Reset/Reboot/Restore

Alrighty, here we go! I'm calling this last week of August Reset/Reboot/Restore in preparation for Project 35, which starts in earnest in September. See previous post.

My objectives for this week are to get rested, get organized and treat myself a little. Here's what I'm doing:

• Follow a strict bedtime routine - no food after 8pm, computer/phone off by 9pm, wash/brush/cool shower, in bed by 10pm
• Follow a strict morning routine - shower as soon as I get up, no morning naps (sometimes I sneak back into bed for a few minutes after my boyfriend leaves for work…at 6:30...AM), drink a full glass of water in addition to my morning coffee
• Splurge on a mani/pedi
• Get my backup drive fixed (finally)
• Complete a minimum 20 minutes of filing/organizing at my desk each day

Project 35

So here's what's what. I experienced such great success with Project 33 that I'm doing it all over again! One year from now, I turn 35…Gulp! So the 12 months leading up to that will form Project 35. Each month has a theme with corresponding objectives. Those objectives are accomplished through resolutions or challenges, some of them daily, some weekly, some just one-time-get-it-done tasks.

Here are the themes I've set for the year:
Family Matters – September
Money Matters – October
The Next Step(s) (work/career) – November
Reconnect (friendships/social) – December
Cultivate Spontaneity – January
Celebrate Love – February
Body Blitz (health) – March
Why so serious? (attitude/outlook) – April
No Place Like Home (home fix-up and DIY projects) – May
Ask The Big Questions (spirituality) – June
Breaking Bad (Habits) – July
Celebrate Me! (because it's my birthday) – August

I invite you to form your own Project X (let X = whatever you want it to be) and join me for the journey, beginning September 1st. What's in it for you? The popular blog High Existence puts it this way:

It is been said that it takes about 30 days to form a habit. The ones that are good for you require cultivation and determination. The starting phase is the hardest, especially if you want to change an old habit into a new one. This is why giving yourself a challenge for a minimum of 30 days is a great way to improve all facets of your life. Yes, it is a gift. So, take a moment to think ‘Who do I want to be in 5 years?’ What kind of habits would you like to have? You better start now if you want your new habits to influence your lifestyle and consequently your life!

See also my previous post How It All Started from Project 33 in 2012.

A Fresh Fall Start

As the chaos of September dies down—back to school and work, back to regular exercise, back to the fall wardrobe, back to a sense of routine—and we settle into autumn, with it's changing colours, crisp mornings and nights, hearty soups, and cozy sweaters, why not do a little something to keep you on your toes?

We've rallied the troops for a strong month of challenges for October. Some of the challenges that group members have set for themselves include:

• getting up earlier
• giving up grains and sweets
• drinking more water
• flossing once per day
• stretching after every workout
• reading a book a week
• taking a cold dip in the lake each day
• studying a new language

All of these are great challenges. But, in particular, we've had some interesting discussion within our Facebook group about waking earlier. Natalia has experienced great success with a special lamp (Phillips Wake-up Light) that replaced her alarm clock. Lots of people out there argue that you can increase your productivity by rising earlier each morning. However, Genevieve raised a great point: that night owls are highly productive people, just during a different time of day. See some of the links below that got us chatting about the topic.

zenhabits: 10 benefits of rising early and how to do it
The Globe and Mail: Can getting up earlier make you more successful?
BBC: Are you a lark or an owl?

As for me, I'm aiming to get up at 5am on weekdays and 7am on weekends. My alarm is already set for those times, I just always seem to hit the snooze button a couple of times (okay, maybe more like five or six times) before I actually get up.

In addition, I'm also incorporating the book-a-week challenge. I managed to keep my two-week challenge from September of finishing four books, so this one shouldn't be a problem. I'm also implementing a rule that for every cup of coffee, I have to drink at least one glass of water. I was up to four cups a day in September (because we got a beautiful new espresso machine and I just can't stop myself) and zero glasses of water (because I don't like it). So I'm hoping this challenge with help me both to reduce my coffee intake and increase my water intake. Speaking of water, I'm also planning to wash my face morning and night with cold water. I've posted previously about the benefits of cold water therapy (see previous post) and I have a nasty habit of not washing my makeup off until the next morning, resulting in a not-so-pretty face and a not-so-clean pillow case. Finally, I'm also planning to meditate each day. I'm starting small with five minutes each day for the first week and increasing the time by two minutes each week thereafter. So by the end of the month, I should be able to sit still with myself for a whole 11 minutes. If that's not a challenge, I don't know what is!

