New Week's Resolution - Week 6

nossmf
nossmf Posts: 11,798 Member
in Challenges
Welcome to the first week of the rest of your life! Now seems like a perfect time to select a New Week's Resolution.

What is a New Week's Resolution? It's exactly the same as a New Year's Resolution, with two important distinctions: it only lasts for one week, and you can start one any time you want, rather than just once per year.

So what's wrong with New Year's Resolutions? According to some quick Google research, just one thing: they DON'T WORK!
  • 23% of people quit within the first week
  • 43% quit by the end of January
  • 80% quit by mid-February
  • 92% fail to make it a full year
Why such high rates of failure? Probably because most resolutions fail to follow these simple steps from the SMART method:
  • Specific - "exercise more" is vague; "hit the gym twice this week" is specific
  • Measurable - did I go twice? Yes or no?
  • Achievable - "drink a gallon of water per day" may not be realistic; drink 8oz is
  • Relevant - if it doesn't matter to YOU, why bother?
  • Time-bound - keep your goal for this week something quick you can reach THIS week
With these thoughts in mind, what is ONE thing you want to do this week? Some examples may include:
  • Hit the gym two times this week
  • Cook a meal from scratch three times this week
  • Go to bed no later than 10pm every night
  • Limit myself to one alcoholic beverage this week
  • Finish two pages of my family photo album
...and so on. While this is very similar in nature to the famous "Just Give Me 10 Days" series, that challenge focuses primarily on weight loss and diet control, whereas this challenge is of a broader nature, including interpersonal relationships, home improvements, health and fitness and more. Just pick something specific you wish to focus upon, set a number goal you can reach (or not), and make status updates to document your progress. This will be a judgment-free zone: if you do not reach your goal, take the time to figure out why not (too big a goal, life happened, etc), and forgive yourself, because you can always try again next week.

Replies

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,798 Member
    Getting setup for this week. (A little later than past weeks, I never got online Sunday, old laptop plus new security updates don't always mix well.) My plan is to continue what I started in previous weeks, and add one more focus item every week as I go. Eventually older items will drop off the list, not because I no longer want to do them, but hopefully they will have become so ingrained a part of my daily routine that I no longer need to record them to make sure they get done.

    Past focus items:
    Floss every night before bed
    Clean litter box every night before bed
    Get at least six hours of sleep every night
    Wash dinner dishes the same night they're used
    Kiss wife within one (1) minute of arriving home from work, gym, store, church, etc

    New focus item:
    Wearing my glasses every day, all day - Rationale: my optician prescribed glasses for me after I saw her about needing reading glasses. But instead of just readers, she gave me trifocals and said I should be wearing them full-time. Now, I wore glasses from age 12-29, heard every joke under the sun growing up, hated the way I looked, the whole thing. At age 29 I got PRK, one of the best decisions I've ever made, and enjoyed better-than 20-20 vision for almost two decades before my near-sight started to fade with age (I'm 47 now). So the idea of going back to wearing glasses full-time is something I have been resisting unconsciously, putting them on only to read but otherwise going without. Not to mention the trifocal thing has me constantly twisting/angling my head all around to find the sweet spot for focusing, which is leading to neck cramps, a general grumpiness at how my peripheral vision is impacted, and an ever-so-slight sense of dizziness for a few seconds whenever I don/doff them. I know these issues would disappear if I actually committed to wearing them, and I do have to admit that I see better with them (for most things). So here's the deal I'm making with myself: I will wear them full-time, with the exception of gym time and anytime I'm outside in bright sunlight (the downside of PRK is extreme light sensitivity, and these trifocals are not automatic darkening).
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,984 Member
    welp, i was just thinking last night, that this 'bit of focus' has helped me get going again with thngs that had dropped away - helpful things that just displaced because I was not intentional about and life interruptis intruded...

    sometimes we are on a roll and we slowly start slipping - almost without notice until poof, we're not and things are a struggle again.

    focusing on 1 thing over the last 4 weeks, has helped me re-establish these routines and habits that were in place when I was on a roll. I realized last night that I am back on a roll again with them, and it is feeling easier instead of a struggle. So, I'm ready to tackle 1 next thing... hmmmm.... what. Will ponder a bit.

