The Happy Hippy's progressive path of Immodest Moderation
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The Happy Hippy's progressive path of Immodest Moderation
Hi everyone, I'm a newbie - I've been listening to Reinhard's podcasts over lunch during the Easter holidays and have become thoroughly convinced of his principles and methods. I already knew about the importance of habit from reading the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_ ... ive_People) and had started making monthly resolutions this year after reading Gretchen Rubin's excellent Happiness Project book (http://www.happiness-project.com/happin ... -good.html). But I had faltered keeping them all up as it got to April and Reinhard's attention to detail and clear explanations helped me realise that I'd asked far too much of myself, with about 40 daily habits, all quite new and tracked as well. I've cut down to the bare bones of the best promises I want to keep and launched my own habitcal. I'm also thinking up funny names for these core behaviours and finding that astonishingly motivating just by itself. The community here seems really friendly and supportive and inspirational, so I'm excited to be joining in.
Thanks guys! Wow, just receiving your messages has motivated me more than reading tons of self-help things. Somehow being in the forum makes you part of a community, you know? And self-improvement becomes a much less lonely affair.
Well, I should do this properly I suppose: yesterday was good apart from one failure, 'Cuddlebunny', in which I try to hug 3 people a day - and I only hugged 2. Got to be strict! Today's not got off to a brilliant start but I'm dying to get all my greens done so I think I will by the end of the day.
Have a good day everyone! S xxx
Wow, just receiving your messages has motivated me more than reading tons of self-help things. Somehow being in the forum makes you part of a community, you know? And self-improvement becomes a much less lonely affair.Well, I should do this properly I suppose: yesterday was good apart from one failure, 'Cuddlebunny', in which I try to hug 3 people a day - and I only hugged 2. Got to be strict! Today's not got off to a brilliant start but I'm dying to get all my greens done so I think I will by the end of the day.
Have a good day everyone! S xxx
**Keep Hope Alive**
So today I got mostly greens, but...
- Funny stuff with 'Sleeping Beauty' (getting 8 hrs minimum of sleep per night) - even though officially I left myself 8 hours, we got woken in the middle of the night when my boyfriend's sister came in with a lot of her friends after a night out and woke us up.
- Red with Cuddlebunny - again only 2 people.
- Red with Active Hippy (running or yoga) - because I was in my boyfriend's house this morning and then didn't get back to my house until much later than expected.
- Funny stuff with 'Sleeping Beauty' (getting 8 hrs minimum of sleep per night) - even though officially I left myself 8 hours, we got woken in the middle of the night when my boyfriend's sister came in with a lot of her friends after a night out and woke us up.
- Red with Cuddlebunny - again only 2 people.
- Red with Active Hippy (running or yoga) - because I was in my boyfriend's house this morning and then didn't get back to my house until much later than expected.
**Keep Hope Alive**
Had to change my 'Pumpkin Curfew' (getting to bed by midnight) to a red because I actually got to bed at 12.25 last night. But, I didn't go further than that because I knew I'd have to qualify how much I'd gone over on here, so I had a reason still to hurry to bed.
Funny stuff with Active Hippy - switched running for yoga today because it was raining outside.
Keep smiling all!
Funny stuff with Active Hippy - switched running for yoga today because it was raining outside.
Keep smiling all!
**Keep Hope Alive**
Today:
Funny stuff with Sally Skywalker (going for a 5 min walk): did plenty of walking today but it was only with suitcase in tow travelling between places, not getting out on a relaxing walk.
- Failed to be an Active Hippy - neither running or yoga
- Missed the Pumpkin Curfew as it is now just past and I expect it to be a tiny bit later before I get to bed (maybe 12.15?)
- Definitely failed Sleeping Beauty - got maybe 5 and a bit hours' sleep.
Funny stuff with Sally Skywalker (going for a 5 min walk): did plenty of walking today but it was only with suitcase in tow travelling between places, not getting out on a relaxing walk.
- Failed to be an Active Hippy - neither running or yoga
- Missed the Pumpkin Curfew as it is now just past and I expect it to be a tiny bit later before I get to bed (maybe 12.15?)
- Definitely failed Sleeping Beauty - got maybe 5 and a bit hours' sleep.
**Keep Hope Alive**
Yesterday I failed in active hippy again, and in the pumpkin curfew. I think I got to bed at about 1am.
Today I have failed sleeping beauty so far as although I was in bed for over 8 hours, I was staying in a friend's bed and slept v badly.
In order not to dwell entirely on the negative, I should point out that I have an unbroken line of greens for Sally Skywalker and Photographic memory (photo a day) for a full week now, so I'm already on my way towards the 21 day club.
Today I have failed sleeping beauty so far as although I was in bed for over 8 hours, I was staying in a friend's bed and slept v badly.
In order not to dwell entirely on the negative, I should point out that I have an unbroken line of greens for Sally Skywalker and Photographic memory (photo a day) for a full week now, so I'm already on my way towards the 21 day club.
**Keep Hope Alive**
I'm pleased to say that the reason I haven't posted in a couple of days is that I got 2 days straight of complete greens. But yesterday unfortunately I slipped with sleep - for Sleeping Beauty (8hrs sleep) I got 7 1/2, and for Pumpkin Curfew although I tried really hard I was in bed by 12.10. It was still worth making the effort to get quickly to bed though since I have to write it up here and 10 minutes is hardly anything.
