Happy New Year, Happy New Decade.
I know some of you have been checking in, wondering where is the Sunday update. Pardon for our absence. We sat down to discuss how to go about doing certain things, what we each have envisioned for this space and how are we going to go about fulfilling it. The hardest part will still be time management.
I know we did a mini reflection post at the half-year mark but I really wanted to start the year with something different.
You can count the number of days in your life but exactly how many days count?
This year I want to live with intention and let's see what is up on my list.
Joy's.
1. Increase posting frequency to twice a week.
Wednesday and Sunday. Sunday will remain as the day that we will have our regular post, while we will aim to create more content so that we can upload on Wednesday as well. Thank you for being here even when we took a short break!
2. Travel as a family in 2020
Our last proper trip was in 2016 - Taiwan. We wanted to take an annual trip but it has been put on hiatus for a while now. This year we are relooking at this and our trip will most likely be in China. I can't wait for it to happen!
3. Start reading
Never a book person but I cannot deny how much I can learn from them. I hope to finish at least 12 books this year. I aim to incorporate 10 mins of reading every day (3660 mins, 60 hours) by the end of the year.
It is not as hard as I expected and I find it a good activity to do before bed.
4. Exercise 1 hour a week
Not surprising at all. It can be walking, running, HIIT, etc. 1 hour.. I can make time for that. I have to. Health is one of the most important things in life.
5. Learn something new
I have no idea yet but I hope to clock in a new skill/set of knowledge by the end of the year
6. Sleep 7 hours a day
My intentions this year seems very easy. However, the easiest things in life are often the hardest (think happiness).
In line with AIA Vitality requirements. Not very successful yet so I have to try harder).
7. Drink 1.5L of water daily
I don't like drinking water. Currently, I am using this app called Plant Nanny to keep track of my water intake.
8. Complete Pathway for Toastmasters
Has been on it for quite some time so I thought this is the year to complete all my projects!
9. Start a bullet journal
Documenting is still the best way to plan, reflect and review. I will take some time to set this up for myself!
10. Complete my Invisalign procedure
It’s been so long I can’t even haha.
Let's review this again in Q1!
***
Jovee's
And here's mine for the year 2020!
1. Start teaching my own yoga class
I always doubt my own capability of holding a yoga class on my own. The inertia to start is real. Many have been poking me and I can't deny I am wasting my time and effort to obtain my yoga teacher certification (in India!) if I act on it!
Never start, never know, never improve.
The hardest is always the beginning. Afterwards, you will just do it. Somehow, no matter how.
Even though the route to having a class I can call my own is so unclear and terrifying, the thought of it still excites me. Everyone has got to start somewhere - even if I take a longer time to reach there.
2. Set aside me-time for self every week
You never realised how important it is to have some time alone to recharge yourself until you are completely drained out and undoubtedly lashing at everything that comes your way.
If you know me, I am a true blue introvert and what I really, and always, need is some time to myself to recharge. As I grow older and with more things I want to do, I started planning right down to the minute. I have this habit to fill up all my days with work, exercise or social gathering, leaving no time for myself.
Eventually, I was so drained and tired and I could not give my best in work. I started getting impatient at every little thing and people. Most importantly, I feel like I have been neglecting my own needs as well as time with my family.
Your time alone can be very unproductive, such as simply sitting/lying on your sofa/watching tv/using your phone to browse random information/doing nothing at all. I have to tell myself it is okay to have pockets of breathing space.
You can also use your time to do something you like or wanted to do. This can be baking or even trying out a new recipe. You can also clean up your room, change around things or even read a book you have yet to finish.
Setting aside time for yourself will be very beneficial for your health and well-being. Whatever you choose to do, simply give yourself time to rest at least once at the end of the week. This can help you freshen up and recharge for the following week. This is something I aim to do for myself.
Try it too and I'd love to know if this helps you as well!
3. Self-care
This can be partially tied to point number 2. This is a rather broad goal with many sub-areas I can work on because it is all embodied in the category of self-care.
