Has anyone else felt like it’s been hard to keep the days straight, find motivation, or set goals for the new year? I thought it was just something that was happening to me during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but it seems like it’s a lingering problem for some people. So, glad I’m not alone!
Rather than stress myself out about my lack of motivation and constant confusion about what day of the week it is, I’ve allowed myself a new perspective. For starters, the cold, rainy (and even snowy) weather we’ve been having has not helped matters (at least for me). I find it challenging to take a sanity stroll when I either need to bundle up or break out my rain gear. Therefore, my hibernation mode has been in full swing over here. Secondly, January always feels like an extra long month with no end in sight. But at least it is starting to stay lighter longer.
While I’m not at my full productivity level just yet, here are a few ways I’ve been easing myself into 2024:
- Organizing my Google calendar: I live off of my Google calendar. Everything from writing blog posts to invoicing clients to blocking time off to work goes on there. I even put easy tasks on there sometimes just so I can feel a sense of accomplishment for crossing something off my to-do list. I find that seeing what my days and weeks look like often helps to motivate me. There are plenty of times when the week comes to an end, and I wonder what I did all week, and then I look at my calendar and see how much I got done.
- Infrared sauna sessions: There’s something about spending 30 minutes at 145 degrees that makes everything better. Perhaps it’s because it feels like a break from the cold weather or because I can sweat out all my stress while listening to a killer playlist. Maybe it’s because the heat melts all my aches and pains from riding away. Whatever the reason, this is a must on my weekly to-do list.
- Workouts: While the current weather conditions have my usual sanity strolls on pause, moving my body is important for me to feel my best physically and mentally. If I’ve been slacking on my infrared sauna sessions, the next best thing is heading to Flex Studios and taking their heated mat pilates class.
- Planning ahead: I’ve never been good about setting my schedule in advance, but one thing that I am working on for 2024 is doing just that. I’m also using this as a challenge to get better at scheduling my content out, which will make life much easier, as I write and shoot everything myself.
- Setting aside time to do what I love: If I’ve learned anything from 2023, it’s that blocking off time to do what I love is imperative. And just like anything else, it needs to go on the calendar. In my case, that’s barn time on the weekends. I see a noticeable difference in my mood and energy levels during the week when I don’t take this time on the weekends. I’ve said this before, but horses have such a healing energy, and I always leave the barn feeling better than I did when I arrived.
How are you entering 2024?
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