But yesterday unfortunately I slipped with sleep - for Sleeping Beauty (8hrs sleep) I got 7 1/2, and for Pumpkin Curfew although I tried really hard I was in bed by 12.10. It was still worth making the effort to get quickly to bed though since I have to write it up here and 10 minutes is hardly anything. **Keep Hope Alive**
Yesterday = all greens! Yay!
Had to change Pumpkin curfew to a red for Friday night as I got to bed at 12.02.
My flatmate Sam thinks this is too harsh but I know that strictness is the only way! Extreme moderation! And it worked because yesterday I was super determined and got to bed with thirty seconds to spare.
Funny stuff with:
- Skywalker - I have been walking for at least five minutes a day, but for the last three or so days it's been just in between places I'd be walking anyway, and I haven't really focused on the walking aspect. I'm not sure whether that will need reforming to be stricter... maybe I'll do 21 days of this level of compliance and then see if I can make it more.
- Photographic memory (a photo a day) - my phone was out of charge yesterday when I needed it so I took a photo or two on someone else's camera. To me this still feels like it counts.
Today I haven't meditated yet as I had a lovely lie-in, so I must remember to work it into the day somewhere.
Have a nice day everyone!
Had to change Pumpkin curfew to a red for Friday night as I got to bed at 12.02.
My flatmate Sam thinks this is too harsh but I know that strictness is the only way! Extreme moderation! And it worked because yesterday I was super determined and got to bed with thirty seconds to spare. Funny stuff with:
- Skywalker - I have been walking for at least five minutes a day, but for the last three or so days it's been just in between places I'd be walking anyway, and I haven't really focused on the walking aspect. I'm not sure whether that will need reforming to be stricter... maybe I'll do 21 days of this level of compliance and then see if I can make it more.
- Photographic memory (a photo a day) - my phone was out of charge yesterday when I needed it so I took a photo or two on someone else's camera. To me this still feels like it counts.
Today I haven't meditated yet as I had a lovely lie-in, so I must remember to work it into the day somewhere.
Have a nice day everyone!
**Keep Hope Alive**
Oops - fell slightly off the wagon yesterday... (but I'm not at all discouraged, don't worry):
- Pumpkin Curfew - had to finish my dissertation, and in the end was up until 4am to do it. :S It felt a little bit by that point that it didn't matter how late I got to bed (The What the Hell Effect) but I was able to remember that I'd have to post it here which helped me stay focused on moving directly to bed.
- Sleeping Beauty is therefore also missed up - today I got about 5 hours' sleep.
- I also sacrificed Active Hippy for my dissertation, not going for a run in the morning or yoga class in the evening. The good thing though is that I sorely missed them, which goes to show how I've somehow come to enjoy exercise!
- Most sadly, I can't be sure I hugged 3 people for Cuddlebunny - I could only remember 2, and being strict marked it a failure... but that broke a string of over a week! On the plus side several habits now have a good 14 unbroken days under their belt, so on to 21!
Today is the 1st of MAY! So it's time to choose one more resolution to add to the list... I have so many, it's going to be tricky, but being selective forces me to really consider and commit myself.
I'll also be deciding my Personal Olympics goals for this month.
- Pumpkin Curfew - had to finish my dissertation, and in the end was up until 4am to do it. :S It felt a little bit by that point that it didn't matter how late I got to bed (The What the Hell Effect) but I was able to remember that I'd have to post it here which helped me stay focused on moving directly to bed.
- Sleeping Beauty is therefore also missed up - today I got about 5 hours' sleep.
- I also sacrificed Active Hippy for my dissertation, not going for a run in the morning or yoga class in the evening. The good thing though is that I sorely missed them, which goes to show how I've somehow come to enjoy exercise!
- Most sadly, I can't be sure I hugged 3 people for Cuddlebunny - I could only remember 2, and being strict marked it a failure... but that broke a string of over a week!
On the plus side several habits now have a good 14 unbroken days under their belt, so on to 21!Today is the 1st of MAY!
So it's time to choose one more resolution to add to the list... I have so many, it's going to be tricky, but being selective forces me to really consider and commit myself.I'll also be deciding my Personal Olympics goals for this month.
**Keep Hope Alive**
I chose playing the piano once a day (or actually, the minimum requirement is just to sit down at a piano). It's called 'Tickling the Ivories.'.
I'm also going to decide my Personal Olympics goals, but if I do that now I'll be late for the Pumpkin curfew. I know they'll be about how many habits I can get to 21 straight days, as I need to build my compliance. But I'll set the figures for it tomorrow.
I'm also going to decide my Personal Olympics goals, but if I do that now I'll be late for the Pumpkin curfew. I know they'll be about how many habits I can get to 21 straight days, as I need to build my compliance. But I'll set the figures for it tomorrow.
**Keep Hope Alive**
Right, my personal olympics for May:
The event - habit forming
The finish line - 21 straight days performing a habit
The levels - Bronze: 5 habits reach 21 days
- Silver: 7 habits reach 21 days
- Gold: 9 habits (i.e. all of them) reach 21 days
I am confident that I can at least Bronze. One concern though, is that once 21 is achieved, I expect I won't care as much whether the chain gets broken. This is the problem with lots of goals I suppose - losing motivation once they're achieved...
Sally
The event - habit forming
The finish line - 21 straight days performing a habit
The levels - Bronze: 5 habits reach 21 days
- Silver: 7 habits reach 21 days
- Gold: 9 habits (i.e. all of them) reach 21 days
I am confident that I can at least Bronze. One concern though, is that once 21 is achieved, I expect I won't care as much whether the chain gets broken. This is the problem with lots of goals I suppose - losing motivation once they're achieved...
