New year, improved me. I love using January as a time to set intentions, look to the 12 months ahead and think about ways I can show up better for myself and those around me. One way I like to think about this is in terms of daily routines, what are the actions I can take every single day of my life which will have positive impacts? Here are the five I am aiming to incorporate in the coming year.
- Boundaries with my phone. I already have some great boundaries in place with my phone, such as having all notifications turned off. However, I definitely still have too much screen time so I want to add in a few more. Specifically, keeping my phone on airplane mode for the last 30 minutes before bed and the first hour after waking up. I used to do this but I fell off the bandwagon, it’s time to bring it back.
- Daily breathwork. I did daily breathwork for five minutes for over 18 months and felt a huge difference in my stress levels and headscape. However, when we moved house I fell out of my routine, so I want to establish it. If you want to give it a go, I use the breath bubble on the Calm app and I highly recommend it.
- Read daily. Reading and I have such an on-off relationship. I go through phases of devouring books and others of hardly reading for months. My intention for 2021 is to incorporate reading daily, even if it is just 2-3 pages before I fall asleep.
- Stretch after I train. Who else does a workout and then walks straight out the gym? I used to always dedicate at least 5-10 minutes to post-workout stretching but recently I have become lazy. In 2021 I want to ensure that I stretch after every workout, even just for a few minutes, to help support recovery and maintain my flexibility.
- Less time planning, more time doing. I love to plan and be organised, but sometimes to my own detriment. Planning action and taking action are two very different things. I can get so caught up in planning my work and scheduling my day that I actually spend less time doing what I need to do. In 2021 I am going to stop looking at my to-do list so much and just do it.
What are your intentions for the year ahead? Let me know on social media @zannavandijk.
Zanna x
