I do December the same way most people who celebrate Christmas do – a rush of preparations combined with extra social events, with a hearty attempt to fit in all of the things that I meant to get done during the rest of the year.
Of course, I also get the bonus of having ADHD so, like Dirk Gently in the photo below, I laugh at the concept of time. I have to put a lot of mental effort into calculating how much time something will take. If I try to just ‘wing it’ with my estimations, I end up trying to cram 50 things into an hour or I give myself so much time to do a task that my brain refuses to get into gear because there is no urgency.
And, as a life coach, I end up observing my own behaviour so I can use it as an example when I am explaining things to clients.
So, over the past few years, I have been making incremental changes in my December plans. I have been trying not to get caught up in the rush and, instead, be conscious of what I am choosing to do each day and how those choices makes me feel.
This year, I have the benefit of data from having made similar types of choices about September.
Previously, I used to just give myself a break in September and not try to add anything new beyond what had to be there (i.e. an arts festival and two kids starting school.) This year, however, I added a short yoga practice and a drawing exercise to my busy September days.
Instead of feeling rushed and resenting the extra tasks, those two things became my personal anchor every day. Most days, I did them first thing. And I found that creating that little space of personal focus early in the day gave me a sense of accomplishment and a sense of peace.
A sense of accomplishment and a sense of peace is exactly what I am looking for in December, too.
So, I’m adopting a similar practice for the month ahead.
Since I know that one good way to add a new habit is to ‘anchor’ it to something you already routinely do, I am going to add a short ‘warm-up’ to my day right after my yoga practice.
And, to stick with the formula from September, I’m going to write or draw on an index card every day, too.
I’ll check in a couple of times in December to let you know how things are going.
PS – I didn’t realize that my post was going to have two themes today but when I want to talk about how time is a slippery concept, Douglas Adams just springs to mind and when I want to talk about a feeling of accomplishment then I am all about stars. 🙂
I love this warm up! I have ADD and can relate to the need to provide a certain kind of sweet-spot structure, and how hard it is to find that sweet spot. The woman doing the warm up is great– she doesn’t do squats super low, and I can see her tiring a little bit (unlike the super-duper fit people who usually demo these things). And the white background and no music, but just the person’s voice in the background (with preview of next move) is awesome. Thanks for posting this. And I’m going to do it, too (you know I’m a Christine copy-cat about lots of fitness/focus things, I hope in a good way…)