Monday, December 13, 2010

Falling Off the Wagon

It's Monday, and you know how I feel about Mondays. So much possibility.

I needed my Monday today. I'm feeling as though I'm falling off wagons a lot lately. There are so many things I would like to accomplish, whether it's a relatively small, short-term project or a much longer, habit-changing goal. Me and habits, we're tight. I develop one and before you know it I am one hundred percent committed. Or addicted, whatever you prefer. Some of my habits are good, most aren't the greatest (smoking was the hardest one to break up with). Once I've found a habit, it's smooth sailing, so to speak.

But finding my footing in a new habit? That is not so easy for me. New habits often require that you relinquish old habits, and like I said, I'm close with my habits. So in spite of my Intentions, it can be really hard for me to start new things. Since this is the year of new things, I need some new strategies. Maybe I can bribe old habits?

One of my biggest reasons for sharing all these personal details with you, on this blog, for all the interwebs to see, is to document this new year of mine. These conversations, so to speak, give me some space to try out some new thoughts and contemplate the new actions that might follow. This blog is many things to me: a place to talk about parenting, share some of my favourite things, all while trying out some non-dissertation writing. But what all of these things have in common is my attempt to move forward. In many ways I've been stuck for the last few years (even as I've grown in other ways). Time to un-stick.

This is all to say that I keep falling off one particular wagon: to post everyday. Gretchen Rubin over at The Happiness Project has written at length on the topic of posting every day. She argues that while it might seem easier to commit only to posting three or four times a week, posting every single day is actually the easier habit to develop. I've been skeptical of Rubin's suggestion, mainly because I'm exhausted much of the time (or lazy), but I think I might be coming around. She's awfully persuasive, and what I'm doing isn't working for me.

So here's to my new wagon. See you tomorrow.

No comments:

Post a Comment