Oh, Hi there!
Wow, has it been a while since I’ve been on here. It’s bad, I know. With all of the nonsense going on in the world around me I got a little side tracked. I’ve been working on trying to get back into a groove and I’ve got to say it is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Trying to find a constant routine that keeps me motivated and actually wanting to do something, anything, during the day has been tricky. Especially because everyday around here is different. On top of that, now that we are inside of this massive tent it makes it hard to keep track of time and weather. We really try to make an effort into going outside and seeing the blue sky and getting a breath of fresh air. It’s sort of a running joke on who makes it to “the outside” on a daily basis. I have found a little trick, sort of, that has helped me find my new routine.
I keep a journal with me, and have for a couple years now, and recently I have found it has been an amazing source of motivation for me. To be completely honest with you I didn’t do much with it for March, April or May. Just very, VERY basic sort of layouts with the month a quote and a small calendar (with a theme for each moth of course… I wasn’t completely boring). I don’t know how many of you are familiar with bullet journaling, but for those of you who don’t know it is a notebook that you set up yourself and can use it for daily, weekly or monthly planning or as a creative outlet, diary or really for whatever you want. I have a friend who has used it for all of the above and for note taking for her classes. For me though, I use it as a creative outlet, to track my daily habits and as a monthly calendar (which I use to keep track of important events for the month). The part about it that I really want to focus on though, is the habit tracking aspect. This is where I have been getting some motivation. The habits that I am tracking this month are pretty basic, but sometimes you need small victories everyday. I track things like making my bed, eating breakfast, physical activity (notice how I said “physical activity” instead of “work out”…
I don’t know very many people that really love to workout… I digress), leaving the yard, and reading, which help me take on everyday with my head held high. I love seeing a tracker completely filled in, which gives me the motivation to actually complete the daily tasks that I have laid out for myself. With that being said, no I don’t do every task everyday. I try to but there are even some days where, 1) you need a break or 2) you honestly don’t feel like doing it. But, I try and give myself one task everyday that 9.5 times out of 10 I know that I’ll do it. For me, that’s making my bed. Even on the weekends, I like to make my bed. I like the way it looks and I like the way it makes me feel, plus a made bed makes me less likely to want to crawl back into it. I think the most important thing about setting short term goals like these is that they are attainable. There is nothing worse, in my opinion, than feeling completely defeated by your own hand because you set a goal that you knew, deep down, that you wouldn't be able to achieve. Like I said, sometimes you just need small victories.
For this next bit, I am sort of letting you take a little peak into my journal, which is very personal and I hold very close to my heart…
Every month I give myself a little “diary” section where I can write my thoughts and feeling in. I know I just said it was a “diary” when I am fully aware that what is just described is a diary, I just really don’t like that word… Anyway, this month I tried something a little bit different which I am actually quite enjoying. I have separated out this section into five different subsections:
Personal- here I write down general thoughts and feelings
Relationship- here I write specifically about my relationship
Boat- here I write about my feelings or the progress on the boat refit
Something New- here I write down new things that I learn
Gratitude- here I write down things that I am grateful for in my life
In previous months I haven’t left myself very much space to write, for some reason, and I didn’t want one entry to take up an entire page. So, with this new system I can document different parts of my day or week and not feel like I need to write a novel to do so. Plus, these sections really make me focus on specific pieces of my day. In light of trying to keep my outlook positive and to assist in keeping my motivation up, it was important for me to have one section be very specific to things that make me happy and lift my spirits, things that I am grateful to have.
I’d love to hear what you all are grateful for and what is keeping you all motivated to do something, anything during the day, or if you have something that you would like to share that you think might help someone else get up and move! Leave a comment on the Facebook and/or Instagram post associated with this blog to start the conversation! I will link both pages below!
Thanks,
Syd