    Wk1 bed on-time, with an hour to wind down
    wk2 up on time
    Wk3 adding 20 min movement to morning routine before shower.
    on-going
    Wk4 veggies @ breakfast

    Wk5 - pondering anything to add. Ongoing with wks 1-4

    In the US, it is a major holiday week - growing up, most of the week was an eatfest, pre-holiday treats, all day feasting followed by feasting on leftovers through the weekend - with intention to restart 'the diet' on the following Monday - which actually rarely happened and some years, the feasting, treats and parties continue from this week through the end of the year.

    I think this week, my focus will be to practice intentional eating - with thought about my food choices. How does it fit in. Do I want to relax from 'weight loss level of calories and bump up to maintenance level of calories. Is this truly special, that I want to 'add a few extra calories with this item, this meal?' And how will I handle the actual day of the feast - a rare and special occasion with reasonable approach all things considered?

    Ok, yep, that's it...

    Week 5 - eat with intention, consider my options, my approach, make a thoughtful choice.

    Thanks for another challenge @nossmf


  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,798 Member
    Monday:

    Floss...check!
    Litter...check!
    6 hrs sleep...oops...only got 5
    Dishes...check!
    Kiss...check!
    Glasses...check!

    Multiple times I stood up quickly and had to hurriedly grab the desk to avoid toppling over as my inner balance tried to catch up with what my eyes were telling me. Hopefully that disappears soon, but it's another good reason to NOT wear my trifocals during gym time...
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,984 Member
    yep! Check! (although going thru the holiday ads before we pick up our turkey and last fresh items for the holiday feast - it really ignited the 'i wants' - so really conciously pondering what I will eat instead of random sampling... lol... Pie, definitely the pumpkin pie... a good meal at the feast, and I think I'll leave off the all day grazing in-between the meals. Why am I drooling thinking of this? LOL - silly brains! :D Glad we have the challenge :)
  • AdahPotatah2024
    AdahPotatah2024 Posts: 2,341 Member
    edited November 26
    ✔️✔️✔️ Art, learning courses, and short films so far this week, but just 15 minutes or so as my daughter is out of school.

    Going to add to this to post at least 1 item per week for sale online.

    My ultimate goal is to be able to make about $500 more dollars per month from art which is, I think, somewhat realistic.

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,798 Member
    Tuesday:

    Floss...check!
    Litter...check!
    6 hrs sleep...check!
    Dishes...check!
    Kiss...check!
    Glasses...check!
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,984 Member
    Check :)
  • AdahPotatah2024
    AdahPotatah2024 Posts: 2,341 Member
    This is a tough week for even 15 minutes...I'll start again next week!
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,984 Member
    Week 5 - eat with intention, consider my options, my approach, make a thoughtful choice.

    check
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,798 Member
    Wednesday:

    Floss...check!
    Litter...check!
    6 hrs sleep...check!
    Dishes...check!
    Kiss...check!
    Glasses...oops...went straight from gym to run errands, didn't get home til late afternoon, remembered glasses at bedtime

    Thursday:

    Floss...check!
    Litter...check!
    6 hrs sleep...check!
    Dishes...check!
    Kiss...check!
    Glasses...check!
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,798 Member
    Friday:

    Floss...check!
    Litter...check!
    6 hrs sleep...check!
    Dishes...check!
    Kiss...check!
    Glasses...check!
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,984 Member
    Check
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,984 Member
    Check
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,798 Member
    Friday:

    Floss...check!
    Litter...check!
    6 hrs sleep...check!
    Dishes...oops...company in town for the holiday, epic card game for hours knocked aside all thoughts of dishes
    Kiss...check!
    Glasses...check!
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,798 Member
    edited December 1
    Wrong thread...
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,798 Member
    Sunday:

    Floss...check!
    Litter...check!
    6 hrs sleep...check!
    Dishes...N/A (ordered pizza for dinner)
    Kiss...check!
    Glasses...check!

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