One month into my happiness project, I am surprised and pleased by how much difference a few simple changes have made in my life.
Although I’m sure most of you have been on the edge of your seats waiting for my status report (ha!), I suppose some of you might have forgotten the resolutions I made last month at the beginning of my project, during which my theme was “Boost energy.” Please allow me to refresh your memory:
- Sleep eight hours every night.
- Exercise a little bit every day.
- Incorporate a new Michael Pollan-ism every month. (Last month’s was “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.”)
- Act more energetic.
- Use a daily to-do list.
- Clear my closets.
- Tackle a nagging task.
- Observe the one minute rule. (If something needs to be done and can be accomplished in less than one minute, do it now!)
I am proud to report that I stuck to my resolutions for the most part, but forgave myself for the days when I didn’t keep them all. (That second part is probably a bigger deal for me than the first.)
The one I had the hardest time keeping was “Clear my closets.” Once I had pared down the wayward items in my own closet, I felt less motivated to tackle the other closets in the house. As a result, our pantry remains a danger zone and my sons’ shared closet still looks as if Tropical Storm Gymboree passed through it.
The resolution that made the biggest difference – and an almost immediate one – in my happiness was “Observe the one minute rule.” The simple act of tackling any task that takes less than a minute to accomplish swiftly turned our house from a place of chaos to one of loosely-controlled chaos. That might not sound like much, but I was pleased by how much calmer I felt at the end of each day when I had taken care of small tasks that I usually let snowball: junk mail in the recycling bin, jackets and sweatshirts on the hooks in the coat closet, (many) stray items returned to their homes.
My project continues this month and the theme I’m working on is “Cultivate your mind.” As Gretchen Rubin did during her own happiness project, I will try to keep up with my resolutions from the first month and will add a new set of eight:
- Make time to read.
- Make time to study writing.
- Practice writing.
- Take notes.
- Think big…
- …but appreciate this stop on the journey.
- Avoid time wasters. (No more checking weather.com 14 times a day. Be gone, PerezHilton.com!)
- Only watch good TV. (So long, midday screenings of Say Yes to the Dress!)
Thanks for taking the time to read about my happiness project. Knowing that I have this space and this community to hold me accountable has been a motivating factor to keep me going.
Do you share any of my resolutions? Which do you think would be the easiest for you to achieve? The hardest?
Image: Blue bird by Henry McLin via Flickr under a Creative Commons license.
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
So glad to hear an update (sincerely!) on THP, which I am still contemplating in my head!
I’m most curious of 1) how you keep track of all your resolutions and 2) how you stay motivated amidst the rest of the “noise” that seems to infiltrate the day, esp with two boys!
While the ‘cultivate your mind’ resolutions sound very appealing to me, I think they’d be the hardest because I would get wrapped up in not feeling otherwise productive, you know, like from boosting my energy!
Hi Rebecca – Thanks so much for your questions.
To keep track of my resolutions, I actually use a spreadsheet based on the one that Gretchen Rubin developed and made available on her website. At the end of the day, I check off whether or not I kept the resolution that day.
As for motivation, to be honest, it hasn’t been much of a problem (or, at least, not nearly as much of one as I thought it would be). I keep a checklist of everything I want to do in the day and feel a nice sense of satisfaction when I do it. But there have definitely been days when I have ignored the checklist (e.g. family visiting, not feeling well) and I’ve allowed myself to say that that’s okay too.
Sounds like a great (if mildly exhausting) list! I think I need to do that one-minute thing to release my mind from all those niggling little tasks I’ve been avoiding for months. I’ve lately been taking 15 minutes each evening to work on cleaning my basement, which is a major disaster zone, and five mintues to keep the ends of the table and counter and other “hot spots” clear of clutter. So nice to not have those giant piles of paper staring at me.
Way to go Kristen! It is really amazing how those little things can add up! Just the 1 minute thing has done a lot for me too – I’m not perfect, but everyday that I do those little things add up to a much tidied house! One of the things that has been amazing with my own Happiness Project was that as I was making a conscious effort to not bark at everyone to get their stuff; to just ask nicely, the more they would just do it and keep doing it! It’s been really cool! Anyway! Good luck on the next resolutions!
