Jump to content

Menu

What new habits or goals did you cultivate successfully this year?


Ginevra
 Share

Recommended Posts

2 hours ago, Jaybee said:

I have read 42 books so far, but a lot of them were empty calorie books rather than productive growth-producing books. I haven't lost any weight, and it is much needed. I'm not exercising regularly, though I started a few times.

Had you thought about combining the two? I'm not so coordinated, but many people read and use a treadmill or elliptical or recumbent bike at the same time. And maybe if you put FITNESS books into your list for the year (like one a month), you'd stay pumped? 

Here's one I just requested from the library

                                            Glute Lab: The Art and Science of Strength and Physique Training                                     

and this will help you feel good while you're doing that treadmill/bike/whatever time

                                            Runner's World Running on Air: The Revolutionary Way to Run Better by Breathing Smarter                                       

and another you might like 

                                            Delavier's Sculpting Anatomy for Women: Shaping your core, butt, and legs                                     

ok, I hadn't seen this, but it looks pretty popular

                                            Thinner Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Female Body                                     

Good luck! :biggrin:

PS. The other way I convince myself to do cardio is with movies/tv, but that doesn't help your book reading goal.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Jaybee said:

Well, I'd love a treadmill, but we can't afford one right now.

I don't know your budget, but January will be a good time for used fitness equipment on craigslist, hahaha. That's where I got mine. Super high end will be maybe $200 or 250. More normal machines are often $100-ish. At least around here. But they go fast so you have to hawk.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Jaybee said:

Well, I'd love a treadmill, but we can't afford one right now. And I might would fall off of it if I tried to read at the same time. Maybe a fitness book or two might help. 

Our Y has a sliding scale for affordability and scholarships. You could apply, see what happens. They aren't all that way, but ours is. We have some big community donors, so it helps. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is such an inspirational thread!

I decluttered, cleaned, and reorganized my house over the summer.  

I did not: get enough sleep, lose weight, or make any meaningful professional progress.  And homeschooling has been very up and down.

2020 is going to bring some major adventure, and my only real goal is to try and make the most of it all.  Well, I'd also like to do better at getting more sleep.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, just as an aside, in terms of being inspiring, could we ever have a more beautiful year for making radical progress in our lives than 2020? Such a beautiful, symmetrical number! Just try out the beauty of that number:

1. “I published my first book in 2020.”

2. “I got my graduate degree in 2020.”

3. “I moved across the country in 2020.” 

😁

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This year I started doing yoga. I needed to do some exercise, but I hate exercise. It needed to be from home and something I could enjoy. In April I found “Yoga for the Inflexible” on Amazon Prime, and amazingly enough, I stuck with it, I started out with 3x/week, but at the beginning of November I upped it to 5x/week. They are very gentle, 15 minute videos, but I have seen an increase in flexibility and balance. And Julia always tells me she is glad I am there at the beginning and that I did a great job at the end, and unfortunately, that is sometimes the only affirmation I get throughout the day.😂. I’m pretty surprised I am still doing it, since I have a lot of trouble keeping up with new things like that.

  • Like 4
  • Thanks 2
  • Haha 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, KrissiK said:

This year I started doing yoga. I needed to do some exercise, but I hate exercise. It needed to be from home and something I could enjoy. In April I found “Yoga for the Inflexible” on Amazon Prime, and amazingly enough, I stuck with it, I started out with 3x/week, but at the beginning of November I upped it to 5x/week. They are very gentle, 15 minute videos, but I have seen an increase in flexibility and balance. And Julia always tells me she is glad I am there at the beginning and that I did a great job at the end, and unfortunately, that is sometimes the only affirmation I get throughout the day.😂. I’m pretty surprised I am still doing it, since I have a lot of trouble keeping up with new things like that.

I think when moderators thank you for participating, it’s very affirming, much moreso than it seems like it would be to have a voice on an iPad or whatever telling you nice things. 

