Ten things of thankful: January edition

I intended to finish this post in time to join in the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, but then the energy I would have spent on blogging went to working on the photo albums.

Thanks to the Sorta Awesome podcast, I've been thinking more about energy, how much I have, and how I choose the spend it. No answers yet, but I feel like I'm close to some new insights. I might write more about that later.

In the meantime, here are ten things I'm thankful for this month.

1. Safe travels

We had a lot of travel this month. Oldest son traveled back to his final semester of college. The rest of us went to Boston for a convention we attend every year. I flew straight from there to Austin for work, while Michael drove home with the kids, got them settled, and then left the next morning for Ecuador. Then I flew home from Austin at the end of the week. Amazingly, all the trips went smoothly.

2. Helpful friends and neighbors

Although our twins are 18 and responsible enough for us to leave the kids home alone, none of them drive yet, so my work trip was only possible because friends and neighbors helped with transportation, mostly for Kid 4, who had skiing and basketball while I was gone.

3. Responsible kids

I'm sure media consumption was through the roof while we were gone, but I appreciate how responsible our kids are.

4. Good books

I'm shifting my reading habits a bit this year--giving myself permission to abandon highly rated books that aren't clicking with me at this time--and so far I've really enjoyed the books I've finished. So far, I've read Until I Say Goodbye, When Breath Becomes Air, and Killers of the Flower Moon, as well as an unfinished novel. I dipped my toes in several books before settling on The Bear and the Nightingale as my current read.

5. Yoga

I've been working to incorporate a more regular nighttime yoga practice. My record is spotty, but when I manage to do even 10 minutes, I find my back feels so much better.

6. Good shows

The need for a good binge-watch has been building for a couple of months, and January seemed a good time to indulge. I loved The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (although if you're reading this and you're related to me, I wouldn't recommend it), and I've started The Crown.

7. Being able to predict which beer I will like

This is, admittedly, a small thing. But I have finally figured out how to look at a beer menu and know which one I will enjoy.

8. Escape rooms

The six of us tried one over Thanksgiving and had a great time, although we didn't escape. When I was in Austin, I went to one with a group of coworkers, and we beat the room! Although we discovered at the end that one of the things that we were supposed to need a combination for was dummy locked, and opened when one of the guys pulled on it just to see. These could turn into an expensive habit.

9. Scented candles

Michael gave me a delicious scented candle for Christmas, and I like it so much that I bought another in a different scent from the same company. It's a great winter mood lifter, and it has zero calories!

10.My standing desk converter

Years ago, I looked for one of these and didn't find any, but the market has since caught up, and for less than $150 I bought a wooden platform that I can raise or lower to convert my desk from sitting height to standing height. I enjoy alternating positions during my workday, and my back feels much better at the end of my day.

No and Yes: New Year

Hat tip to The Simple Show for giving me the No and Yes framework. Also, if you haven't seen The Lazy Genius post on How to Set Goals Like a Normal Person, I highly recommend it. I found it after I had set my plan for this year, but there's wisdom for future years.

Things I say No to about the new year

Staying up until midnight

I'm a lark, not a night owl, and I've finally realized that doesn't magically change on New Year's Eve. Staying up until midnight inevitably leads to me starting the new year feeling sluggish, which totally loves the clean slate, fresh start feeling I so appreciate.

Strict resolutions

I struggle with any goal that requires me to do something every day. I'm just not able to give myself grace when I stumble, as I know I will. Strict resolutions ensure that I will feel like a failure by about January 3.

Lots of resolutions

As I've written before, I used to plan to completely reform all aspects of my life each January 1. Eventually, I clued into the reality that I was setting the same resolutions every year, so clearly this wasn't working.

Not doing anything

There have been years when I haven't set any resolutions or intentions or goals at all for the new year, and although I'm confident that was the right call for those years, it's not the right call for this year.

Word of the Year

I tried it, honestly I did. For 2017, my word (OK, phrase) was Mindful Order. I did spend part of the year working on order and mindfulness, but overall I found having a word for the year insufficiently inspiring. When I look back on 2017, I am dissatisfied with my personal growth. There's the possibility that I just picked a bad word, but 2017 was the most successful of my attempts to have a word of the year, so I'm comfortable declaring this method is not effective for me right now.

Things I say Yes to about the new year

Making it fun

I'm a regular listener of Happier with Gretchen Rubin, and on episode 149, Gretchen and Elizabeth talk about their "18 for 2018" lists--eighteen things they are planning to do in 2018. I thought this was a great cure for the dissatisfaction I felt with 2017, so I jumped on the bandwagon. My 18 things range from the ambitious to the silly, but I'm looking forward to all of them. (OK, except one. I am only looking forward to having painted the laundry room, not actually painting it.)

Being very selective about habits

In addition to my 18 things, I am trying to add two new habits--one daily and one weekly--to my life this year. Two. Not twelve. And unlike some of my past habit goals, these are actually goals I want to accomplish, not goals I want to want to accomplish. Big difference.

Focusing on the end of the year

In the past, when I set resolutions about habits, my thinking was always that I wanted to execute the new behavior perfectly from January 1 on. This year, I am focused on making the desired behaviors habitual by the end of the year. I've already missed one day in my daily habit. In the past, that would have discouraged me. Now, I just think, "Well, I've done this five days more than I did last week. I'm benefiting from those five days."