New Week's Resolution - Week 27 (Apr 28 - May 4)

nossmf
nossmf Posts: 14,323 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: 14,323 Member

    Getting setup for this week. 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 because 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 successfully transitioned to un-monitored habit:

    Floss every night before bed
    Clean litter box every night before bed
    Kiss wife within one (1) minute of arriving home from work, gym, store, church, etc
    Wearing my glasses every day, all day
    Park in furthest spot available
    Read 10 minutes daily
    Wash dinner dishes the same night they're used
    Get at least six hours of sleep every night
    Check parakeet water daily
    Record receipts same day spent
    Wash hands before preparing ALL meals
    Spray down counter/oven after every meal
    Fold laundry same day it gets washed
    Shave daily

    Tasks completed thanks to this weekly challenge:

    Complete digital cookbook
    Clean outdoor grill

    Ongoing focus items:

    Stretching 10+ Minutes Daily
    Flossing daily

    New focus item:

    Not only do I need more time to make the stretching automatic, but I realized I've been backsliding on my commitment to daily flossing. Time to return to the focus-item status.

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 14,323 Member

    Monday

    Stretch…check!
    Floss…nope…not a great start to the week lol

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 14,323 Member

    Tuesday

    Stretch…check!
    Floss…check!

  • AdahPotatah2024
    AdahPotatah2024 Posts: 3,360 Member

    Ongoing focus items that are not quite habits:

    - attempt at using all the groceries I have w/ zero waste..
    - Cook only 3 good meals per week with enough leftovers for 2 days (Restaurant on Thursday/pizza Sunday)
    - organizing books, clothes, and papers and donations after decluttering

    *prioritizing hobbies that include quality time with friends and family, especially daughter( a little less time spent on solitary activities I enjoy atleast for the next few years)*

    Busy this week at work, so just a few easy organizing goals. I'm working on going through all the unused linens, blankets and towels this week:) AGAIN

    ✔️all i have left is to put some old vacuums on in the shed til I can donate or throw them away- organized all closets upstairs and a big one under the stairs yesterday!

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 14,323 Member

    Wednesday

    Stretch…check!
    Floss…check!

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 14,323 Member

    Thursday

    Stretch…check!
    Floss…check!

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 14,323 Member

    Friday

    Stretch…check!
    Floss…check!

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 14,323 Member

    Saturday

    Stretch…check!
    Floss…nope

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 14,323 Member

    Sunday

    Stretch…nope
    Floss…check!

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 14,323 Member

    Final tally for the week:

    Stretch: 6/7
    Floss: 5/7

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