Both the meditation and yoga apps I use include some type of thank you for sharing your practice type of thing and I admit, I do like that acknowledgement. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/1/2019 at 4:58 PM, Quill said:

What about you? 

 

Move never been great about setting long term goals. Generally I make short term goals that impact long term and so it works, but it’s generally a , “How can I tweak what’s not working?” 

My food and nutrition habits have changed significantly. It started around March/April and I can’t believe how well I’ve stuck to it. It was big for me. I’ve always been health conscious but this was a huge change - adding in a ton of greens and completely cutting dairy and grains.

i have t thought about the coming new year, just the new semester. I’ll be working on a project I’m fervent about and with a professor I’m eager to work with, thus I need to make a plan to carve out time to write. I’m open to suggestions! I think perhaps your idea of getting up before the hubby might work well, but I know I’ll wake him. 😞 My kids are very early risers and I’d love to change that, or at least modify how mornings go. I want a slow, reflective morning and it’s the polar opposite of our lives.

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Jaybee said:

Well, I'd love a treadmill, but we can't afford one right now. And I might would fall off of it if I tried to read at the same time. Maybe a fitness book or two might help. 

 

I do a little walking every day that I can.  It’s relatively low cost (except shoes and such wearing out faster).   (I have a dog who walks with me, which isn’t low cost, but also isn’t critical to being able to walk for most people.) 

I play audiobooks while I walk

 

If you haven’t read it I recommend Atomic Habits.  One principal of making things work is to do even a tiny bit toward a desired activity  (such as get dressed to exercise, even if you don’t yet do the exercise) as a first step can help.  Action.  

 

Jump rope also can be a great low cost fitness booster!  A good jump rope can be gotten for probably $25 or less.  A decent starter one for around $10 probably. 

And Or home tai chi and or yoga from YouTube 

Edited by Pen
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Quill said:

I think when moderators thank you for participating, it’s very affirming, much moreso than it seems like it would be to have a voice on an iPad or whatever telling you nice things. 

Both the meditation and yoga apps I use include some type of thank you for sharing your practice type of thing and I admit, I do like that acknowledgement. 

 

👍

No exercise program I’ve tried that I’m aware of does this, but it sounds good to me.  

I wonder if it would be possible to make an affirming recording for oneself and if that would help accomplish any number of things.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This was a very successful year for me. I’ve lost 37 pounds since January. It started with consistent gym workouts in Jan. In May, as my school year wrapped up, I did the Whole 30 and started working out 5 days a week. During the fall semester I have continued to work out 3-4 days a week and kept my diet in check about 80% of the time. I’m doing another round of W30 in January, right before I start nursing school. 
 

I am proud of my accomplishments this year. My main goal is to maintain my healthy habits through nursing school. 
 

My most recent habit added is skin care. I invested in Rodan and Fields for myself and I’m trying to take the time to do more and more self care. 

  • Like 11
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought of one more big goal I accomplished this year. I wanted to go backpacking this summer.  My son spends a week at a camp in the Tetons, and I wanted to go backpacking with dh and dd18 during the week of the camp.  My husband is a big outdoorsman, but had spent the year away from the mountains - I thought it might be healing to be completely outside of civilization and enjoy the peace of the forest and mountains. 

It took some big planning and preparing through the spring, and there were some things that came up that made it seem like we would have to cancel, but we did it!  We camped a couple days before and the night after, and backpacked for 4 days.  It was so hard and I was underprepared for the climbing, but it was incredible! We camped at a glacier fed lake and at the most beautiful stream.  We purified our own water and ate freeze dried meals (most were really good, one was terrible).  

I don't think dd quite appreciated it as a graduation trip, but I hope she will look back on it as an awesome adventure! 

The backpacking trip was in the middle of a whirlwind of craziness, and I had almost forgotten about it.  I need to make a little photo book of that adventure!!

