Focusing on the Foundations
Concentration: Physical
Category: Health
Goal: A 10 p.m. bedtime
I'm dividing my Foundation 2013 efforts into three categories: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual. Not that I believe that body, mind, and spirit are truly separate, any more than the Christian Trinity is separable. As with the Trinity, however, it is sometimes helpful to consider the "persons" individually, if only for the sake of balance. I could have chosen different categories, or more, or fewer—but these will do, and I have a pernicious tendency toward analysis paralysis, so it is what it is.
Anyway, a first step that requires little analysis is to set a consistent bedtime of 10 p.m. That means in bed with the lights out, so all the preliminaries must be completed before then. For most of my life I've let circumstances (some avoidable, some not) dictate my bedtime, but it's abundantly clear that I do better in almost every way when I'm in bed by ten and asleep soon thereafter. Of course there will always be exceptions, but with this goal I choose "rules with occasional exceptions" over anarchy.
What I need next is a system of measuring progress/compliance with the goals I set. As I've discovered with my book-reading goal, what gets measured is much more likely to be accomplished. But first, a first step. (See above comment about analysis paralysis.)
Before our Christmas stockings get packed away, all four of us sit down and write a list of goals or resolutions. We put them in our stockings and will get them out next Christmas Eve. It is fun to get them out and see how we have done. Of course, there is a little bit of the "out of sight, out of mind" problem. Okay, maybe more than a little bit. Perhaps that speaks to not setting reasonable or realistic goals, or goals that you really want to achieve.
Anyway, we haven't done our lists yet, but I also choose three areas of focus: healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Measuring whether you got to sleep by 10 should be as easy as putting a check mark on the calendar the next morning. I don't know if your other goals will be that easy to measure. Knowing me, I would try to build some elaborate, all-encompassing goal-measurer which would quickly lead to failure.
The trick for an ontime bedtime for me is 1) turn off the computer EARLY and 2) get ready for bed 1 hour before your lights-out time. No, it doesn't take me that long to get ready for bed, but if you procrastinate a little, then you read a little, then you talk with your husband a little, you can still get to bed on time. Good luck!
You know me too well. I have an Excel spreadsheet that creates a graph.... Well, I guess I might has well have some fun with it.
I like your stocking idea, though I would have to supplement it with other reminders, as "out of sight, out of mind" is a big problem here.
I'm working on having the computer off by 9, though last night it was delayed by wanting to finish the above-mentioned graph.... I certainly see the value of getting the preparations done an hour early. For one thing, I identify with all the distractions you mention; for another, I do like to read in bed for a while.
Excerpt: I am exceedingly well pleased with the first month of my Foundations 2013 project. The first foundation stone was a regular, 10 p.m. bedtime, and I’m happy to report success for the first month: an average of 10 p.m. with a few deviations ...
Weblog: Lift Up Your Hearts!
Date: February 1, 2013, 11:10 am
