February - Week 1

Excited to share the results of this week! I'm testing out more SMART goals and seeing if that helps reduce friction in achieving them. So far, it feels **immensely** better. I can do a small amount that goes towards the end goal, taking very little effort to get started, and actually _feel_ like I've done something. That's fantastic!

Some things are still difficult of course, but this lessens the overall burden. I feel like I am achieving more (and I am), and that leaves me more time and effort to put towards those more difficult tasks.

Meditate at least 5 minutes

Did this almost every day! That's way better already, and it feels more sustainable. Only days I missed were when my morning didn't follow my normal routine, so my weakness lies there. I did meditate right before bed one night to try and keep the streak. That's also an improvement, so all good.

Journal one page

This was already pretty smooth sailing, and I essentially nailed this. This has become so core to my daily routine. First thing I do after waking up usually, and it feels great. Nice little emotion massage.

Exercise (minimum walk 1 mile, goal is run half mile, 3 sets of burpees, or some sport for an hour)

This one is a bit vague, but I have a lot of vectors of exercise right now: walking to work, running, burpees, aikido, rock climbing. I'm very blessed to have all of these avenues for exercise.

I did some running for the first time in a while this week, but had to stop because some shin splints happened. Dang. But it's probably because I tried running in hiking boots and hadn't done it in a while. Taking some time off for shin splints to chill out and so I can stretch those muscles a little bit. Did some more burpees, and that's a classic go to. I also biked to my first (observed) Aikido class, which was like 8 miles. So I feel physically very good at the moment. Well used.

Express my mood honestly to my partner

I have a weird blocker where being honest about how I'm feeling can feel like I'm burdening them. This is not true, so trying to just expose myself to the discomfort repeatedly so I can have some more empirical evidence for my reptile brain that I am safe to do that. It's been a good experiment and easy to put in as much as I want without overextending.

Get ceiling and walls done in the master bedroom of the house

This is the next step that needs to be done before we can (potentially) start moving into the house bit by bit. Would be a big step! And would also be a big space upgrade from our current situation living in a tiny trailer, which would be exciting. We got all the supplies delivered and installed the vapor barrier and insulation into the master bedroom's ceiling this week. Big win!

Volunteer twice this month

I want to be more involved in my community, and a big part is contributing my time. I started a local neighborhood emergency training program which will be very useful and valuable for serving my community. Mostly self-studying through videos at the moment to pass a quiz, and _then_ I can start the actual on-site. But excited!

Aside from that, there are a bunch of opportunities to volunteer here and I have my pick.

Go to one community event

This might be my weakest goal in terms of it's specificity. But the underlying goal is wanting to be more involved in the goings on of the community itself. Like neighborhood meetings, town halls, etc. And there are a few different avenues to explore for that, but largely this month has been exploring what all those orgs and meetings are so I can figure out an action plan.

Go to three Aikido classes

I did AIkido right before the pandemic and really enjoyed it. I resonate with the philosophy, the movement, the community, all of it. So I figured getting back into it would be a more enticing and fun way to stay active and engaged with exercise and a new community of people. I like rock climbing, but the lack of direct community and non-scheduled times makes it too easy to bail or make excuses. I enjoy both, but the structure helps.

I am doing my first class next week, so I'm on track.

Spend 15 minutes praticing lockpicking

This was hit or miss this week. I found the most success when I did it before work. I really lack spoons after work, but the goal is still achievable! It's just not the highest of my priorities, so it usually gets left at the wayside. I repinned a lock though, so that was a fun new challenge! I can't pick that one because it's hard, but it was fun haha.

No screens from 8pm to 8am

This is to help keep me on track for going to bed at a reasonable hour and not mindlessly using my phone in the mornings. So far, it has worked well. I have been reading a lot more and being more intentional with using my time towards my goals. A net win.

I sometimes opt to use my computer to accomplish my other goals after 8pm, but I try to aim for none. I figure that tradeoff is fine, no need for such strict dogmatism.