‘Hello!’ to the fortunate few who have stumbled upon this blog. If you find yourself here, consider yourself part of an exclusive circle tasked with keeping me on track with my new year’s resolutions. Your presence is more valuable. As I kick off the new year, I felt I should pen a personal blog, not only to outline my ambitions for these digital pages but also to articulate my resolutions for personal growth. Putting them down here is my way of staying accountable.
Now, you might be wondering about the connection between my personal goals and the usual themes of business, productivity, and change management explored on this blog. Brace yourself for a shameless integration – they are relevant because, in one way or another, they all revolve around boosting productivity.
So, what are they? Here goes.
Health and Wellbeing
In the health and wellbeing realm, I’ve committed to conquering two half marathons this year. The first, along the East of England coast, is scheduled for early in the year, building upon my completion of the Bath half marathon in late 2023. This time, I’ve recruited a few friends and loved ones to join me, ensuring I stay true to the challenge.
The second marathon will mark my debut in trail running – a hilly and formidable endeavor.
For training, I’ll be hitting the roads two to three times a week, reserving the weekends for long runs. Strengthening activities are also on the agenda to prepare for the demanding trail run. The plan involves transitioning from road to off-road running as the year progresses. Adding a competitive edge, I’m determined to surpass my plodding pace from the Bath marathon.
Beyond running
I’ve delved into strength training, adopting a slightly insufferable habit of squeezing in short bursts during TV ad breaks. Credit for this cunning idea goes to Michael Mosley’s Just One Long Thing podcast, featuring an interview with Dr. Marie Murphy.
Diet
I’ve resolved to reduce my alcohol intake to near zero. While I won’t label myself a teetotaler, my inclination towards the taste of alcohol and fascination with wines and whiskeys remain. However, a December of introspection led me to the realization that regular drinking wasn’t contributing any real value. Inspiration struck through Andrew Huberman’s video: What Alcohol Does to Your Body and Brain, highlighting the lack of social, emotional, or physical benefits.
Thus, Dry January commenced, with my last sip being a glass of Champagne on New Year’s Eve. Stay tuned for a forthcoming blog detailing this journey later in the month. Additionally, I’m gearing up for posts on maximizing the benefits of Lent for both health and productivity.
Morning Routine
Next is a New Year’s goal around my Morning Ragime. Here again, I’ve been inspired by Huberman. Whilst I’m not going to even start to suggest I could do everything on his morning routine, I do plan to at least try and do one element of it each day. Other’s have blogged about it in more detail than I can go into here, but for the unitiated, his routine consists of:
- 1. Wake up early (very easy with a baby)
- 2. Get exposure to natural light
- 3. Hydrate
- 4. Meditate
- 5. Stretch
- 6. Exercise
- 7. Fuel up with a healthy breakfast
- 8. Cold exposure
- 9. Journal
- 10. Set and review daily goals
Personally meditating is a challenge and the idea of cold exposure really does very little for me. So, I’ll be endeavoring to engage in some of his other suggestions.
Blogging
On the professional front, the past year took a back seat as we welcomed our first child, rightfully shifting focus to extra-curricular activities. However, this year marks my determined effort to properly launch this blog. My goal is to publish at least once a week, with a likely schedule of writing and posting on Fridays. Adding a financial goal to the mix, I aim to earn my first pound from this blog by the year’s end. I remain optimistic after reading the insights and responses shared by Productive Blogging.