Sally
**Keep Hope Alive**
Total Greens
Oooooooooooooooooooh who's halo is shining then!
(I think I have done 21 straight days of Nos)
F xxx
(I think I have done 21 straight days of Nos)
F xxx
OK, so coursework is due in on Tuesday and as a result my sleeping resolutions have crumbled slightly:
- On Saturday got to bed by a bit after 1am, then was up at 7.30.
- On Sunday (yesterday) got to bed by 3.30am and was up today at 8.30.
Also not gone for a run today.
I'm expecting this madness to continue for tonight at least, but the end is in sight and I certainly haven't stopped sticking to my resolutions.
A sad thing was on Saturday when I failed to go on my 5 min Sally Skywalker for the first time since starting HabitCal, which also meant that I fell short of the 21 day mark by just 2 days.
( But! Back to building it up again.
- On Saturday got to bed by a bit after 1am, then was up at 7.30.
- On Sunday (yesterday) got to bed by 3.30am and was up today at 8.30.
Also not gone for a run today.
I'm expecting this madness to continue for tonight at least, but the end is in sight and I certainly haven't stopped sticking to my resolutions.
A sad thing was on Saturday when I failed to go on my 5 min Sally Skywalker for the first time since starting HabitCal, which also meant that I fell short of the 21 day mark by just 2 days.
( But! Back to building it up again.**Keep Hope Alive**
Well, I think it's fair to say that some of my resolutions have hit a rough patch. This is because a big monster called coursework totally ate up my life over the last few days, threatening everything else I spend my time on. However, the thing which made it bearable was that it was finite, and as of 2pm today the coursework is gone, submitted, done and dusted.
So I can get back to normal, which I'm really looking forward to, because not only have I not gone for a run over the last couple of days but yesterday night I got no sleep at all. Sleeping Beauty is not happy about this and in a very stroppy mood, and I have been a pumpkin for coming up to 24 hours now. So - to bed, immediately! Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep...
So I can get back to normal, which I'm really looking forward to, because not only have I not gone for a run over the last couple of days but yesterday night I got no sleep at all. Sleeping Beauty is not happy about this and in a very stroppy mood, and I have been a pumpkin for coming up to 24 hours now. So - to bed, immediately! Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep...
**Keep Hope Alive**
Darn - I'm back to a slightly more relaxed routine, and a couple of my resolutions have slipped more than they did even in the most stressful point of coursework. Yesterday I failed in a couple of things I've never failed in before (or far ages), for instance being a Zen Mistress (meditating for 5 mins). I kept remembering about it but didn't get round to it, and then discovered that means I've failed on day 19 out of 21. Damn!
I also didn't go for a run yesterday - the Hippy has not been Active. However, about to do some yoga.
And, on the positive side, I have finally had a couple of night's proper sleep again. The princesses are feeling less groggy and more placated.
Also, I can still achieve my personal olympics; there are actually 22 days left of May...)
Sally xxx
PS Well done on the 28 days mum!
I also didn't go for a run yesterday - the Hippy has not been Active. However, about to do some yoga.
And, on the positive side, I have finally had a couple of night's proper sleep again. The princesses are feeling less groggy and more placated.
Also, I can still achieve my personal olympics; there are actually 22 days left of May...
)Sally xxx
PS Well done on the 28 days mum!
**Keep Hope Alive**
Going well lately, even though I've come down with a nasty cold and am in the midst of revision. But resolutions weirdly provide a framework I can hold on to, and I'm grateful for them as life gets slightly harder to manage. But I need to report the taking of an S-day for Active Hippy today, as I was just so ill and sniffly and feeling crap that I couldn't face a run. Sick day, right? And I did go to yoga class yesterday (with a toilet roll for tissues).
But I need to report the taking of an S-day for Active Hippy today, as I was just so ill and sniffly and feeling crap that I couldn't face a run. Sick day, right? And I did go to yoga class yesterday (with a toilet roll for tissues).**Keep Hope Alive**
Darn! I wasn't Sally Skywalker today. I chose cycling to get to college and it was the only time I was out and about all day... hence a failure. In my first run I got to day 19, and this time to about 13, and it means I won't get to 21 by the end of the month.
But I think I can still aim for a silver medal...
I chose cycling to get to college and it was the only time I was out and about all day... hence a failure. In my first run I got to day 19, and this time to about 13, and it means I won't get to 21 by the end of the month. But I think I can still aim for a silver medal...
**Keep Hope Alive**
I'm back! With my first proper end-of-month update. It is the perfect time to review because not only is it a new month, I also finished my exams and 2nd year of my degree on the 30th, so it's time to check my direction and decide what I want to continue doing.
First of all, the Personal Olympics.
I got: 7 out of 9 habits to 21 days, which is a *SILVER* medal!!! I actually feel a huge rush of achievement about this. Wooooooo!
So, I'll just run through each habit in turn.
Zen Mistress (meditate min. 5 mins per day): Longest run = 22 days, still going from the 10th May.
I enjoy taking this time out for myself. To improve it I need to decrease my reliance on YouTube 'guided meditation' videos. Some are very good, but I know how to meditate now and need to start building my own independent practice. Allowing someone to talk me through it means I don't have to think about it or truly commit myself to it, I can just let my brain bumble along. So, my modification for June is: no guided meditations (except on S-days).
