computer use and how to balance it on this blog and various Social Media platforms.  And no, the irony of this is not lost on me.  But for the past three weeks I have disconnected each weekend from bedtime Friday to getting home after school and kinder drop off on Monday.  And this has been great.  I think I have finally found the perfect way for me to find balance in my computer use.  This month I want to work on extending that time so that on Mondays, when the kids are at school and kinder and I have some time to myself I actually focus on writing, not social media engagement, checking my Facebook feed and posting on Instagram.  But actual Writing.  I made a secret declaration to myself that this was to be my year of fiction.  And as yet I have done precisely nothing to make this happen.  Except for the very awesome thing of having a short story published at Lisaberson.com.  That was pretty cool!  But let's face it, if I want to get more of this type of thing done (I do!) then I need to prioritise writing time.  So my aim for March is to continue my weekend computer sabbatical and continue it into Monday, devoting Mondays to writing, rather than interacting.

You know what's good about writing these goals out here?  And I do thank you for indulging me.  But what is great about it is that I get a real sense of what I am taking on, what I am expecting of myself.  And a real sense of whether it's realistic or not.  So I still have some goals around blogging and good eating that I haven't addressed yet.  But I can see from this list that I have given myself quite enough to go on with.  So they can wait until April.

Because in any case, with time moving as fast as it is right now, April will be here before I know it!

How are you going with your goals for the year?

10 comments:

  1. Silly iPad! Tried to leave a comment earlier but obvs it didn't work. Anyhoo you did a totally amazing job for February, especially the no alcohol. I think meditation is key. Everything else seems to fall into place when you have a sense of calm, balance and contentment. Good luck for March!

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    1. Oh Deb, thank-you so much for persisting. You are so right - meditation is key! Hope you have a great weekend. x

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  2. Go Kate ! I love this monthly goal setting thing you have going on. I applaud your Feb efforts and am looking forward to hearing how March goes - no coffee ?!?!? Now, THAT, I would struggle with. Would love to hear about your meditation techniques.....maybe a post one day ? I get so easily distracted during my (lame) attempts at it but it is something I know would benefit me greatly so I would love some tips. Brilliant running effort - 6km is something to be proud of ! x

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    1. Thanks Ing! I know, I'm liking this monthly goal setting too - especially since I just stumbled upon it with not actual plan! So typical. Even my planning is haphazard. Lol. Thank-you for asking about meditation tips - I will do a post about it - just for you! Actually I have been toying with the idea of a Meditation eBook, so your comment my just be the push along I need to get going on that. x

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  3. Wow Kate, super inspiring to set monthly goals, I am definitely copying that idea. I totally agree with our common madness putting up roadblocks to things we KNOW are good for us. Nuts. I quit sugar recently and it has totally changed my ability to both fall asleep and stay asleep deeply. I miss sugar but I like my rest more!!!

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    1. Ahh, the "I Quit Sugar Movement" I am so afraid of this idea - mainly because it feels for me like all roads are leading there, like I really don't want to do it, but maybe I really need to do it. It's just, I cannot imagine my life without sugar. What would I actually eat? Thanks so much for the comment Amy, lovely to see you here. x

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  4. Great work with your goals, Kate! I love the sound of the internet-free time goal for this month. That's definitely something I've been thinking of lately myself. Good luck with them all! x

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    1. Thanks birdandfox! If you've been thinking of disconnecting, I highly recommend it. I am loving the regular offline time. For me it's a keeper. But you could also just do a one off weekend away from devices. Or a semi regular weekend a month. It's SO worth it! x

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  5. Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah for you! I love some goal setting and I love your goals but yes me too on the IQS thingy although I did eat a lot of lovely sugar-laden cake for my Birthday last week and I didn't care one tiny little jot! Ha! But....quitting sugar is not that bad you know, well not if you don't eat too much anyway, if you are stuffing chocs down your neck every night (which I suspect you are not) then it might be a touch difficult :)))) xxxx ps. sorry for long absence in doing anything, we have had one cold after another, after another, I feel rotten - the nursery curse is well upon us :(

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    1. Oh whatever gave you the impression I am not gobbling chocolates every night? In fact that is exactly what I am doing, and many an afternoon too. This is precisely why the thought of quitting sugar scares the bejesus out of me. Hope the illnesses abate soon - eventually you will all build up killer immunity and never get sick again. Or something. x

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