Whoop, I fell off the wagon pretty hard and bumped my head there. Or at least, I’ve been living my life a little differently recently.
I didn’t keep up with my resolutions for even a minute in September because I left my laptop behind while I traveled.
September seeped into October and my laptop stayed home. You guys, I didn’t even make a resolutions chart for October.
In turn life vanished, quite happily. I saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It really leans. I saw Stonehenge. It’s really old. There were the Greek islands and a gorgeous part of Sicily. Kotor. Tallinn. Helsinki. Cleveland. City to city to city.
For six weeks, I wandered and didn’t track my resolutions. My workout score plummeted. I have no idea on the numbers, but I’m definitely softer around the middle. Meditation fell to the wayside. Maybe I made eye contact with people, but honestly, who even knows?
I didn’t keep track.
I imagine this is how most people live and it’s a damn fine way to do so. It’s rather delightful to drift at times. Let’s have no to-do list and see what the day decides.
For a while, anyway. I’m home and ready to get back on the discipline and routine train. It makes me think I’m leading an intentional life.
Here are my November resolutions
1. Work Out
I played racquetball with my friend in Cleveland, lifted weights occasionally on the cruise ship, sometimes at a hotel. Every day, I walked 10,000 steps. I think.
It’s so unsatisfying.
I miss my hard numbers. It makes a huge difference for me knowing I’m keeping track somewhere that isn’t nowhere.
2. Meditate
I meditated perhaps a quarter of the time over the past two months. That might be an exaggeration. We’ll never know.
3. Nanowrimo
I did this last year and found it quite fun and want to do better this year. Write 1,667 words per day on a novel. Let’s start book number six.
4. Writing Time
I’m going to record my writing time. Hopefully it forces me to open my laptop.
5. No electronics in the bedroom. Keep phone in other room.
The phone can be an addiction if you let it and I have certainly let it the past couple of months.
6. No weed.
I quit smoking marijuana! I was feeling a little addicted and decided to see if I could abstain for a year.
A six week trip is a good way to start and I’m nine weeks in now.
7. No sugar.
I would like to reharden my middle.
8. Floss
This is an easy habit to keep up with when I’m being mindful and an even easier habit to not do at all when I’m being mindless.
9. Duolingo
It’s been months, you guys.
10. Tackle a nagging task.
I know I’m a huge dork, but I love making the nagging tasks list. Get out of my head. And onto my paper.
Want to make a resolutions chart with me in November? What are your resolutions?
Remember, everything will be okay when you’re okay with everything.
Just wanted to say that I started with resolution charts a few months ago. And I love it! Made me a better/healthier person.
Keeping the numbers or the green colors up in these charts, is weirdly motivating me to “just do” these things I frequently skipped before the resolution charts.
Well, not all of the time, but most of the time. I am still too lazy for a sixpack 🙂
Thanks for putting me on the right track!
You have no idea how happy that makes me!
I made a resolutions chart in October, but my results were poor. I have all of the right items on the list and will continue to work at improving.
I did Nanowrimo many years ago, maybe 10 years ago now? It was so much fun, but it weirdly quelled my desire to write. Or, maybe it changed my desire to write. There was something about completing the challenge that felt like enough somehow. At the time, I was very unhappy with my job and there was a recession on, so finding a new one was tough. After Nanowrimo I decided it was finally time to go to law school. So maybe Nanowrimo taught me that I could achieve hard things.
Oooh, I love the takeaway.
Sounds like you were living…
Love your monthly resolutions, but despise the word “resolution.” “Evolutions” might be more appropriate.
I want to try Nanowrimo… but not yet.
Keep rockin’
Hi Anita – long time reader first time commenter – just curious as to why you decided to quit weed? I am in a similar boat in that I am trying to cut back since it has been a frequent habit over the last several months. It basically kills any productivity. Have you felt any different since quitting? I am always looking for perspective.
Love the blog – keep on writing!
I’m writing a longer article on this, but I quit because I was feeling addicted and was smoking too much. I’ve noticed since quitting that my productivity and desire to write has plummeted. Weed shuts off the voice in my head that hates me. It’s been hard.
Ah interesting. So was it more of a dependence you felt more than any negative side effect – at least my understanding of your situation. I have noticed that while it makes me kind of lazy and unproductive it did wonders for my creativity whenever I was writing anything. So maybe there is a happy medium here??
It hurts my lungs and throats, also, and I’m trying to be as healthy as possible.
How about habit chart?
Do you think you will ever get back into being an attorney?
I have no idea. Some days, yes. Most days, no.
Oh, you visited England!
We could have had a cuppa and would have loved to meet you!
Please try next time you’re in this neck of the woods…
I thought about putting my travel itinerary on my website to see if people wanted to meet up, but didn’t for some reason. I should have! A cuppa sounds delicious and British.
There is always a Next Time!