B.B. (just short round of exercises twice a day - but slightly private, so I'm not being too specific): Longest run = 22 days, still going from the 10th May.
This also doesn't take long and making time for it gives me a feeling of control just through establishing a routine. I've built up to doing 10 rounds each of long and short, which is the recommended level; now to improve it I would just like to remember to concentrate more on the quality of each round, and to also add in some random spot-checks throughout the day.
Active Hippy (Alternately running and yoga every day, except for Sundays): Longest run = 22 days, still going from the 10th May.
Rather proud about this one. Actually had a pretty established running habit since January, but being really strict about it for 21 days has moved it up a level to the point where it's just not difficult to get myself changed, shoes on, and out to jog the streets. The Personal Olympics were a huge motivational factor, keeping me going even during coursework and exams, and I even went for a run at 10pm *after* my last exam, when I would have been entitled to curl up and read a book. The biggest change in attitude is definitely that I have discovered I like running, especially to upbeat music (the secret ingredient to all exercise) - physical exertion can feel good, as well as exhausting! Also definitely fitter, and have lost a little weight.
To improve on being an active hippy, for the yoga it's the same as the meditation - to wean myself off guided videos. I'm still going to a weekly class, and I have a little reference book, and plenty of ideas of what to put into my own personal yoga practice. It's time to start thinking for myself and deciding on my own postures. This will make it a lot more psychologically difficult to begin with, but soon I hope to have a new habit formed and it to become easy again. So, the mod: to only watch guided videos on S-days. My normal yoga practice should last about 10 minutes by the end of the month.
Cuddlebunny (to hug min. 3 different people per day): Longest run = 11 days, twice (once in April and once in May).
Here we see the downside of May's particular Personal Olympics goal, which is that once I knew I'd blown it for this month, it was hard not to succumb to the 'what-the-hell' effect, and was certainly dispiriting. The problem with this habit is that it relies on interacting with a sufficient number of people, which is a lot trickier when I'm staying at home, for instance. Also, it feels a tad manipulative to be hugging people partly only to get a green on the habitcal. On the other hand, I have really liked making hugs a feature of every day, and it has definitely got me to offer more hugs to people I wouldn't normally have done. However, from now on I think I will modify this habit to be only 1 person per day. (Does anyone know how I can change this on the habitcal without starting an entirely new line?)
Pumpkin Curfew (get to bed by midnight) and Sleeping Beauty (get 8 hours' sleep a night): Both longest run = 24 days (!), still going from the 8th/9th of May.
It has been a good month for sleep. Well, after a particularly stunning failure back at the start of the month involving handing coursework in. But that experience proved to me that I never, ever want to do another all-nighter - although it's a common part of the university culture here, to me it just doesn't make sense. I don't enjoy being tired, it makes everything else in life harder to enjoy. So I refuse to be. This makes common-sense to me now, whereas before I made it a firm resolution I was all too often tempted to see sleep as expendable.
I did take one exemption each for this month, and that was on the night of my birthday. But IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY, which is all the excuse I need to proclaim it an S-day. I got 6 hours' sleep still, from 1am to 7am (but boy, I could feel the difference!).
To improve this... I think just maintenance really. I liked that for a while during exams I was consistently getting to bed at 11pm, my official bed-time. This I've found instantly harder to do after exams are over, yesterday I dived into bed with 30 seconds to spare. So, I'd like to keep my fence firm and not push the boundaries, to maintain this most precious part of my routine.
Photographic memory (take min. 1 photo per day): Longest run = 26 days!! From when I started in April, one failure on 12th May (luckily didn't break my run before 21).
This one is really a lot of fun. I use the camera on my phone, which is just about good enough for most situations. It's just really nice, while I'm still not writing a diary, to know I'm maintaining some form of record, and it's very very quick to do.
One way I'd like to develop this habit is to set a goal over the summer to do something with my photos (mainly just get them up on Facebook). I'd also like to keep them safely backed-up somewhere.
Sally Skywalker (go for a min. 5 minute walk per day): Longest run = 19 days - broken on 5th May; then on 17th, at which point I couldn't do 21 and lost motivation, failing again on 21st and 28th - 30th (although this was during exams).
I do want to walk a little bit every day; however, this hasn't yet become a proper habit. I can tell because it's not yet easy to make time for it, and I often counted walks across a couple of streets to a library as my daily walk. Think I should check out urban ranger for some advice and modifications...
Tickling the Ivories (sit down at a piano once per day): Longest run = 21 days, just - failed once on 22nd and again on 25th (showing again that I didn't much care as long as the chain had been made for the month).
This one is good. Need to keep getting to a real piano every so often, instead of just an electric one. But quite easy to fulfil in general and again it's enjoyable to make the time for myself. Hoping to be doing more practice anyway in the near future because I've got a lesson coming up and a new piece I want to learn.
Overall, there is one problem still, which is that I still don't automatically remember all my resolutions or when to do them, suggesting conscious effort is still involved. To improve this, I think I just need to work on a way of memorising them all (the funny names already help with this).
So, there we go - I'll finish here. Next I need to think about my Personal Olympics for this month, and whether to add a new resolution to the load (possibly one about singing in the mornings?).
AND I need to post in the 21-day forum!
First of all, the Personal Olympics.
I got: 7 out of 9 habits to 21 days, which is a *SILVER* medal!!!
I actually feel a huge rush of achievement about this. Wooooooo!So, I'll just run through each habit in turn.
