New Month, New Focus

It is a new month, and I am focusing on two things this month - eating fruits and vegetables daily and getting into an evening routine that includes making progress on my business goals. I am going to try these things because they are things that I didn't really get going during this past year. The veggie thing is because I want to eat better than I usually do, and the routine thing is because I don't want to be falling asleep at 7:00 any more. I'm thinking that 9:00 is a more respectable, grown-up type of bedtime, so I'm shooting for that!

Like the good behaviorist I was trained to be, I have set up some objectives and rewards for myself as I strive to develop these habits. The first one, eating better, is something that will take lots of encouragement because it is not something I do easily. I like convenience and buying something quick is so much more convenient than making something every night. I usually cook lots on my day off and then freeze things into smaller, convenient, microwavable segments. Then, I put them in the freezer and don't use them during the week.

One of the YouTube bullet journal folks that I like, Cindy Guentert-Baldo, is doing a vegetable challenge for herself and her family. She takes one thing - like asparagus - and focuses on eating that thing during the month. They figure out all kinds of ways to serve the same vegetable. At the end of the month, they have a bunch of new recipes and the knowledge of whether they truly like the thing or not.

I'm not sure that I will be doing that particular thing, but I do like the idea of choosing something and then figuring out all kinds of ways to fix it up. I tend to get into patterns with my eating as well as with everything else in my life, so I get stuck with one or two ways to use various food stuffs. I am also very picky when it comes to food textures, so I have to figure out ways to incorporate textures into food where I don't gag.

So, back to being a behaviorist and establishing new habits...

I am going to track my vegetable consumption in my bullet journal (of course) and then reward myself with a movie - if I've done what I need to do. I'm thinking that a week of veggie eating will be worth the movie trip to the theater. Oh, and popcorn doesn't count as a vegetable...or potatoes. Canned stuff won't count either. I think I'll puree a bunch of spinach to put into the spaghetti sauce that I'm making right now. Spinach will DEFINITELY count as a vegetable!! If it's pureed, then the texture will not be so much of an issue, and I will get more veggies into my diet - as well as more iron!! Whoo-hoo! One meal down - I get a star in my bullet journal!!

My business concept productivity and habit will be based on what I get accomplished in the evenings. I have a list of things to do this month, and I will check those things off as I get them finished. At the end of the month, if everything is done, I'll be another step closer to my goal of a self-sustaining business. No real rewards set up for this habit - I'm going to take the idea of getting this passion project of mine going as my reward at the end of this habit-building format.

I will be checking in on my progress as the month progresses. I will have a bit of time where working on the business side of things might be a bit complicated due to vacationing and the like, but I will be doing what I can do all month long.

Happy June, all!