Goals

So, usually I make a list of resolutions for the new year, and this year I didn't. Not really by deliberate choice or anything, just forgot or didn't care enough to do that. So now, I'd like to make a list. I don't know if making lists ever really help, but it is good for me to at least get it written/typed down somewhere. Here are my goals for 2015/life.

1. Less screen time...as I type this while looking at a screen. I would guess that I look at my work computer screen about 6 out of 7 hours of my work day. Then, I look at my cell phone screen in between that, to check the bus/text/turn on my music, etc. Then, when I get home, what do I do? Usually watch some TV on a screen. Sometimes that ranges from 30 minutes to 2-3 hours. After that, (and sometimes during), I open my laptop. I am embarrassed to say that I can be on my laptop almost non-stop from about 5pm until I go to bed around 11, that is, if I don't get distracted and stay up until the early morning hours.

Needless to say, I think I need to scale back on the screens. I plan on working multiple goals into one, so, that leads me to goal #2-7

2. Better posture. I slump so much. Usually because I'm hunched over my desk at work or slouched on the couch while watching TV, or laying in bed on my laptop. I sit too much. I sit all day at work, then I sit on the bus or in the car, then I sit on the couch. If I could, I'd get a standing desk at work, but how the desk is set up, that isn't possible. So, I want to get up from my desk and go for walks. I want to try to remember to keep my head level instead of looking down so much at my phone or screen, and I want to engage my abs, so my back isn't taking most of the weight.

3. Get on a better sleep schedule. I want to regularly be in bed by 10:30, even if I read until 11, then go to bed, (see next goal). I also want to wake up earlier on the weekends. I love sleeping in, but anything past 11 bums me out. I also really enjoy having a full day with Justin.

4. Read more! I have actually made progress on this goal, which is regularly featured in my New Year's Resolutions posts. I received a Kindle for Christmas, and I've been reading a bunch of David Sedaris books. It's fun! The thing that is nice about the kindle, is that I don't feel it falls into the "screen time" category. It isn't harshly back lit/LED lights, so it doesn't strain my eyes more than reading a book does. Also, I feel like screen time while reading somehow shouldn't count.

5. Make things. I always feel better when I have a project going, and for some reason I always forget that. I want to finish all of my binder projects (Emergency Binder/Guinea Pig Binder/Garden Binder/Memories/Pet Profiles). I'm gonna need more sheet protectors! Not only do I think these are fun, but they are things that in certain cases, like an Emergency, a half-done Emergency Binder probably won't do me any good.

6. Siiiiiiiiiiigh. This is the one that will forever be on my list. Exercise. Hopefully spring will eventually arrive and I'll be able to go for walks on the city trail by my work during my lunch hour. I need to invest in some good exercise shoes. My current ones are old and are currently acting as my every-day shoes, since my slip-on flats aren't great for the snow. If I divert the amount of time I am looking on a screen to exercise/reading more/crafts, I feel that I would make quite a lot of progress with these goals.

7. Cook more/Eat healthy. These sort of go hand-in-hand for the purpose of this goal. I can bake plenty, but that doesn't mean it's always healthy! It will help save money, and I can improve my skills. I can exercise all I want, but without eating better, I won't reach my full potential. I'm already working on this, but I need to stay focused.

8. PURGE! I LOVE this goal. Out of all of these goals, this is the easiest for me. I love purging. I love cleaning out my closet and getting rid of clutter. It just feels so GOOD. And with us moving back to Utah at the end of this year (woohoo!), I'll need to. I might as well start now! Wheeee! And the second part to purging, is to resist accumulating things. It's not enough to purge, I need to make sure I commit to keeping things minimal.

9. Explore More! We are only going to be in Bloomington for 10 more months. That seems like a long time, but it really isn't. I want to make sure we take advantage of our time here. For example, we could drive to Nashville, Tennessee. We could drive to a Cincinnati Reds game if we wanted. We haven't tried all of the Bloomington Restaurants that we want, and we haven't gone on the hikes that we want to, either. I would love to go see a concert at the Jacobs School of Music, which is one of the highest ranked music programs in the nation.

10. Routine changes: I like schedules. I like charts. I like lists. But I still can't quite apply structure very well. That is why I want to start regularly/routinely doing my laundry. I want to go to bed around the same time. I want to exercise regularly. I want to read consistently. I want to clean the entire apartments every Thursday. Or clean out the car every other Friday. Or whatever the improvement/task is, I want to do it regularly. This is because with routine, things that seem like a chore or a dreaded task, becomes habit. And with my goals, I want them to be things that become part of my lifestyle, not just something I check off my list.

Discussion with my Mom

I was having a conversation with my mom about some things, and I thought I would share because she has a lot of insight and is able to articulate things better than I am. First, I will give a brief summary of what started this conversation:

 My supervisor has a grandson who plays basketball. He is in the first grade. He doesn't show very much interest in playing. So his dad, my supervisor's son-in-law, told him that he would give him a dollar for every basket he makes. Now the son is super engaged and more aggressive in making baskets. I suppose the goal was achieved, but it it really the goal of the child or of the parent? And if it were the goal of the child, why involve a reward other than the satisfaction of self-improvement? 

Bribing children has never set well with me. First, who cares if he doesn't have interest in the game. Why push it? Why not accept that it's just not his thing? He's in first grade, who cares if he makes a basket or not?

 I think it is important to develop an internal sense of motivation and satisfaction. Bribery ruins that. That then made me think of how I know people who can only gauge their performance if it is compared to that of their peers. Who cares if everyone else in the class didn't do well on the exam? Did you?

 This reminds me of why cross-country, for all of the reasons I didn't like it, is a great sport. I don't care if I came in last in the race, if I improved my time, that is a good race.

 This is what my mom said when we were talking about only feeling satisfied with ourselves when compared to others:

 "It is the western way of thinking. It is so ingrained that it is hard to stop. The main researcher who writes about it is Carol Dweck. She focuses on performance vs mastery orientation. Performance orientation is the idea that we have to be good for others and that it is our products that make us who we are. She combines it with fixed mindset -- the idea that we are smart by genetics. Therefore, failure is stupidity. To contrast, mastery orientation is a focus on learning. It goes with a malleable mind set -- learning makes us smarter, effort is what drives being smarter. Praising children for being smart fosters performance orientation and fixed mind set. Praising effort creates a malleable mind set and helps kids be more persistent and take more joy in the process."

 Here is an article that I think is really good: http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/ If you have time, read it, and tell me what you think!

If you don't have time, don't read it, but still tell me what you think!