Zen Mistress (meditate min. 5 mins per day): Longest run = 22 days, still going from the 10th May.
I enjoy taking this time out for myself. To improve it I need to decrease my reliance on YouTube 'guided meditation' videos. Some are very good, but I know how to meditate now and need to start building my own independent practice. Allowing someone to talk me through it means I don't have to think about it or truly commit myself to it, I can just let my brain bumble along. So, my modification for June is: no guided meditations (except on S-days).
B.B. (just short round of exercises twice a day - but slightly private, so I'm not being too specific): Longest run = 22 days, still going from the 10th May.
This also doesn't take long and making time for it gives me a feeling of control just through establishing a routine. I've built up to doing 10 rounds each of long and short, which is the recommended level; now to improve it I would just like to remember to concentrate more on the quality of each round, and to also add in some random spot-checks throughout the day.
Active Hippy (Alternately running and yoga every day, except for Sundays): Longest run = 22 days, still going from the 10th May.
Rather proud about this one. Actually had a pretty established running habit since January, but being really strict about it for 21 days has moved it up a level to the point where it's just not difficult to get myself changed, shoes on, and out to jog the streets. The Personal Olympics were a huge motivational factor, keeping me going even during coursework and exams, and I even went for a run at 10pm *after* my last exam, when I would have been entitled to curl up and read a book. The biggest change in attitude is definitely that I have discovered I like running, especially to upbeat music (the secret ingredient to all exercise) - physical exertion can feel good, as well as exhausting! Also definitely fitter, and have lost a little weight.
To improve on being an active hippy, for the yoga it's the same as the meditation - to wean myself off guided videos. I'm still going to a weekly class, and I have a little reference book, and plenty of ideas of what to put into my own personal yoga practice. It's time to start thinking for myself and deciding on my own postures. This will make it a lot more psychologically difficult to begin with, but soon I hope to have a new habit formed and it to become easy again. So, the mod: to only watch guided videos on S-days. My normal yoga practice should last about 10 minutes by the end of the month.
Cuddlebunny (to hug min. 3 different people per day): Longest run = 11 days, twice (once in April and once in May).
Here we see the downside of May's particular Personal Olympics goal, which is that once I knew I'd blown it for this month, it was hard not to succumb to the 'what-the-hell' effect, and was certainly dispiriting. The problem with this habit is that it relies on interacting with a sufficient number of people, which is a lot trickier when I'm staying at home, for instance. Also, it feels a tad manipulative to be hugging people partly only to get a green on the habitcal. On the other hand, I have really liked making hugs a feature of every day, and it has definitely got me to offer more hugs to people I wouldn't normally have done. However, from now on I think I will modify this habit to be only 1 person per day. (Does anyone know how I can change this on the habitcal without starting an entirely new line?)
Pumpkin Curfew (get to bed by midnight) and Sleeping Beauty (get 8 hours' sleep a night): Both longest run = 24 days (!), still going from the 8th/9th of May.
It has been a good month for sleep. Well, after a particularly stunning failure back at the start of the month involving handing coursework in. But that experience proved to me that I never, ever want to do another all-nighter - although it's a common part of the university culture here, to me it just doesn't make sense. I don't enjoy being tired, it makes everything else in life harder to enjoy. So I refuse to be. This makes common-sense to me now, whereas before I made it a firm resolution I was all too often tempted to see sleep as expendable.
I did take one exemption each for this month, and that was on the night of my birthday. But IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY, which is all the excuse I need to proclaim it an S-day. I got 6 hours' sleep still, from 1am to 7am (but boy, I could feel the difference!).
To improve this... I think just maintenance really. I liked that for a while during exams I was consistently getting to bed at 11pm, my official bed-time. This I've found instantly harder to do after exams are over, yesterday I dived into bed with 30 seconds to spare. So, I'd like to keep my fence firm and not push the boundaries, to maintain this most precious part of my routine.
Photographic memory (take min. 1 photo per day): Longest run = 26 days!! From when I started in April, one failure on 12th May (luckily didn't break my run before 21).
This one is really a lot of fun. I use the camera on my phone, which is just about good enough for most situations. It's just really nice, while I'm still not writing a diary, to know I'm maintaining some form of record, and it's very very quick to do.
One way I'd like to develop this habit is to set a goal over the summer to do something with my photos (mainly just get them up on Facebook). I'd also like to keep them safely backed-up somewhere.
Sally Skywalker (go for a min. 5 minute walk per day): Longest run = 19 days
- broken on 5th May; then on 17th, at which point I couldn't do 21 and lost motivation, failing again on 21st and 28th - 30th (although this was during exams).I do want to walk a little bit every day; however, this hasn't yet become a proper habit. I can tell because it's not yet easy to make time for it, and I often counted walks across a couple of streets to a library as my daily walk. Think I should check out urban ranger for some advice and modifications...
Tickling the Ivories (sit down at a piano once per day): Longest run = 21 days, just - failed once on 22nd and again on 25th (showing again that I didn't much care as long as the chain had been made for the month).
This one is good. Need to keep getting to a real piano every so often, instead of just an electric one. But quite easy to fulfil in general and again it's enjoyable to make the time for myself. Hoping to be doing more practice anyway in the near future because I've got a lesson coming up and a new piece I want to learn.
Overall, there is one problem still, which is that I still don't automatically remember all my resolutions or when to do them, suggesting conscious effort is still involved. To improve this, I think I just need to work on a way of memorising them all (the funny names already help with this).
