I can't lie, I love January. To be honest I love starts of any kind. First of the month, the first day of the week, I'm even a lover of a new hour rocking around on the clock. Just a little Jessisum that brings me joy. For me, it is like the starting pistol going off in a race, except I don't have anyone to beat, just start.
Did you set any goals or new years resolutions? We had a great room about resolutions on Clubhouse on the 29th December and then on the 5th January, we looked at goals and routines. Both rooms can be found in the replay bit of the Club A Happy Lifestyle on Clubhouse - Click here to find it.
“It’s never too late to become who you want to be. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald
The last couple of years have changed me so much and I can't even attribute all of it to the pandemic. Self-development has a habit of picking up steam and what started out as trying to be "a little bit more healthy" turns our entire world upside down.
I have dubbed this year "My Year of Less" and I've been mapping out some no/low spend rules for myself. It's not just about buying less though. We are sold the myth that more is more and less is less. But the less I seem to have in most areas of my life the more I seem to have overall. It's all about choosing which areas to aim for less and which area to aim for more. Less stress equals more peace. Fewer commitments equals more time. Less time with people I'm not that keen on equals more time with the ones I love. The funny thing is that, with the exception of my no/low spend rules, I am going with less of a plan for my YEAR OF LESS. Each month I am going to keep a diary of the things I reduce. If I think of an area to reduce but don't have the time that month I will simply make a note of it on my Trello board (where I keep my goals and todos beyond my weekly ones) and do it the next month. Some months I am sure I will reduce more than others, especially as the year progresses and I run out of areas to do. I've already been a minimalist for a while at this point, so lots of areas are pretty reduced already. I love decluttering, but I still usually find 2 or 3 things every month to sell or donate. We have also become very good at not letting things into our lives in pretty much every area.
So far this month I have reduced...
Less social media - removed Facebook from my phone, reduced groups and pages on FB, reduced Instagram accounts, decluttered Pinterest boards Less contacts on my phone - removed people I never call or don’t want in my life Less subscriptions - reduce TV subs, reduce work software subs Less workouts - no gym at weekends Less bright/unnatural colours - greyscale phone screen Less hobbies Some of these things have required a fair bit of work to reduce, but I know in the long term it will be worth it and many I can do on my phone while sitting in front of the fire, which is something very much on the more list. I decided to put my original podcast plan on hold. I decide if I was going to be featuring other people's stories it would be a good idea to share mine first. I'll be planning it out over the next couple of weeks and hopefully, get the first ones out in February. Clubhouse is still one of my favourite hangouts and I've even started a new weekly room. At the moment the planned rooms look like this. Monday to Friday 8.45am UK time ⏰Morning Motivation📝30 minutes to plan your day! - 30 minutes (weekday) daily room for you to use to plan your day. Time management tips and share your top 3 daily intentions. Thursday 12.45pm Let’s Get Organised ⏱🗓📝 - Advice and conversation about getting organised from time management to decluttering, storage to calendar planning and goal setting to habits. Friday 5.30pm Guided Weekly Review 📝 Plan your week - 9 steps to review the week gone and set up your next week. Have your to-do lists, planners, calendars and pen/paper handy. Use this hour to plan your week! First Wednesday of the month 7.45pm Cuppa & Catch-Up - How’s your life going right now? - Join us for our monthly Club Social. Share your wins and woes, ask for advice, meet new people looking for a happy and healthy life.
All the rooms are free to join and the regulars are very welcoming, so do pop in. You can find the club here - A Happy Lifestyle
Don't forget you can find my new Instagram too - @thelifestylecoachuk
I can very much see some challenges to overcome this year. I have some pending NHS diagnosis appointments among other things, but I know that life is beautiful and I am becoming who I need to be for the next chapter of life. I can't wait to hear about what you are planning for your 2022, so do drop me a message at jessica@thelifestylecoachuk.com