As a parent I want to be around to see my children grow up, to enjoy life with them and maybe even watch them have children of their own. Sadly, some events close to home recently have made me think about this a lot and given me a kick up the bum to reassess a few things in my life. A lack of a work life balance and everyday stress has led me to not be fully enjoying the precious time that I do have and this needs to change! I’ve already written a break up letter to my phone and I plan on making a few more lifestyle changes over the next few weeks and months.
Nothing changes in a day and I’m not going to put so much pressure on myself that the changes don’t happen. I’ve decided on some goals and made sure they are SMART so specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound.
Drink more water. I love fizzy drinks and would happily drink diet coke all day. I’m pretty sure this isn’t very good for me though and I’m not a massive tap water fan so I need to try and figure out a way I will consistently drink more water. Any ideas welcome. I’m aiming for 5 glasses a day so I can still have coffee and the odd fizzy drink.
Have at least two nights off a week. I’ve cracked the one night and now I want more. With Teaching part time and wanting to spend my days off with Ava and the boys I spend my evenings doing blog work which leaves NO time for myself, or time with James. I need to get better at my time keeping and organisation to be able to do this which leads me on to.
Use my Bullet Journal. When I use my bullet journal it makes a big difference to my productivity levels and also reduces my anxiety. When I first started using it I was put off by trying to make it pretty and thinking it was taking too long. Recently I’ve been quickly jotting things down for the next day the night before and it helps to clear my mind. I also love crossing things off a list and my brain dump page is now my favourite. I want to consistently use my bullet journal for a month so it becomes a habit.
Exercise. I have been going to a Yogalates class once a week which I really enjoy, BUT I don’t go every week and if I don’t go I don’t make up for it. I feel so much better when I exercise so I’m aiming for twice a week, a class and a gym visit.
Do more things to make myself happy. Months ago I wrote a non negotiables list a list of things I would do to make myself happy, with the idea that always giving to everyone else and never taking time for myself means I have nothing left to give. Unfortunately I haven’t been very good at doing the things on this list and so during this next month I want to tick them all off.
I’m hoping these five goals are achievable for me during October and to hold myself accountable I will be coming back and writing about how I got on next month. Who knows, I may even be able to set myself some more goals.
There’s no sure fire way of predicting the future but I’ve had a go at this lifestyle habit quiz, the death clock, which predicts the amount of years I can hope to have left before making any lifestyle changes. It will be interesting to see if that number increases.
What lifestyle changes would you like to make, if any?
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.