Two weeks, four books!

Another of my two-week challenges for September was to finish four books. I didn't set out with a reading list in advance, I just picked up what caught my attention at the time. I had forgotten how much I love reading, and hadn't been making much time for it. However, knowing that I had to complete my challenge (and was therefore doing something productive, not just idly sitting with a book), I was able to read guilt-free.

Here's what I read:

Discover Your Inner Economist by Tyler Cowen
This one piqued my interest since I have a degree in economics, with a particular interest in consumer behaviour. It's been a long time since I revisited any of the concepts I learned in university so when I read the summary of this book, I was sold. Cowen discusses using microeconomic strategies (incentives) in real-life situations. It made for very interesting reading.

Why We Love by Helen Fisher
You'll note that I also watched two TED talks of Fisher's, which essentially summarize the concepts in her book. She discusses the nature and chemistry of romantic love and what love looks like in the brain. It was a fascinating read.

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
The sequel to Wolf Hall, this novel continues the story of Thomas Cromwell in his service to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, and it was my guilty pleasure! It had been so long since I picked up any form of fiction that it was a real treat to read. I thoroughly enjoyed Wolf Hall, I equally enjoyed Bring Up the Bodies, and I eagerly await Mantel's next novel.

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
This was actually a re-read for me. After watching Gilbert's TED talk, I decided to take up the book again and I got just as much out of the second read as the first. Fascinating.

I'm continuing the reading challenge into October with one book per week. Four books in two weeks was pushing it a bit, especially since Bring Up the Bodies was 400 pages!

Two weeks of TED

One of my two-week challenges for the end of September was to watch one TED talk each day. Often I couldn't stop myself at just one. Here's a list of the talks I watched with hyperlinks to each, in case you're interested in watching. They're in no particular order, but I've put an asterisk beside those I enjoyed the most.

 Please keep in mind that I don't necessarily subscribe to the all of views and opinions expressed in these talks, but I do enjoy hearing, considering, weighing and discussing them.

Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability*
Candy Chang: Before I die I want to…
Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight*
Jon Ronson: Strange answers to the psychopath test*
Philip Zimbardo: The psychology of time
Laura Trice suggests we all say thank you
Diana Laufenberg: How to learn? From mistakes
Dan Pink: The puzzle of motivation
Mary Roach: 10 things you didn't know about orgasm
Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success
Dan Gilbert: The surprising science of happiness*
Helen Fisher: The brain in love
Helen Fisher: Why we love, why we cheat
Amy Purdy: Living beyond limits*
Hannah Fry: Is life really that complex?
Richard Dawkins: Militant Atheism
Michael Shermer: Why people believe weird things
Pamela Meyer: How to spot a liar*
Juan Enriquez:The next species of human
Dan Ariely: Are we in control of our own decisions?

I'd love to hear your comments on any of these talks!

An Unexpected Benefit

At one point or another, several members of our group have challenged themselves to give something up—from alcohol to sweets to bought lunches. Not only did these participants report eating better, losing weight and having more energy throughout the day, some noticed an unexpected side benefit: a fatter wallet!

Think about it: if you buy your lunch even just three times a week at an average cost of $10 a shot, that’s $30 a week you could be saving yourself. That’s $120 a month…$1,500 a year! And that’s a conservative estimate.

Similarly, let's say you drop $100 at the club on a Saturday night (between cab fare, cocktails and eats afterward) and let's say you go out three or four times a month. Add to that dinners out with friends, dates, drinks at the watering hole after work, and the amount of money you spend on alcohol in a month really starts to add up.

Now, I’m not saying that you don’t deserve the occasional lunch out or a casual cocktail. Of course you do! But by challenging yourself to only to buy lunch on Fridays, or to sip a martini only once a month, you may find that you not only eat more healthful foods and detox your body, you pad your bank account a little.

Why not add one these challenges to your list for October?