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Jaybee said:

This has been a floundering year for me. I'm disappointed in myself. I have read 42 books so far, but a lot of them were empty calorie books rather than productive growth-producing books. I haven't lost any weight, and it is much needed. I'm not exercising regularly, though I started a few times. And so on. I don't like the lack of discipline I have shown this year. I'm struggling with working, because now that I've been doing it almost two years, I'm just not a fan, lol. When I come home, I'm tired and only want to waste time on the computer or binge-watch something. So I haven't really accomplished much this year. That's not the way I want to live, so this thread is a good wake-up call. I hadn't even thought about it until you asked the question, Quill, and now I'm thinking, "Wow, I need a kick in the pants and some goals!"

On the bolded, that's still a lot!  I managed to reestablish and maintain a reading habit a couple of years ago (kids are out of the house now, so I have more time to read - but I also need the intellectual stimulation!)  What I've found is good to help me be more intentional with book choices that have some nutritional value (to continue your metaphor 😉 ) is to keep a running to-read list on Goodreads.  My paper lists would always get lost, or would get unwieldy, or both.

As to your other goals, I'll echo what others said about adding one habit at a time, and even a little progress is progress.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm another doing atomic habits.  It has been so helpful to focus on small things.  Having a baby again and ADHD I really am loving making changes tiny bits at a time.  Check the garbage and recycling on the way out of the house and have a kids grab it.  Empty the dishwasher while my kuerig warms up.  Go to the gym after dropping kids off at school the time o have is shorter but it gets done a a 20 min workout 4 days a week is better than a 60min once or twice.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, peacelovehomeschooling said:

I saw your post before you edited it and just want to send you lots of good thoughts and well wishes.  2019 has been an incredibly hard and painful for year for me.  I am more than happy to see it go.   I say this to let you know you aren't alone.  Hugs...

Many thanks. Only the last 2 months of 2019 were horrible. Hoping that 2020 is better.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, regentrude said:

Yes, it is 🙂

So awesome that you wrote something! Care to share? pm? 

Sure, I’ll pm you later today...heading out to a job interview this morning. 😬

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Quill said:

Sure, I’ll pm you later today...heading out to a job interview this morning. 😬

 

Rah! rah! Rah! Go, Quill! 

(ETA: that’s a cheer!   Also “good job moving forward.  Thank you for your participation.”  🙃. ) 

Edited by Pen
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/3/2019 at 2:13 AM, Jaybee said:

Well, I'd love a treadmill, but we can't afford one right now. And I might would fall off of it if I tried to read at the same time. Maybe a fitness book or two might help. 

 

Audiobooks are my go-to for exercise.  I listen to them while running, walking, and doing heavy housekeeping.  

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Pen said:

My newest good habit: I’m learning simple Cat - Cow  yoga routine as my start to the day.  Habit stacked.  First I Cat stretch then I... 

...take a nap? That’s what my cat does. 

  • Like 1
  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/2/2019 at 5:21 PM, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

Oh, I forgot to mention my big fail: inviting each set of neighbors near us over for a meal in my home.  We got swamped with huge gardening projects for our food forest and didn't follow through with new to us neighbors because we were exhausted on weekend evenings, so we just hung out a few times with neighbors we were more familiar with.  So, new to us neighbors get put back on the list for 2020. 

We had a neighborhood party this fall, which we hadn't done for a number of years.  We had about 25 show, and they were happy that we set it up.

I've gotten back in the habit of reading personal growth books for me and for work.  Trying to become the motivator at work.  Big job even for a small business.

 

Edited by Tina
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, I have an idea...I’m a little bit afraid to commit to this because I may soon be FT employed, but wouldn’t it be fun, for the new year, to have a monthly habits and goals check in thread on here? To sort of keep reminding ourselves of our goals and habits and boosting ourselves and each other with encouragement for the habits established and goals met? I’m envisioning it as a thread on the last weekend of each month. People could pop in and out; I wouldn’t mind someone joining in at any time or if someone misses a month or two. (I may miss a month or two myself.) 

