Welcome 2018!
- Rachael Mora
- Jan 17, 2018
- 5 min read
I’m not a resolutions kind of person, but I’m approaching 30 and starting to try “adulting” for real. I had a pretty stressful fall – big work stuff going on, my mom had surgery, we stayed really social and did a ton of traveling (which was amazing! But also tends to take its toll when there’s no time to decompress). After a big work project went live I crashed - I was able to rally for an amazing holiday season with the families, but it made it clear to me that something had to change for my stress management going forward.
I have a habit of FOMO plus slight workaholic tendencies making me constantly busy, with to do lists a mile long, never actually accomplishing all the things, then vegging out on wine or tv to take my mind off of what’s outstanding, or going out with friends and relying on distractions to keep me from feeling the stress. That’s all well and good until it’s not – so while I don’t take resolutions as a super strict thing, I’ve been incorporating a few habit changing things this year and can already tell a difference.
I’ve been focusing on changes in two areas:
Physical
Taking care of your physical self has such a significant impact on how you feel overall. Not only do you feel better physically (less headaches, more awake, etc.), you feel SO MUCH BETTER emotionally and mentally by cutting out crap. Some of the physical changes are me being totally bandwagony and picking random things to cut out, but it does make you feel more in control! Some of the physical changes I’ve tried to incorporate are:
Cutting back on the booze
I love a drink, but using it as a coping mechanism isn’t a good thing and my body gets more tired overall. I’ll still have a drink, but cut it off after that for now and less frequently – I’ve had maybe two drinks since New Years Eve?
Cutting back on coffee, cutting out soda, & switching to tea
I don’t know that I’d say I have a huge coffee problem – but between coffee at work & diet soda, I get a lot of caffeine. I went down to one cup of coffee a day (my “treat”), switch to tea after, and cut out sodas entirely. Cutting out the sodas was harder than cutting out coffee, more because sodas are a habit for me and not having them is odd to get used to, but it’s getting easier. I’ve also been slowly but surely cutting down the insane amounts of Splenda I put in my coffee which has also been easier than I thought.
Eating healthier
Again – not a super “Strict” type of thing. But what you put in your body really does affect how you feel, both physically and emotionally. Eating lighter and healthier food fuels your body and makes you feel less crappy overall. I usually get a headache a week or so, and have noticed that less and less.
Going to bed earlier
This can be really hard to stick with, especially when you have a spouse and two pups and stuff going on (Why does the night seem to speed up after 10:00pm??). But we’ve definitely made an effort and I’ve noticed a difference in how much more awake and productive I am.
Mental
Physical habits have been easier for me to incorporate because with mental stuff I tend to get bored with the more common types of self-care. I can’t focus or meditate, constantly distracted, even when I’m not thinking of stuff I need to do I’m thinking of something – planning a floor plan, multi-tasking, thinking of lists – it’s hard to turn off. But some of the mental changes I’ve tried to incorporate are:
Bullet journaling
One totally random but huge thing has been bullet journaling. I work in software development and have kind of an obsession with apps, I manage almost all of my life without using paper. I got a planner for Christmas and randomly read an article on bullet journaling and decided to give it a shot, with the full intent to migrate to managing it in trello after getting the hang of it. But I have really loved it – something about having to re-write these tasks when you don’t just get them done really helps to motivate me, and it feels so great to actually mark stuff as done! Maybe it’s the novelty of it being a new thing, but it’s been easier than I thought to stick with and I love organizing with a physical planner – who would’ve thought?
Reading
I also got a kindle paperwhite for Christmas and have already finished a book! I have always loved reading, but owning and carrying around paper books never happens and I don’t read like I used to. It’s such a great way for me to relax – like I mentioned, I have trouble turning off my mind. Reading gives my mind something to do, but also relaxes me and doesn’t have anything to do with lists or tasks or stress – so it’s perfect!
Cleaning
A clean space makes a big difference. My house is still not always perfectly in order, but I’ve been trying to pick up more and keep it nice. Especially with such a small space, picking up that little bit of clutter makes a huge impact!
Emphasis on Habits: Less cursing, less complaining.
Cursing or complaining make me a more negative person overall. Complaining leads to me cursing because I’m stressed out. I’m trying to avoid useless complaining – everyone needs to vent a little, but it’s shouldn’t become a focus of my day. When something annoys me, I’m working on trying to let it roll instead of venting about it.
Honestly about my scheduling
I overschedule and overcommit. I love being with friends, going to events, doing things, but I’ve had to learn that I need to take some time for me and respect my needs. If I don’t feel up for something, I need to listen to myself and stop pushing myself in too many areas. I still love my friends and am working on fun ways to see them, but I’ve started saying no to every invite and its felt really good.
I seriously love these changes. It sounds like a lot, but honestly hasn’t been bad and I’ve felt more relaxed overall.
Some tools I’ve used to help my progress:
Productive: I have habits set daily and did pay for the premium so I could have more than 4 habits. I literally put “Replace coffee with tea” and “Don’t curse” as habits so that I can remember those things every day. Just that quick reminder in the morning has helped me really stick with these changes! Check out the productive app here!
Bullet Journal Companion App: I’ve only used the companion app a little bit, but there’s a daily reflection I want to start getting more into and using. Bullet journaling can seem so overwhelming at first, but just starting with the signifiers and trying to write things down has been helping. I’m sure I’ll keep getting better and assuming I continue using the method I’ll post about it sometime! Right now I still use my trello board for big picture/longer term stuff but for the daily/weekly workload and task management I’m using my physical planner. Read about bullet journaling and the companion app here, and check out the app in the iTunes store!
Kate Spade Yearly Planner: I started out bullet journaling in a blank notebook, but since I got this planner for Christmas and it's gorgeous I decided to use it instead! I use the signifiers and the margins to manage weekly tasks, and it's been great for helping me get started and stay organized with a little less prep work each week. Besides, I love Kate Spade everything and it makes me think of my sister who gifted it! Check my exact planner out here!
So here goes nothing - organized and adulting in 2018!
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