This year I put a lot of thought and time into my New Year’s resolutions, until I realized I was over-complicating it. I wanted to be useful, happy, stimulated, active, and taking steps forward in my life. Really, one goal is not going to achieve those things as much as a change in mindset would. So, I created a little phrase that would keep me motivated and actually interested in what I was doing.
Move, do, create.
Everyday, I try to do 1 thing from each of these categories and a quarter of the year in, it’s going great! Basically not a day goes by where I don’t achieve these things in some way or another, and it doesn’t need to be difficult. Stretching before bed after a long day? Move! Added some new spices to a tried and true recipe? Create! Went to work? Did!
There’s a lot of flexibility here too. Going to the gym was a goal of mine for the year, but now all the gyms are closed and I’ve just pivoted to stretching, running, or walking without any difficulty because it’s doing what I need. At the beginning of the year, I loved stop motion. Now I haven’t done it in weeks but that’s okay because I’m creating other things to keep my brain feeling good. Sometimes the “productive” thing that I do is just to read. Not really that special, but still something that keeps my day from falling into bad habits that aren’t doing me any good. The concept that there are things I need to prioritize sticks with me and keeps me from falling into a funk.
I would recommend this little phrase to anyone looking to make some tweaks in their life, it’s low commitment and flexible enough not to be a burden on even the longest of days. Most importantly, it keeps the notion in your head that these things should be prioritized. Also, it’s easily modified. Maybe creativity isn’t important to you, but connection with loved ones is. Just switch out what isn’t relevant and give it a try.
The Avery Spectacle 