This has been my healthiest year in about 20 years. I’m physically fit, with better definition than I’ve had in about 15 years, my cardio is great, and I’m hovering around my weight during my university years – 30 years ago. (I was close to 25 pounds heavier just 18 months ago).
Beyond that, I’ve meditated at least 10 minutes daily, I’ve averaged more than 4 workouts weekly, and I’ve listened to about 20 audio books since the start of the year. One of my goals this year was to read or write for at least 30 minutes daily. I was doing alright with this goal, mostly listening to books while working out, and on commutes. Since July I’ve been blogging daily, and I’ve really loved doing this.
I shared how I’v made daily blogging easy, but I have a few updates that I think can help others. I shared this quote in my post, ‘Why blog daily‘:
“For years, I’ve been explaining to people that daily blogging is an extraordinarily useful habit. Even if no one reads your blog, the act of writing it is clarifying, motivating and (eventually) fun.“ ~Seth Godin
For me daily blogging is a powerful learning tool. I get to reflect on my learning and on life. And I enjoy the process of being creative, rather than passively watching TV or sports.
Here are a few things that have made this sustainable for me:
1. I have a great home gym. Many people spend as much time commuting to and from a gym in a week as I spend working out for 4-5 days.
2. I seldom do more than 20 minutes of cardio. 5 minute warm up, 10 minutes hard, 5 minute warm down. I know a lot of people that will do at least 45 minutes on a treadmill. As I age, I want to keep my cardio up and also protect my joints from over-exertion. My workouts are about 1/2 to 1/3 the time of others, if you include my lack of a commute to the gym.
3. Voice to text memos. Inspiration hits me at odd moments. In 20 seconds I can record a blog post idea on my iPhone by telling Siri to make a note. Example: ‘Make a note’, ‘What do you want it to say?’, ‘Update on routines with ideas like voice to text and using Pixabay.’
4. Pixabay for amazing royalty and attribution free images. I used to use memes for images to go with my blog, and sometimes still do, but finding a good (and appropriate) one became too slow. I find great images to go with my blog very quickly on Pixabay.
5. I get most or all of my blog posts done before bed. I am enjoying writing a lot, and I’m taking longer to write, but my morning time is fixed, and unlike today, a Saturday afternoon, all my posts are scheduled between 6:30 and 8:30 am – still playing with a ‘best time’. Basically the schedule means I’m done blogging before work starts. Other than 20 seconds of inspiration as described in #3 above, my blogging and exercise are completely done between 6pm and 6am. Having clear parameters is important.
6. I don’t waste my time with TV or sports. I mentioned this already, but I know many people that spend more time on entertainment during the work week than I spend on exercise, meditation, blogging, and social media in a full week.
7. I monitor my social media time. My blog auto posts to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and when I go to these tools, I am looking to learn and converse with my digital friends and colleagues. I don’t really spend a lot of time surfing, and I use the Apple Screen Time monitor to keep me honest.
8. I’ve temporarily given up archery. I started this hobby a few years ago, but one session is a minimum of an hour and a half including my commute. I’ll get back into it, but for now, my other goals are a priority and you can’t always do everything you want to do.
That’s my update. Basically, blogging, audio books, and working out are entertainment for me. I enjoy this time, and I prioritize my personal time to make them work. I hope that whatever you prioritize, you make time for as well!
