january THP recap

How’d I do?

January’s Happiness Project:
Go to sleep earlier.
Exercise better.
Toss, restore, organize.
Tackle a nagging task.
Act more energetic.

Go to sleep earlier
– I ended up not using the cute vintage alarm clock that I bought because my fiance made some DIY adaptations to our nightstands. He added small reading lamps (not seen in the picture) and drilled holes in the sides of the nightstand so that our phone chargers could be hidden in the shallow drawers instead of being on top of the nightstands. I found that this helped me fight the temptation to look at my phone at night. I am also proud to say that I have resisted downloading the latest viral game, FlappyBird.

– The sleep mask is great. I have been using the pink one so far, a la Blair Waldorf. I like it a lot; it also serves as a deterrent to getting up and reading emails or playing phone games. My Jawbone Up also tracked my sleep, so I was able to look at my sleep data and see a more concrete connection between less sleep and crankiness.

Photo Credit: Real Style Network

Exercise better
– Overall, using my Jawbone Up helped me streamline my exercise. Instead of focusing on making it to more classes, I aimed to add more walking during the day through walks to and from the T, errand walks, and walking in the school.
– Using MyFitnessPal and Withings helped so much in assessing trends and making small but effective changes to my food and exercise choices. I don’t want to fall into the self-destructive habit of focusing only on calorie counts and the weight on the scale, so I may back off the tracking a bit in the coming months. I am happy to be better informed about the calories and nutrients in various foods. I definitely incorporate more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and have developed consistent habits for making breakfast, packing lunch, and stocking my kitchen to be able to cook quick + healthy dinners.

Toss, restore, organize
– I only did one major scanning and shredding session, and didn’t rip a single DVD. However, I feel way more organized in the kitchen and with my routines (packing lunch, preparing outfits and bag the night before, cooking dinner).

Tackle a nagging task
– Loving the Bullet Journal now! I carry it in my purse and like its simplicity. I’m still using Evernote to collect ideas.
– I started the month banning myself from going on personal email or gchat until I finished the lesson plan for the next day. I started to slack on this at the end of the month so I’m going to refocus on it now.

Act more energetic
– This has impacted my teaching and running of meetings. Instead of focusing on having the perfect lesson plans or project ideas, I channel more energy into assessing and reacting to how my students are handling the material. More patience and a calm demeanor pay off way more than snazzy technology piloted by CrankyMe. I also am focusing on being more patient in team leading and IB coordinating, and the atmosphere just *feels* better.