New Habits

I'm still recovering from the big event of last week (a huge conference for the day job). But I've already been working on developing some new habits.

I did make two resolutions for 2015, and I've started on one: taking more photos of what I'm involved in. Even with all the chaos of the week, I managed some photos with work friends--and commemorating the effort we put into things made me happy (see photos here).

But I've also started on another habit: meditation.

Now, that one's a little weird for me, simply because I don't think anyone who knows me would look at me and think, "yeah, she's a candidate for meditation." But perhaps I need it the most....

There are two reasons I'm giving it a whirl. One, an attempt to calm my mind to deal with the chaos of last week. And two, because of this article in the Guardian, New Year's Resolutions Worth Making, that a friend (thanks, Deb) posted on Facebook. It begins, "First, just start meditating already."

I figured, what's 10 minutes a day for a couple weeks? So I started Headspace's "Take 10" (that's 10 minutes and 10 sessions) series, which another friend (thanks, Kimberly!) had recommended. And while I can't claim I turned into a serene person overnight, I'm enjoying taking a few minutes to just focus on breathing and chase thoughts out of my mind every day.

I'm starting the next 10 sessions in Level 2 now, and I've signed up for the monthly subscription, so I'll let you know how things go.

Does anyone else out there meditate? Do you use anything for guidance? What do you like about the practice?

Making Routines

I'm a creature of habit. My husband laughs at me about that. He isn't, but rather is actively processing what's around him at all times. Me? I'll stumble over shoes that are in a walkway, because I'm not looking where I'm going.

Really ... why should I look? Why should shoes ever be in a walkway?

For me, habits and routines are reassuring, because if I have and follow a routine, I don't have to remember everything I might need to pack for a trip or everything I need to do to close up the house for the night. Or where I put my keys. (Or how much coffee I have ... but that's a matter of safety for everyone around me.)

Those kinds of routines aren't so tough. If only other routines were easier to establish....

What I always struggle with are the two big, time-consuming needs, after sleep and the day job: book writing and exercise.

My typical pattern is that I develop a pattern for a couple days, weeks, or months, and then my routine is interrupted by holidays or busy times at work or other commitments. And then I need to develop the habit again.

So I'm trying again with writing. I'd gotten a good habit going for a while or doing some work every morning before going to work. Then a bunch of unusual stuff happened the last couple weeks ... and boom, no writing.

But now it's the start of November, and I know people doing NaNoWriMo. I'm not doing the full 50K-word commitment (too much going on this month), but I'm committing to half of that. My goal is to write every morning for the 45 available minutes, and then to write for just a little while in the afternoon also ... just enough to make my word-count goal and also do a little planning work for later portions of the book.

I'm hoping that a month of this will set me up with a good routine to carry me through December and January--and the completion of a first draft. Fingers crossed. Because a routine that means I bite off regular, small chunks of my next book is a lot easier to face than the idea of "I must write 80,000 words of a book."

Maybe it's all about managing the panic. And routines. I do love a good routine.

How about you all? Do routines help you? Or do you like to change things up?