So, there we go - I'll finish here. Next I need to think about my Personal Olympics for this month, and whether to add a new resolution to the load (possibly one about singing in the mornings?).
AND I need to post in the 21-day forum!
**Keep Hope Alive**
Wow - can't believe it's been a full month since my last update...
Anyway, at least I'm back for the monthly review. June has been, on the resolutions front, a bit mixed. It started off wonderfully, with a full 8 days at the start totally perfect. But then, on the 15th (exactly half way, interesting) things began to fall apart, and from there to the end of the month there are large splotches of red. The week from the 17th to the 23rd was the worst, and that's because it was May Week, a week of parties and general craziness. I gave Cinderella the night off when I went to a May Ball, but most of the other days I also ended up going to bed after midnight too.
My boyfriend was also staying for the two middle weeks of June, which even though it didn't immediately derail me, made all my routines much more difficult to maintain. He's very very understanding of why I want to keep up these crazy resolutions, even ones he finds annoying sometimes, like getting to bed on time. He was the one who encouraged me to begin turning the tide on the spreading splotch of red staining my calendar. However, even so, with him around my whole life-style changes. I was glad of the framework of the resolutions to provide some sort of list of goals to keep aiming for as other normal routines changed. But even so mostly it was a case of rushing around completing them last-minute, in a minimal way (many times I only sat down and plonked a couple of random notes down on the piano; I haven't actually practised properly all month).
As the reds built some habits were threatened with total abandonment (Zen Mistress and Active Hippy were the worst, along with the sleep ones). I have though just restarted the meditation, and also remembered that I really like it and have been badly missing the calm it gives me. The same for yoga, just yesterday I did 5 minutes following a YouTube video and loved it. However, running has become less attractive as I've gone two weeks not doing it. I'm on holiday for another week and running is a bit impractical, but after that I hope that running around the hills at home (and I need to fix my headphones so I can have some good music to run to) will re-inspire me. I have a goal in running as well as a resolution: by the end of the summer holiday I want to have run the 6 miles across hills to my boyfriend's house.
On the other hand, Photographic Memory and Sally Skywalker win as being unbroken for the whole month, while MirrorMirror also is totally green ever since I started. (Oh yeah, that's my new one for June, it's simply to look in a mirror and tell myself 'I like myself' three times, and takes no time but works wonders for my self-esteem.) Cuddlebunny (at 1 hug per day) and Tickling the Ivories also only have 3 fails each.
Anyway, for this month, I've added only one very easy resolution, as the others evidently still aren't cast-iron automatic yet. It's called 'Lark Ascending' and just means, sing in the morning. It could be only a tiny little hum, or singing practice and exercises, or just singing a little ditty to myself. Hopefully this'll keep my voice vaguely in shape and also give me a lift each day. (Idea lifted whole-sale from Gretchen Rubin's book.)
Also, for my Personal Olympic goal this month, I want to resurrect this thread. I've done well to keep filling in the HabitCal even as failures dampened my motivation; however, I know that if I'd kept up the negative tracking as well I would have probably failed less. So, this month every time I fail I will also log in here the details that I failed and how much I failed by.
Have a good July everyone. xxx
Anyway, at least I'm back for the monthly review. June has been, on the resolutions front, a bit mixed. It started off wonderfully, with a full 8 days at the start totally perfect. But then, on the 15th (exactly half way, interesting) things began to fall apart, and from there to the end of the month there are large splotches of red. The week from the 17th to the 23rd was the worst, and that's because it was May Week, a week of parties and general craziness. I gave Cinderella the night off when I went to a May Ball, but most of the other days I also ended up going to bed after midnight too.
My boyfriend was also staying for the two middle weeks of June, which even though it didn't immediately derail me, made all my routines much more difficult to maintain. He's very very understanding of why I want to keep up these crazy resolutions, even ones he finds annoying sometimes, like getting to bed on time. He was the one who encouraged me to begin turning the tide on the spreading splotch of red staining my calendar. However, even so, with him around my whole life-style changes. I was glad of the framework of the resolutions to provide some sort of list of goals to keep aiming for as other normal routines changed. But even so mostly it was a case of rushing around completing them last-minute, in a minimal way (many times I only sat down and plonked a couple of random notes down on the piano; I haven't actually practised properly all month).
As the reds built some habits were threatened with total abandonment (Zen Mistress and Active Hippy were the worst, along with the sleep ones). I have though just restarted the meditation, and also remembered that I really like it and have been badly missing the calm it gives me. The same for yoga, just yesterday I did 5 minutes following a YouTube video and loved it. However, running has become less attractive as I've gone two weeks not doing it. I'm on holiday for another week and running is a bit impractical, but after that I hope that running around the hills at home (and I need to fix my headphones so I can have some good music to run to) will re-inspire me. I have a goal in running as well as a resolution: by the end of the summer holiday I want to have run the 6 miles across hills to my boyfriend's house.
On the other hand, Photographic Memory and Sally Skywalker win as being unbroken for the whole month, while MirrorMirror also is totally green ever since I started. (Oh yeah, that's my new one for June, it's simply to look in a mirror and tell myself 'I like myself' three times, and takes no time but works wonders for my self-esteem.) Cuddlebunny (at 1 hug per day) and Tickling the Ivories also only have 3 fails each.
