Woop, woop, Summer has arrived (but not in temperatures)! This means it is time for a regular wrap-up post once more, which in itself makes me happy. So how did May go? And what is in store for June? This post is part of my blog series The Happiness Project.
May Lunch Month
May was all about trying to eat lunch in a healthier way during working days. While it can feel like a most utilitarian moment, it doesn’t have to be one of shoving down food at lightning speed.
I took on this habit-changing project with some hesitance, because habits can be extremely hard to change. There are numerous examples in my past of various things that I have tried to move in a more desirable direction, without significan success.
Maybe I haven’t tackled them the right way, or perhaps some of them were of the type that my head thought them a good idea, all the while my heart wasn’t convinced? Who knows, the outcome wasn’t as hoped.
This time, however, key was in creating a clear, easily remembered substitute activity: reading whilst eating.
It felt rather luxurious to keep reading the latest novel in the middle of a working day! Since I usually pick books that I actually enjoy reading, rather than some yawn-worthy critics’ favourite that people read just because “someone” said they should, it was absolutely no hardship to take a proper lunch break.
Granted it didn’t last a full 30 minutes each day, but then again the story was so good that I went over the half hour a few times. And interestingly enough, on those days it felt like a noticeable break from work tasks once returning to them.
Maybe I should aim for 30-45 minutes some days when energy levels are on the lower side? Something to think about for sure!
Feeling this good about my May project has me quite optimistic around creating change step by step, with determination over weeks and months, rather than through an impatient attitude of seeking quick fixes.
June Random Tasks Month
My choice for a June Happiness Project is to start dealing with an increasingly long list of random to dos. They have kept piling up ever since moving in in October last year, but due to all illness remained low-priority actions.
There will be days of no motivation, which is okay. Other days will require more presence such as finally getting all curtains sewn. My room height grew with about 20 cm and some windows had no curtains previously, so it is a mix of sewing new ones and altering old ones.
I have a walk-in closet in need of vacuuming and organising. In the beginning I kept the door open constantly, so there is quite a bit of dust now to remove. Skubb covered boxes from Ikea also need to be installed, things put inside, and generally rearranging must happen.
It was only the other day that I put an extension cord in a new place to improve charging of devices when sitting on the sofa. This has annoyed me ever since moving in, but got postponed like so many other tiny jobs.
I want the same feeling of completion in other locations. Partly for my own sake and partly to make weekly cleaning a much smoother task.
While this month will cause me to want to back out several times, I will call for discipline in equal measure.
My philosophy is that as long as I get something done, I don’t have to create a rigid structure regarding what to do and when. The important part is simply to move forward with as much as possible, with finishes between small projects.
As per SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely), I measure it loosely: “as much as possible” leaves room for taking care of myself during the process.
Let’s see how things go!
Wrapping Up
Be sure to grab a free worksheet for your own project by signing up for my newsletter below. The months are undated so you can start whenever suits you.
You find the blog posts of this series in their own collection by clicking on this button:
Please share in the comments whether you intend to join or not. And if you have decided what to focus on these first months, you are welcome to share what your own projects are about, too!
Photo credit: Svitlana.
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