What do ya think? 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, ThatBookwormMom said:

I would participate in something like that! I love the monthly threads around here. It's a wonderful way to have some accountability and encouragement.

How did your interview go?

The interview was fine, although sort of weirdly formal. It was very different from any interview I’ve ever had; it reminded me of what I think a PhD defense is like. It was a panel of people, who asked me specific questions in a specific order, and then they gave me a proofreading test and left. So I don’t really have any idea how they felt about me and, other than knowing I scored perfectly on the proofreading test, and another question for which I saw the scoring system, I really have no idea how soon they will get back to me, if at all. 

I have another interview for a job I consider more desirable next Wednesday. So I’m hoping I will get to pick between two offers. The interview yesterday was down in the city, which I’m not keen on that commute. The interview next week is about 15 minutes from my house and accessible through back roads if traffic is bad. It is also less than ten minutes from ds’ school, if I should need to get him in an emergency, so that would be great. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Quill said:

The interview was fine, although sort of weirdly formal. It was very different from any interview I’ve ever had; it reminded me of what I think a PhD defense is like. It was a panel of people, who asked me specific questions in a specific order, and then they gave me a proofreading test and left. So I don’t really have any idea how they felt about me and, other than knowing I scored perfectly on the proofreading test, and another question for which I saw the scoring system, I really have no idea how soon they will get back to me, if at all. 

I have another interview for a job I consider more desirable next Wednesday. So I’m hoping I will get to pick between two offers. The interview yesterday was down in the city, which I’m not keen on that commute. The interview next week is about 15 minutes from my house and accessible through back roads if traffic is bad. It is also less than ten minutes from ds’ school, if I should need to get him in an emergency, so that would be great. 

 

I hope you get that next week one!  

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...
On 12/3/2019 at 5:56 AM, Quill said:

Also, just as an aside, in terms of being inspiring, could we ever have a more beautiful year for making radical progress in our lives than 2020? Such a beautiful, symmetrical number! Just try out the beauty of that number:

1. “I published my first book in 2020.”

2. “I got my graduate degree in 2020.”

3. “I moved across the country in 2020.” 

😁

Saw this thread got bumped and was perusing, and stumbled across this post, and thought, wow, this one didn't age well... when people think 2020, no one's going to think 'what a beautiful symmetrical number'... 😂

Radical progress in our lives in 2020 ended up more like

- learned to make sourdough 

- learned to sew triple layer masks 

- went the whole year without wearing structured pants...

  • Haha 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reading my post from last year stings a bit!  I did make teeny tiny, itsy bitsy baby steps in directions I had hoped to despite pretty much the whole year being a dumpster fire.  Do we get to pretend that we would have had the year we wanted and achieved all our goals had we not gotten the 2020 we did? I think I’m going to try that perspective on, lol.

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/1/2019 at 5:14 PM, Quill said:

I do a Word for the year, too and my word this year has been Strength. I know what word I want for 2020, too: Brave. 

I have done the word for several years and I love the way it truly dovetails with my experiences for the year! 

And in some ways, you have to wonder - does it dovetail, or does being mindful of a direction, in a single word, drive you?  I suspect the latter.  I've held tight to the same word for several years - Equip.  Even before the diagnosis and I have to tell you, it's a word that drives me as a mother.  But, now, a few years in, I'm sorting through the "beyond the kids" because, well, I've not run out of time.  I love the concept of Stewardship and it resonates deeply.

On 12/2/2019 at 7:57 AM, Ausmumof3 said:

 

next year I really want to get the read aloud with kids habit going again.  I was really sad when I was tidying books and realised I’d never read most of the golden books to youngest kid and he’s now 7.  We have read books but they’ve been school books not just because books.

