Inspired by this TED Talk by Matt Cutts, I decided to replace New Year’s resolutions with 30 day challenges. OK, I may still have some aspirations for 2019 deep down, but officially I am doing 30 day challenges to try new things and build good habits for a healthier, happier, better rested me.
For January, I completed a 30 day challenge of doing yoga every day. I am proud of myself for not skipping a day, even though this month included international travel. I kept the standards pretty easy so it was sustainable; my goal was to do at least 10 minutes of yoga every morning. I ended up doing a 15, 20 or 30 min video on YouTube on most days, usually Sara Beth Yoga, sometimes Yoga with Adrienne.
No need to espouse the benefits of daily stretching and exercise, I’m sure. I didn’t see any radical transformation in 30 days, but it was nice to just get into a regular routine and I hope to keep this habit up (until it really becomes a habit and I see results). But technically I’ve already met my goal because I completed my 30 days. Yay success! Yay little wins!
Funnily enough I ended up not getting in my morning yoga today, maybe my body subconsciously realized the 30 days were up. And now I have the weight of havingtodosomethingwhenIgethome hanging over my head. (I say 30 day challenges but these are actually monthly challenges.) Lesson learned as I move into the rest of the year–whatever the challenge is, get it done early.
That said, I’m 99% decided that February’s challenge will be to get up early every day. How early, I have the rest of the day to decide/commit.
Tip for anyone who wants to do something similar. Keep visual track of the days you complete your task, ie. X off the day on the calendar. Once those X’s start to add up, the pressure of “don’t break the chain” is a decent motivator.
A wonderful sheep 