I looked at this years goals. In a word, I achieved almost none of them - some by dint of the fact that events changed, but some simply did not happen. That makes the whole consideration rather dismal, and this with a month to go in this year (pretty much no chance to accomplish any of the rest of them, unfortunately).
One wants to do better, of course. I actually want to create goals that both make me stretch and at the same time are achievable. So perhaps I need to go about finding a different way to do it.
As I sat there looking at my list and sighing rather intently, the thought arose "Why do you not think about giving something up as a goal?"
Hmm. A "negative" goal. I had never thought of this before. I have thought of goals in terms of accomplishing or adding something, not subtracting or removing something.
So I am thinking about changing up goals this year. The categories will still be the same, but for each item of adding-accomplishing-doing there will be something for subtracting-removing-ending.
How does this apply itself? Well, I will try to make something up on the fly to demonstrate.
One thing I need to work on next year is my sleep pattern, which is awful and not at all near the 7.5 to 8 hours a night that research suggests most people should get. To help with this, there are really two components: allocating the time to encompass the sleep and doing things to make sure that you get the sleep. So a positive goal would be to "Allow for 8 hours of sleep a night". I know my rising times, so that becomes a math problem.
The second part of it becomes the issue - how do I make sure I get 8 hours of sleep a night? One easy item is to make sure that I go to bed at a prescribed time each night (which I have better control over than when I wake up every morning). Which means I will have to curtail my scheduled activities and move a schedule such that I really get 8 hours a night.
So a negative goal in this sense would be "Ending all activities at 9:00 PM" or "Not checking electronics after 8:00 PM" (something that inevitably keeps me up).
I will keep working on this, of course. But I need to be here this time next year with items that were achieved, not things that I wish I had done.
If you figure out how to do it can you let me know too? Darn it, I get up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep. I pick up the iPad because I just CANT sleep. Then I want to pass out for a nap in the afternoon during the day. It’s sheer sloth and lack of self control... but I can’t seem to get on top of it....
ReplyDeleteI've come to the same conclusion about getting a more full night's sleep, i.e. go to bed earlier as it's the only option. Trouble is, I can't make myself go to sleep!
ReplyDeleteWhenever we try to go to bed early, it usually backfires. We can't sleep so we get up and stay up longer than if we'd gone to bed at our usual 10 or 10:30 PM.
ReplyDeleteHowever, no electronics after 8PM should be quite doable. And a goal you could achieve.
You've been cutting down on clutter, making that a goal should help you complete that, too.
You just started your online study thing. That could be worked into a goal for next year, though I don't know if the no electronics after 8 would mess that up or not.
And how many goals does one need, anyway?
A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to you all.
Glen, I will - if I figure out. I have been using an app for about a week now and I can tell you the following: I generally sleep 6.5 hours and wake up a 0300 pretty regularly. Fix 0300 and I think I am set.
ReplyDeleteAs for getting back to sleep - for me, I have to accept I will lay there for up to an hour. For me, no noise (earplugs) help. The other thing I am working on is being stubborn about going back to sleep - if I wake up early, I will lay there until my rising time. I am trying to train myself "waking up early" does nothing.
Leigh, we share that as well! I am hopeful this app will start to give me some idea as to the optimal sleeping and rising time (e.g. if I go to bed earlier, do I still wake up at 0300? If so, what happens at that time?)
ReplyDeleteLinda, going to bed too early does nothing for me as well. My task is to find a regular sleep time and stick to it.
ReplyDeleteElectronics after 8 PM is something I need to seriously work on - a fair amount of research suggests it does mess up your sleep patterns. As for on-line study, evening is not the best time for me to d that anyway.
I always have too many goals - but I never seem to hit enough of them.