Bravo, sister! Go Go You! You are so good with the plans. I think I need to hire you to be my life coach. And maybe even pay you overtime to execute your coaching FOR me. That way I can just sit back, nodding and smiling at what a happy life I have, yeah? :)
Good for you! And yes, closets can be daunting. Thank you for posting your plans because I’ve been following along too. The biggie for me has been not putting off anything that can be done in less one minute. I love this philosophy and remind myself of it when I start to procrastinate. I’m also trying to instill it in my eldest son as he’s trying to organize and prioritize homework, college apps, and life in general.
Keep up the great work!
Well, I, for one, have been awaiting an update! I’m hopeless at closets–I cleaned mine a few months ago and have tried to keep it neat, but it’s slipping again into chaos…
I like the idea of taking time to cultivate the mind. I can’t wait to hear which writers you’re going to study!
I started with Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones, which was recommended to me by Corinne and Big Little Wolf among others. So far I’m really enjoying it, even if I don’t really see myself ever becoming a Zen master of writing practice. :)
Let me know if you have any suggestions for others to add to my list!
By the way, I’m glad you’ve enjoyed Natalie Goldberg. And while I’m pretty un-Zen myself, I can pick up Writing Down the Bones and always be inspired to write. That, or Henry Miller. Very different, I know. But for me, the same result! (Now go dig out your worn copy of Tropic of Cancer if you have one… Open to any page. The writing is astonishing.)
I love this. It inspires me to continue with my own progress (NOT PERFECTION) :) I love it that you added that you forgive yourself on the days where things just don’t happen the way you intend.
Yep, that part has always derailed my previous attempts at making resolutions or changes in general. I’d start all gung-ho, then slip up and abandon the plan altogether instead of saying, “Oh well, tomorrow’s another day.” I’m working really hard on that “Oh well” thing. :)
Thinking of you today, sweet lady.
You’re inspiring. But I may have to start with two or three resolutions. Hmmmmm…where to begin?
I love your list! Sadly, my closet needs a deep cleaning monthly! I’ve been using the minute approach – and it does help. How did the not eating anything your grandmother would not recognize as food go, though? I’d love to hear those stories!
It’s been going okay, although not always easy to pull off. I wrote a little bit about my adventures here: http://mothereseblog.com/2010/10/01/foodie-friday-introducing-michael-pollan/
Thanks for asking!
Your new list of eight is pretty much in line with my current greatest desires – except the last one as I gave up watching TV altogether in May and do not miss it at all. But yet I still find I have little to no time in which to read, write, learn about writing etc. So this is what I need to figure out, how to make those things happen. Being the type of person I am your original list of eight are things I do automatically – maybe I need to do a bit less of those and more of the new. I think it’s high time I did a list of my own objectives :-)
Good for your, Kristen. It sounds like you’re doing great! Reading GR’s book didn’t really motivate me to start my own project, but reading about yours is. I’ve done a good job with my New Year’s resolutions this year, so I think I’ll incorporate some Happiness Project items in my 2011 goals. Thanks for the update!
The daily to-do list really help me. Otherwise, I get bogged down in the bajillion things I need to do and I manage not to get any of them done. Writing them down and committing to doing three or two or one, depending on how the day shakes out, really helps me keep my sanity.
And don’t get me started on our closets. Ack.
And to the extent good wishes make a difference, I lend my best to your happiness project—confident that each of our own right path and presence brings us together into a puzzle beyond sad and happy, into something I would not deem “better” as getting past judgment (yet maintaining discernment) is a place where I, at least, must refine on a minute by minute basis.
Yet if it only takes a minute, I’m well-advised not to put it off :)
Here’s to much happiness/Namaste
I haven’t made any official resolutions but some of the items on your list are on mine. Every day I make a point to practice writing so that my skills never become rusty. I want to be able to call upon my keyboard without fear of failure and that practice is the only way that I know how to do it.
So so glad to hear, and actually very inspired. So inspired by your first post in fact, that I selected this for my book club for December when it’s my turn to host. I love your priorities for the upcoming month, many are similar to my own on my journey out of depression. And the one second rule is mandatory in my house. I can’t go to bed with clutter, it seems to clutter my mind.
Bravo dear lady!
You’ll have to let me know how the book club goes. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!
Good for you Kristen! I have been trying to stick with “if your grandmother can’t recognize it, don’t eat it” rule. I have found to have more energy, without the yuck that inevitably creeps up on you in the mid afternoon. I am DEFINITELY sticking to the exercise regime, and that is makeing a HUGE difference in energy and stress levels. It is nice to put these things out there, so that you feel more accountable. Keep it up, sister!
