WEEK ONE: WAKE UP EARLY
Alright well first off I obviously didn’t realize that starting this goal the morning of New Years would be a bad idea. So I opted to start on the 2nd. Heh heh oops. First impressions, wow my house is a lot cleaner doing this. I thought the days would drag on getting up early but they still zoom by like nothing. I definitely have a lot less patience with the kids haha. Days one and two went fine and then Day three was like NO! SNOOZE SNOOZE! WHY HAVE I DONE THIS?! WHY DID I RUIN A GOOD THING!? But I pushed through and actually went to bed on time that night haha. By the end of the week I started to get a stomach bug. On Friday I still got up early and got my kid ready for school but afterwards I was like… there’s nothing in the rules that says I can’t take a nap right now with my toddler watching YouTube kids. So I did. Is that a cheat? Probably. But I felt much better. My take away from this week was Yes I was absolutely more productive doing this, even with cheat naps. And yes I did find myself spending more time with my children because tasks were finished earlier. Bottom line is I feel a lot more open minded to early mornings than before I did this challenge.
WEEK TWO: NO SUGAR OR CHEESE
Day one went better than I imagined! I loved everything I ate and didn’t have any sugar withdrawals. I think it really helped that I prepped beforehand. Switching to sugar-free alternatives to foods I already ate regularly was the biggest reason this challenge wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Day four, I was like WOAH I have way more energy… but then two hours later, I TANKED. Day five, food started to become really boring. Does that make sense? Like I was getting bored with the limited options and nothing excited me in the same way a massive sugar overload would haha. All in all this was more doable than I thought it was. And making tiny sugar free switches is something that I can easily carry into the rest of the year.
WEEK THREE: TAKE KIDS OUT EVERY DAY
We went to Top Golf the first day and then the mall the second and third day. I love our local mall. It has a few play places and you can go there rain or unbearable Arizona shine. Right away I realized why I never take Casey out very much. Not only have I been pandemic trained to fear leaving my house but also **BABY**. I will say that it has been way more enjoyable than I imagined. I definitely plan on going to the mall once a week. Because Casey and I agreed that was our favorite activity. It’s interesting how these weekly challenges have been making real doable life changes. That wasn’t totally my intention but just showing myself “I could do it” naturally helped me to see what small things I could incorporate.
WEEK FOUR: KEEP A DAILY READING SCHEDULE
I learned quickly that one does not simply schedule quiet reading time with small children. So I basically just read whenever I found time. It was really fun and I was happy to prioritize it. I do wish I could have a scheduled reading time though and I may have to schedule it into my designated writing time if I can. Another thing I learned is that I don’t have to be scared of this. I know that sounds dumb, but I struggle with all or nothing mentality and it feels like I have to read a whole book right then and there or else I won’t. But this week I learned that I can read for enjoyment. Not because it’s a school assignment, or someone told me to, or I’m “researching my industry”, or I’ve set some unrealistic goal. But just simply for the pure enjoyment of devouring a story.
So that was how my months of challenges went! It was even more successful than I dreamed and genuinely helped me to find meaningful but doable changes in my life! So if you’re scared of making a change, try it for just a week!
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