Rule of 21

Starting tomorrow morning I am embarking on my first publicly documented personal challenge. It may not be surprising that this will not be my first attempt at such a challenge but I am in great spirits to try at it again. You know the saying: Fall down seven times, get up eight.


So what is the task at hand? Well I have a terrible habit of being late that is not only a damper on my reputation but I genuinely don't support the habit. Yet at the root of my issue is time-management. Essentially I have no routine between when I wake up and when I fall asleep. Since I have a flexible schedule it really weighs down to what motivates me to have a fixed routine. Now, I can sleep comfortably for 8-9 hours straight a night and that is a range that I would like to maintain day to day. The thing is that, like many other people, I may get 6 hours, 8 hours, 5 hours, 10 hours, 7 hours throughout the week that I feel is attributed to a constant drain in my energy throughout the day. I would describe myself as a night owl but I do equally appreciate early mornings.

Therefore, instead of saying that one way is better than the other my challenge is to explore what works for me. And that is where the number 21 comes in. I've read and heard that 21 is the magic number to form new habits and since I can't recall ever waking up at 7AM everyday for 21 days straight this will be an epic change over what is essentially three weeks.

So to break it down- this is my strategy...

21 Day Challenge: April 18 - May 9

7AM -Wake Up

• Shower, eat breakfast, clean

9AM

• Leave for work

• Since I'm getting a new laptop this week I plan to bike to my local library on my spare days and abuse their Wi-Fi...plus get a lot of much needed writing done

12PM

• Lunch, can't forget to nourish

5PM

• Call it a day- this will be a challenge, I'm like that annoying kid who says "I more minute!" 45 minutes consecutively

6PM

• Eat dinner, I should be marved by this time

7-10PM

• Free time aka catch up on emails or chatting the phone

10-11PM

• This hour is the most critical, it's important for me to retreat to my room and avoid all distractions. I can catch up on reading or something that is relaxing

11PM

• Bed time!!! (Depending on my night it may be later if I'm attending an event but the point is to close my eyes and count sheep; it's nearly guaranteed that I will be ready to knock out)   

So I'll keep it 100- honest. If I slip it's not the end of the world but I'm making a promise to myself to do my best and if I could manage a 10 day retreat of 5AM meditation I surely have the willpower to: make time for change.

Night, Night