"Before I die I want to…"

Alright, readers, it's time for an informal poll!

As part of my challenges for this month, I decided to watch one TED talk per day and it's been such a treat! I have to restrain myself from posting every talk I watch. I just want to share them all. Anyway, I recently watched this moving and heart-felt talk featuring Candy Chan, designer and TED Fellow. It prompted me to add an additional challenge to my list for the last two weeks of September: create my own little bucket list by adding two items each day, giving me a list of 28 to-do items by the end of the month.

So far, my list consists of the following (as you can see, I've been adding a few more than two per day!):
- own and run a successful business
- have a real home office
- reconcile with my mom
- own a boat and live aboard it
- see the pyramids in Egypt
- visit Machu Picchu 
- explore Easter Island
- return to Rome
- love without fear of loss
- own nice furniture
- take an astronomy course
- cruise the Mediterranean 
- grow my own organic food
- write a book
- get that book published
- dance competitively
- live completely debt-free
- be comfortable with spirituality
- fluently speak another language

As I finish my list over the next several days, I decided to take a reader poll and see if any others would offer their answers. Take a few minutes to watch the video and leave a comment indicating how you would finish that ever-so-important-but-often-neglected thought. 

Do-over?

Since I really let the beginning of September slide by (see post below), I’m revising my 30-day challenges to 2-week challenges. If you haven’t committed to any challenges yet, or if 30 days is a little intimidating for you, why don’t you join me. It’s only 2 weeks, and hey, you might just enjoy it. If you need ideas, refer to this previous post. 

As August came to a close, I kept reflecting on how Labour Day weekend is so much like the beginning of a new year. Students return to school and life seems to return to routine. So what better time to set fresh challenges for yourself or to renew your commitment to previous challenges. It's like a do-over for New Year's resolutions. 

For the two remaining weeks of September, I’m committing to watching one TED talk per day, finishing four new books, completing 100 squats each morning, and resuming the 100-pushup challenge. 

Anyone else care to share?

Talk about beyond your comfort zone!

In previous posts I made mention of Project 33, the year-long self-improvement plan I began following my 32nd birthday. Well, what better way to celebrate the conclusion of that project (and my 33rd birthday) than by completing the Tough Mudder! 

For anyone who hasn't heard, obstacle challenges are the new trend in outdoor racing. The races combine the endurance of distance runs with the physical and mental challenge of military-style obstacles. The Tough Mudder is possibly the most well known of these events, particularly for its distance (11-13 miles) and intense obstacles (designed by British Special Forces), taking 3.5 hours on average to complete. These guys aren't fooling around! 

I have never been further from my comfort zone, both mentally and physically. In the weeks leading up to the event, we increased our training so that by race day, I was arguably in the best shape of my life. How great is it to say that at 33! In the days leading up to the event, I cycled through almost every emotion possible: from nervousness and apprehension to anxiety and panic to anticipation and excitement to just plain fear. The event itself was a test of will, determination and mental grit in addition to physical ability. And I can honestly this birthday ranks among my favourite, second only to the one I spent in Rome. 

Can't wait for next year! Already pre-registered.

Sometimes you just need a swift kick in the pants

My dad has a saying about those times where your “get up and go” seems to have “got up and went.” He says sometimes you just need a swift kick in the pants. And that’s exactly what I need right now. It’s pretty hard to admit, but we all need a pep talk and a shot of motivation now and then. 

My September got off to a rough start. For reasons I’m not really eager to share, I let my plans and goals go completely off the rails. And even though the situation has been improving over the last several days, I’m still feeling residual funk—you know, fatigue, lack of ambition, crankiness, etc. 

So now I’m telling you, the inter-web. Because once other people know, you have to be accountable. It’s too easy to fake everything being ok. Not that I’m looking for sympathy, I’m just giving myself that swift kick in the pants! And sometimes just knowing that other people know when everything’s not stellar is enough to turn things around. 

Now then, as a result of this swift kick, I’m revising the posts that were sitting in my drafts folder patiently waiting to be posted and actually posting them. Sometimes forging ahead gets the ball rolling. Fingers crossed! 

In the meantime, I’d like to know how you get your ball rolling when the inertia sets in. Please share!