I’m so impressed you’ve picked up where you left off, and come up with additional goals! (You’re a wonder… really…)
Now about that closet thing… I managed to make a little progress in my closet, but the Latvian Suite couldn’t hold a kid from any country at present… So all organizing resolutions (and work) have been dashed, smashed, and trashed – literally – in the past 2 months. (I’m blaming the Teen.)
That 8 hours of sleep a night? Pipedream on my planet.
But I love love love your “think BIG” – and all the possibilities that conjures. I believe that’s the sort of open-ended aspiration that works best on me. Plenty of wiggle room, and filled with promise.
Good for you in keeping your resolutions and then wanting to add to the list. The time-wasters thing is something I would do well to follow your lead. I have a couple of sports sites that are my Weather.com equivalent.
That one minute rule is the rule to rule them all. I cannot agree more and use that every day to my benefit in my work life. Sometimes the unfortunate thing is that there are 20 one-minute items you can get done and you can only pick one. Still though, another item checked off the list is something to be happy about!
I am a total believer in lists and projects. I am so glad that what you set your mind to is working.
: )
New here
Welcome, KittyCat, and thanks for stopping by Motherese!
I’ve recently implemented the one-minute rule and it’s made quite a difference to our place. My biggest vice was changing from work to home clothes and leaving the clothes on whatever surface I could find in my bedroom and it got out of hand. With this rule, I’ve been putting them away promptly and my bedroom (especially my walk-on closet) no longer looks like it’s been raided by ninjas.
As for sleep, I’ve been getting a lot better about it too. Retiring to bed much earlier than usual and giving myself time to read before turning out the light has improved my state of mind the few minutes before slumber. I think that really helps me unwind from my day.
I’m going to try some of the other things you mentioned here as well, especially the part about avoiding time wasters. Perezhilton? You? :)
I love your resolutions for last month and this month. I need to work on the ‘cultivate my mind’ part myself. Thanks for the inspiration!
I’m feeling so overwhelmed in my own life right now your additional eight goals gave me a panic attack. I’m so proud of you! You go, Kristen! (Love it that you enjoy Natalie Goldberg! She motivates me to write, too!)
Our closets are packed out of necessity (i.e. no room). It’s awful to dig through them when we are moving, though. Any help on that? ; )
Thank you for this update. I appreciate that you’ve shown me that even pregnant (or very tired mommas) can tackle goals.
I love that one minute idea. I would probably have a much cleaner house if I just made that one little change…lots of good suggestions!
Kristen, I love this. Gretchen’s Happiness Project – first the blog, then the book – has made a truly significant impact on me. Hers was one of the first blogs I started reading religiously when I was dealing with depression. And I love how tangible and do-able her recommendations are!
The 1-minute rule has been pretty big for me too, although I haven’t fully convinced Husband to join in. It’s helpful at home and at work. Why have a silly little task lingering over you, when you can just do. it. now!
I love that your resolutions speak to so many of us. I make a daily resolution of exercising, reading and writing. I wish I could stop indulging in the time wasters (the gossip sites, the mindless perusing of the internet, and don’t get me started on facebook)… perhaps I will try a resolution log for next month. Thanks for the inspiration Kristen. Pregnant and rocking the resolutions – you go girl!
Kristen–I’ve missed reading your words and it was great to catch up a bit today. I love your Happiness Project and must tell you that the second I read the One Minute Rule, I stopped reading and made two phone calls that taunt me from my To Do list every day. Thank you for that!
xo
Act more energetic — that one is brilliant. It’s not easy, I know. But it’s amazing what you can trick yourself into doing with the right tools.
My latest trick for thesis work, which is more specific to me but it works for other things that require regular time and effort, is to set a time limit for writing that feels ridiculously easy. For me, that’s one hour. When I go over that, it’s totally fine if I’m up to doing more. But if I quit after 60 minutes, that’s 60 minutes more than I would have put in by being turned off to the idea at all (with, say, a two-hour goal, which was what I’d set before and ended up just skipping sessions).
Glad you’re making progress. Tropical Storm Gymboree, ha! :)
I’m always impressed with your systematized methods of conducting life.
I like your style.
I am a big fan of Brain, Child magazine.
I look forward to hear how your intensified writing practice goes. Natalie Goldberg has been a huge inspiration to me too.
Take care,
Rachel
Rachel, I finished reading Writing Down the Bones and would love to hear any other recommendations you have on writers for writers. Thanks!
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