It's February!
How’s it going, fellow Average Quilters?
We’re about a week into February. It’s a good time to look back at the previous month, compare our progress vs our expressed goals, and tweak things to ensure success.
Yeah... About That
So, remember how last month I talked about my word of the year, and how I was all gung-ho about it? I talked about why this word resonated with me, and stuff? For those who don’t remember, and don’t want to click on that handy-dandy link above to re-read the post: my word was Consistent.
I made a fancy-pants binder to help me be consistent and everything! Then, like so many resolutioners, I fell off the train.
So What Happened?
I think I made it too complicated. I can hear you now, Average Quilter. You’re probably saying “How complicated is consistency?” Well… it can be pretty complicated.
I had my daily To Do list, and the 3 things I was trying to turn into a habit, and trying to start a blog, and my normal quilty life things. Then I added in travel, anxiety and depression, stress, and then guilt over not achieving my goals, which exacerbated the anxiety, depression and stress… ugh.
OK, That Sucked. What's The New Plan?
I find that I’m one of those people who do best with a routine. The problem for me is that my routine is so intrinsic that it’s difficult to adjust it. Instead of adding 3 things I’m trying to turn into a habit, let’s focus on 1 thing: 30 minutes of exercise daily.
Yes, I know that exercise isn’t fully quilt related, but it kinda is. Let’s face it: if I’m not healthy, I won’t have the strength, stamina, or mental capacity to be as creative of an Average Quilter as I normally am.
There’s also the matter of repetitive stress injuries caused by quilting. If I add in some exercise to break up my day, I’m less likely to have those kinds of injuries caused by quilting.
Exercise will also help me sleep better, so that I wake up refreshed and have the energy to create at the high speed that I used even a few years ago.
And, BTW: Exercise doesn’t mean all-out-til-you-puke effort. It means some kind of focused movement, which can include cardio (stepper, jog, walk), weightlifting, yoga, walking the dogs, hiking, dancing… just be active.
Daily Plan
Now that I’ve kinda figured out what I’m focusing on to implement my word of the year, here’s the plan for my day:
- 5:30 am: get up, drink coffee, watch Pat Sloan (I already do this)
- 6:00 am: exercise (this is new)
- 7:00 am: feed the dogs
- 7:15 am: quilty fun
- 8:00 am: get ready for work, pack lunch
- 8:30 am: go to work
- 6:30 pm: come home and feed dogs
- 7:00 pm: cook and eat dinner
- 8:00 pm: blog, sofa, tv, snuggle
- 9:00 pm: get ready for bed, 20 minute clean up
- 10:00 pm: sleep
Ugh… writing it out feels so… constricting. I know it’s not, since I literally do all of this every day. It just feels gross, ya know?
Oh well. I need to make some changes to succeed in the places I want to succeed. And the lowest bar is to add exercise to my day. So there.
Checking In With You
OK, Average Quilters… It’s your turn. How’s it going so far this year? What was your resolution or word of the year? How are you doing with achieving those things? Let me know in the comments!