Anyway, for this month, I've added only one very easy resolution, as the others evidently still aren't cast-iron automatic yet. It's called 'Lark Ascending' and just means, sing in the morning. It could be only a tiny little hum, or singing practice and exercises, or just singing a little ditty to myself. Hopefully this'll keep my voice vaguely in shape and also give me a lift each day. (Idea lifted whole-sale from Gretchen Rubin's book.)
Also, for my Personal Olympic goal this month, I want to resurrect this thread. I've done well to keep filling in the HabitCal even as failures dampened my motivation; however, I know that if I'd kept up the negative tracking as well I would have probably failed less. So, this month every time I fail I will also log in here the details that I failed and how much I failed by.
Have a good July everyone.
xxx**Keep Hope Alive**
So, in accordance with what I said earlier, I am hereby recording that today I got one failure: Sleeping Beauty. I got about 6 hours' sleep instead of eight. This was slightly outside of my control, as I went to a late-night show which I didn't get back from until 1am, and then had to get up at 7.45am to be in time to leave for a rehearsal this morning.
**Keep Hope Alive**
I must also record another failure yesterday, which is the Pumpkin Curfew - I got to bed at 00:33. Knowing I would write that up on here though did help me to stay focused on getting to bed.
I have decided to withdraw the mod on yoga and Zen Mistress from last month - I am going to start using YouTube videos again on any day of the week. It is all very well to improve on a strong habit, but since I'm still in the stage of rebuilding a habit which has been slightly broken, I'm going to keep things easy for myself.
Finally, since I'm away this week I am giving myself 3 extra S-days for running - today, Wednesday and Friday.
I have decided to withdraw the mod on yoga and Zen Mistress from last month - I am going to start using YouTube videos again on any day of the week. It is all very well to improve on a strong habit, but since I'm still in the stage of rebuilding a habit which has been slightly broken, I'm going to keep things easy for myself.
Finally, since I'm away this week I am giving myself 3 extra S-days for running - today, Wednesday and Friday.
**Keep Hope Alive**
Well, yesterday for the first time in a very long time I got a completely green day. Apparently being at home again does bring some stability.
For the week before that, I was away and keeping track on paper, so I can't yet fill in the updates for that as I've temporarily misplaced the notebook.
However, I can say that on Tuesday I did not do Active Hippy yoga, or play the piano, and Sleeping Beauty only got about 5 hours' sleep because I was a pumpkin who got to bed at about 3am the night before.
Apparently being at home again does bring some stability.For the week before that, I was away and keeping track on paper, so I can't yet fill in the updates for that as I've temporarily misplaced the notebook.
However, I can say that on Tuesday I did not do Active Hippy yoga, or play the piano, and Sleeping Beauty only got about 5 hours' sleep because I was a pumpkin who got to bed at about 3am the night before.
**Keep Hope Alive**
Right, I've just gone through and filled in the HabitCal for the days between Tuesday 3rd July and Monday 9th. I have these failures to report:
- No Zen Mistress meditation between Friday and Monday.
- No Active Hippy yoga done on Thursday or Saturday (running was exempt as I was in a different country without my running shoes).
- Sleeping Beauty: I got 7hrs40 on Wednesday, but only 6hrs27 on Sunday.
- Pumpkin Curfew: on Tuesday, 00.40; Thursday, 00.20; Friday, 00.03 (shame!); Saturday, 00.33; and Sunday, 00.05 - so mostly pretty close misses.
- Tickling the Ivories: on Wednesday and prob Tuesday as well I didn't have access to a piano to play.
And that's it actually, which isn't too bad when considering the holiday conditions of travelling a lot and interrupting routine. I kept track in a little notebook and now I've written everything up here, I'm still on track for my Olympics goal of Negative Tracking for the whole month.
(Idea for next month's goal: Commitment - not adding a new resolution, but instead really re-committing myself to fulfilling the others whole-heartedly, instead of just technically, to-the-letter ticking them off.)
- No Zen Mistress meditation between Friday and Monday.
- No Active Hippy yoga done on Thursday or Saturday (running was exempt as I was in a different country without my running shoes).
- Sleeping Beauty: I got 7hrs40 on Wednesday, but only 6hrs27 on Sunday.
- Pumpkin Curfew: on Tuesday, 00.40; Thursday, 00.20; Friday, 00.03 (shame!); Saturday, 00.33; and Sunday, 00.05 - so mostly pretty close misses.
- Tickling the Ivories: on Wednesday and prob Tuesday as well I didn't have access to a piano to play.
And that's it actually, which isn't too bad when considering the holiday conditions of travelling a lot and interrupting routine. I kept track in a little notebook and now I've written everything up here, I'm still on track for my Olympics goal of Negative Tracking for the whole month.
(Idea for next month's goal: Commitment - not adding a new resolution, but instead really re-committing myself to fulfilling the others whole-heartedly, instead of just technically, to-the-letter ticking them off.)
**Keep Hope Alive**
I went three straight days getting full greens and was nearly on course for a fourth today, but then at a little past 11pm my sister rang feeling upset and needing to talk to someone, and I instantly relegated being a pumpkin to being a second priority for this very special case. However, I still need to pack now as I'm going away for the weekend, and it's already 00.35... so I can't actually report how much I've failed by yet, but I am aiming to be in bed by 1am, which shall keep me focused.
**Keep Hope Alive**
OK, so yesterday I didn't Tickle the Ivories, and also I didn't meditate. This is because I was busy all day with my boyfriend.
On Sunday all I missed was Sally Skywalker - we were driving back up the country from a party, so a rather sedentary day.
