Incremental Change
I've been thinking a lot about personal development lately and the changes I want to make in my life. Essentially, I want to unclutter. Unclutter my living space, unclutter my schedule, unclutter my time and attention and brain. I'm not good at making sweeping changes like "clear out the whole apartment in one weekend" or "start doing a full workout three times a week". I've never been able to give up caffeine for any significant length of time.
But I've been having a lot of success making incremental changes. These are a couple of my current personal development projects:
- Stop taking cream in my coffee. I love cream and I think it's good for you. But I was taking in way too many calories via cups of coffee and it also made it hard for me to caffeinate on days I'm not eating until supper (intermittent fasting). Not to mention the coffee whitener they gave me on the plane last time -- fucking corn syrup! My rule is that during February, my first cup of the day has to be black. The rest of the day, as I choose. But it's been amazingly easy to switch! Halfway through the month, I wasn't just tolerating the black coffee, I was enjoying it and even preferring it. And you can taste the nuances of good coffee so much more this way.
- Don't stand in the curb cut while waiting to cross the street. I'm trying to train myself to do this without thinking about it, so as to leave the curb cut for people who need it.
- 20 minute relaxation after work. This is to help me transition from work to home, to be less stressed, and to work up to starting some meditation later on. I lie back in my recliner with an eyeshade on and do a 20 minute pzizz energizer nap. It seems to work pretty well. I'm trying not to begrudge the time it takes.
- One thing at a time. I just started this today and it is going to be so fucking hard. But I feel like I've completely lost my ability to concentrate and be productive. So, no more trying to multitask (which humans are lousy at anyhow). No surfing the web while watching TV. No reading while eating. One thing at a time. I hope it helps me be more productive. Of course, this one may turn out to be a sweeping change. If so, I'll break it down into smaller steps. Maybe just "no doing something else while eating".
What are your personal development projects?
But I've been having a lot of success making incremental changes. These are a couple of my current personal development projects:
- Stop taking cream in my coffee. I love cream and I think it's good for you. But I was taking in way too many calories via cups of coffee and it also made it hard for me to caffeinate on days I'm not eating until supper (intermittent fasting). Not to mention the coffee whitener they gave me on the plane last time -- fucking corn syrup! My rule is that during February, my first cup of the day has to be black. The rest of the day, as I choose. But it's been amazingly easy to switch! Halfway through the month, I wasn't just tolerating the black coffee, I was enjoying it and even preferring it. And you can taste the nuances of good coffee so much more this way.
- Don't stand in the curb cut while waiting to cross the street. I'm trying to train myself to do this without thinking about it, so as to leave the curb cut for people who need it.
- 20 minute relaxation after work. This is to help me transition from work to home, to be less stressed, and to work up to starting some meditation later on. I lie back in my recliner with an eyeshade on and do a 20 minute pzizz energizer nap. It seems to work pretty well. I'm trying not to begrudge the time it takes.
- One thing at a time. I just started this today and it is going to be so fucking hard. But I feel like I've completely lost my ability to concentrate and be productive. So, no more trying to multitask (which humans are lousy at anyhow). No surfing the web while watching TV. No reading while eating. One thing at a time. I hope it helps me be more productive. Of course, this one may turn out to be a sweeping change. If so, I'll break it down into smaller steps. Maybe just "no doing something else while eating".
What are your personal development projects?