(i) Sleep MORE
Having adequate sleep is something I am very much lacking. I have been sleeping less than 4/5 hours every day, including weekends, and it has certainly taken a toll on my health. I witnessed the effects of insufficient sleep first hand, seeing myself getting increasingly forgetful over the years, being more and more restless and impatient, less energetic, poor moods etc.
I'm sure you know the consequences of inadequate sleep too, so ACT ON IT.
(ii) Drinking at least 1L water daily
I know this is way lower than the recommended 8 glasses of water each day. But I am not a fan of drinking plain water and now remembering to drink water??? Let's not be too ambitious for now and keep it to 1L.
One small trick I use to make myself to drink more water is to add chia seeds in it. First, I like the texture of having something in the water. Second, there are additional health benefits when we consume chia seeds. Third, chia seeds are not cheap and NO I AM NOT WASTING IT hahaa.
(iii) Practice yoga at least twice a week, an hour each
To be regular in my yoga practice is to continually maintain a routine of practice. Even better, I hope to use an additional of 15 minutes every morning to stretch before I head to work. I have managed to keep this up when I first started working but it subsided as I got more overwhelmed with...life?
For now, I shall simply keep it up as much as possible.
(iv) The habit of skincare routine
I have been rather inconsistent in keeping up with my skincare and age is really catching up. Together with the lack of water intake and rest, my skin has been pretty bad. It got to a point where I needed coverage just so I can meet people. However, no amount of makeup can cover the exhaustion I have - it is clearly plastered on my face. This is where I realised that lifestyle affects every aspect of your life. Health is overall care for self.
4. Speaking louder
I know this is a rather weird resolution to have. People around me always say that they can't hear me and oh dear, I am an educator and what good do I have if my students are not able to hear me? Got to work on it consciously.
5. Have a vision crafted for my career
Continuous growth and progression are essential to prevent stagnation and the possibility of getting too comfortable in your current state of life. I have been flowing with things and I hope to seek possible opportunities for my future. A vision is something I hope to have for my career. I need to find out what I want to achieve.
6. Improve my financial planning
The start of adulting is the start of committing to more responsibilities. This includes planning for a future of my own. Starting early helps to reduce the stress when the time comes (in just a few years for me?!?). Certainly, there are many things I want to do with the sum I have and I agree that they should not be ignored or forgotten. Enjoy your life when you are young, healthy, and walking they say!
7. Get my Lasik/Invisalign done
Getting either of this has been on my wishlist since forever but I never got about doing it. Why?
1) Courage, 2) Finance.
This overlaps with point number 6. I believe I can work this out now.
Another issue is having the courage to do it. I guess I have always wanted this for so long and the thought of it finally coming true frightens me more than excites me. It's a major surgery after all! (Referring to LASIK!). I will do more research and hopefully some time this year, I can share with you my experiences.
8. Learn a new skill
I have yet to decide on what this new skill is, though I have always wanted to sign up for an online course to do some self-learning.
9. Keeping up with current affairs
I am never a reader, even more so for news and current affairs. But, being in my mid-twenties, I need to keep myself abreast with what is happening around me and in the other parts of the world. To start, I aim to read at least 1 piece of news update each day, whether it is from a physical newspaper or an electronic platform.
I am very naggy, it's a longgggg post!
A lot of points are similar between the two of us, and I believe it will be for some of you as well. Never stop making an effort to work towards them because every little effort surpasses no effort at all!
There are always ways to break down big goals into smaller steps/targets to increase achievability. One of the most common ones we practice (especially at work!) is SMART goals.
Setting 'SMART' goals make it easier to hit them.
Here's more information for your reference!
Jotting these goals down in black and white can also help you to know:
- what your goals are,
- who is/are involved,
- where can the goals take place,
- when to achieve them by,
- how are you going to achieve them, and
- why you want to achieve them.
With the goals clearly thought through and planned, you will be more motivated and aware to work towards them.
We hope that the year 2020 would be a meaningful and good year for you! Let's all work hard together to attain our goals and continuously improve ourselves!
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Learning is ongoing; life is a progress!
Joy and Jovee signing off.
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