 

 

This has been a big deal for us lately too - the rereading of favorites because while the olders and the middles have heard them, the littles have not.  I too realized I hadn't been through several "important" books and began reading heavily aloud last year again.  You'll be so happy.  If you have not yet read Green Ember, start there. Oh my heart. ❤️ 



I need to make myself write.  When I was taking writing class after writing class, it was so easy.  I knew I needed to stay up when everyone was asleep and make myself do it.  But, it's not that easy now.  I don't like the Chromebook and I don't like our current computer desk.  I need a plan that works with my wheelchair and is quiet... But I haven't hit upon the solution yet.  I tend to work backwards from the goal - what do I want to do? What do I need to do to make X happen?  

What have I stuck to? I've made a lot of dietary changes in the past two years and most of it has stuck. 
We increased our read aloud time.  Now I want to record those books.
I've been writing.  I want to do it without the imposition of a class assignment and a deadline in 2021.


I'm realizing I moved chapters.  Gone is the time of having littles.  I stopped taking naps at some point and I'm not sure there was benefit.  If I nap, would I stay up and write? And it makes me wonder what other habits I've not revisited that could change now that it's a different season.

*If the teens were driving, it would change life drastically.  All three of the drivers have moved on and we have not taught the next two to drive sufficiently. (Each needs 40 hours of documented driving plus a driver's ed course.  We're about 25% through with one.)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/2/2019 at 10:46 AM, wintermom said:

Things I've managed to fit into my new routine without too much pain (that's my form of "cultivating new habits" this past year) 😉

- taking public transportation and dealing with the annoyances without complaining too much

- working at a new job in a completely new field and navigating the experience to the best of my ability

- figuring out what helps my on-going health issues, with a big change being going gluten- and dairy-free. This is a big "new habit" that is easier some days than others. It's going to be brutal in many ways during the Christmas season with all the upcoming parties. I won't be eating much. I'll have to deal with it in a positive way.

- driving around my dh and dc even more that before, at all hours of the day and evening

- HIGHLIGHT: making a big effort to walk with friends as much as possible. This is working out well and it's such a positive part of my life.

Wow, can't believe how much life has changed since last December. 

- don't have to take public transport as I no longer have that lovely job. 😪

- still gluten- and dairy-free, and it's going well. The toughest is eating away from home while travelling.

- not much driving my dc around as most activities are not going because of covid

- lots of walking happening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/2/2019 at 7:13 PM, Jaybee said:

Well, I'd love a treadmill, but we can't afford one right now. And I might would fall off of it if I tried to read at the same time. Maybe a fitness book or two might help. 

Try Wahl's.  Following it reduced my weight so drastically I had to break the diet.  I had NO idea my body would respond like it did.  I have never really tried to lose/gain weight in my life.  And she does a decent job of "Figure out Your Why."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/1/2019 at 8:52 PM, PeterPan said:

The only thing that has miraculously transformed my clutter life, well two things.

1. a VERY SMALL desk. Seriously. Best thing every. Gets full faster so I have to clean it more often. :biggrin:

2. spiral notebooks. I write everything, so I end up with tons of paper all over life. I've had to expand the concept to spiral notebooks in the kitchen, spirals at my desk, spirals for conferences, spirals for projects, etc., but you get the idea. Never ever loose paper. I'm trying notebooks (Better Binders) this year, but I'm being more cautious. I'm only trying that for menu planning. Everything else is in a spiral notebook. That way, if it's not in my spiral and it's on my desk, I know it needs to be dealt with and tossed. Bills file or go paperless. But everything else, toss.

Interesting about the spiral notebooks--I basically stumbled on this idea this year as well. I have a planner I use that shows a week at a time, so it's good for jotting down appointments, but I was always writing out my daily schedule and tasks on random pieces of paper or post-its. Now I use a small notebook-one page per day. If I need to take notes I just write on the back of a page. I feel so organized. And I've been able to use up a bunch of random journals I started using for other things as well. That's probably how I got started, now that I think about it--there was an old journal sitting around and I didn't want to go buy more post-its. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...