On Saturday I gave myself an S-day on my Pumpkin Curfew for the party; but then when we got home the afterparty looked set to continue long into the night, and at that point I followed the path of moderation and got to bed by 1.05am.
Also on Saturday I failed to meditate, forgot one of my BB exercises, didn't do any yoga, and didn't do Sally Skywalker again.
On Sunday all I missed was Sally Skywalker - we were driving back up the country from a party, so a rather sedentary day.
On Saturday I gave myself an S-day on my Pumpkin Curfew for the party; but then when we got home the afterparty looked set to continue long into the night, and at that point I followed the path of moderation and got to bed by 1.05am.
Also on Saturday I failed to meditate, forgot one of my BB exercises, didn't do any yoga, and didn't do Sally Skywalker again.
**Keep Hope Alive**
Review of 2012
Hi everyone,
I know it's been ages, but today is a good day to post again.
So - at the beginning of 2012 I launched my own version of the Happiness Project, writing about a hundred different tiny habits in a spreadsheet and grouping them by month under different themes. There were a few standard habits to begin with, then January was for energy, so I started exercising; February was for love and being friendly in general; March for music and mindfulness; April was for appreciation - and at the beginning of April I stopped with the whole thing because with each month about another 20 habits were added to check off each day, which got ridiculous. So May (for learning) and June (for relaxing) didn't happen and that was as far as I got.
However, I found this website and started listening to the podcasts. In mid-April I resurrected 8 of my original resolutions in a HabitCal. I kept going with them for May, June and most of July, adding one habit each month - but then even 11 resolutions were too much to keep monitoring, so once again I stopped in August and September. In October, I started again just with 4 resolutions, and have kept them up until now, adding one more (playing piano) through December.
I've had a look at the stats page yesterday, which was interesting - out of the four main resolutions:
Pumpkin Curfew - 62% success, not bad...
Sleeping Beauty - 80% success, because it's easier to get up late than get to bed early.
Mirror Mirror - 91%, mainly because it's so easy to do as long as I remember, and if I'm not sure if I remembered to or not then I just leave it blank.
Active Hippy - 51%, the most mixed bag, including every Sunday off. I haven't exercised for the whole of December.
Tickling the Ivories - 88%, not bad, also because it's quite easy to do as long as I remember and am feeling up to doing my resolutions.
I'm going to continue newly committed with the five resolutions I've got at the moment into 2013. But I'm not sure what to do about the fact that lots of other resolutions I though of were good ideas, and worked while I was ticking them off, but stopped immediately when I wasn't. How do I make them become automatically effortless?
Ah well. This will do for now, at least I have given a bit of thought to it.
Happy new year!
I know it's been ages, but today is a good day to post again.
So - at the beginning of 2012 I launched my own version of the Happiness Project, writing about a hundred different tiny habits in a spreadsheet and grouping them by month under different themes. There were a few standard habits to begin with, then January was for energy, so I started exercising; February was for love and being friendly in general; March for music and mindfulness; April was for appreciation - and at the beginning of April I stopped with the whole thing because with each month about another 20 habits were added to check off each day, which got ridiculous. So May (for learning) and June (for relaxing) didn't happen and that was as far as I got.
However, I found this website and started listening to the podcasts. In mid-April I resurrected 8 of my original resolutions in a HabitCal. I kept going with them for May, June and most of July, adding one habit each month - but then even 11 resolutions were too much to keep monitoring, so once again I stopped in August and September. In October, I started again just with 4 resolutions, and have kept them up until now, adding one more (playing piano) through December.
I've had a look at the stats page yesterday, which was interesting - out of the four main resolutions:
Pumpkin Curfew - 62% success, not bad...
Sleeping Beauty - 80% success, because it's easier to get up late than get to bed early.
Mirror Mirror - 91%, mainly because it's so easy to do as long as I remember, and if I'm not sure if I remembered to or not then I just leave it blank.
Active Hippy - 51%, the most mixed bag, including every Sunday off. I haven't exercised for the whole of December.
Tickling the Ivories - 88%, not bad, also because it's quite easy to do as long as I remember and am feeling up to doing my resolutions.
I'm going to continue newly committed with the five resolutions I've got at the moment into 2013. But I'm not sure what to do about the fact that lots of other resolutions I though of were good ideas, and worked while I was ticking them off, but stopped immediately when I wasn't. How do I make them become automatically effortless?
Ah well. This will do for now, at least I have given a bit of thought to it.
Happy new year!**Keep Hope Alive**
February olympics!
Hi guys (mother),
Well, January was a bit uppy downy, especially for exercise and the pumpkin curfew (the other three were actually very solid). For February, I'm tackling improving the pumpkin curfew. So! Since last month I managed a 45.2% success rate, then for this month:
Bronze = 50% - very confident I can do this
Silver = 70% - would be a significant improvement
Gold = 90% - ambitious but still do-able
So here goes. March olympics will probably focus on resurrecting an unwavering exercise regime.
All the best,
Sally
Well, January was a bit uppy downy, especially for exercise and the pumpkin curfew (the other three were actually very solid). For February, I'm tackling improving the pumpkin curfew. So! Since last month I managed a 45.2% success rate, then for this month:
Bronze = 50% - very confident I can do this
Silver = 70% - would be a significant improvement
Gold = 90% - ambitious but still do-able
So here goes. March olympics will probably focus on resurrecting an unwavering exercise regime.
All the best,
Sally
**Keep Hope Alive**