I know time is fake and everything, but damn if I don't love a fake beginning. You name it: new year, new job, even new day! I love thinking that because there's a new cycle beginning, however subjective, we have a new chance to start over.
In reality, nothing really changes when the clock ticks into a different second, and we're suddenly in October, in the last quarter of the year. But there's a renewed sense of power for someone as color-coded goal-oriented as me, and maybe as you.
October is here, the end of the year has officially approached, and it's time to decide how I want to use said renewed sense of power.
I've been trying to move away from goals and into systems. There's a lot of evidence that goals aren't good for your mental health long-term, and to be honest, even achieving goals doesn't really give me a big sense of, well, achievement.
There are, however, systems that can be put into place in a way to make me, uh, get to the places I want to go. Without focusing on that as if my life depends on it, I mean.
This quarter, which starts this October, these are the things that I want to focus on:
Continuing to spend quality time with my family,
Hustle my ass off to make more money,
Pay more attention to my health (exercise, eat better, check-ups).
The first one is just part of how I lead my life. Family and friends (and my cats!) are extremely important to me, and I have found that playing with my cats for hours can be the most rewarding part of my day, so I prioritize it. Today, I spent a long time with my mom just hanging out on the couch and talking. Maybe not the most Instagram-worthy thing, but wholesome.
A system in place to continue to prioritize my family is how I've scheduled my days. I go to the gym with my mom (and now my grandma too), I frequently have lunch with my grandparents, get up two hours early just to play with my cats unbothered, and I just want to continue feeding this system that makes me happy, and include some extended family as well.
The second thing is… MONEY, BABY. Did you know you can upgrade your newsletter subscription to paid for $5 and follow my serialized adult romance before everyone else? And also just make me happy. Ugh, capitalism is the absolute worst, but on top of saving money for something I'll probably be able to talk about soon, I want to be able to comfortably help my family. Systems in place for this: HUSSSSSTLE.
No, like, there is a system, and that system is writing. I'm carving out at the very least two hours every day for writing things. If we were to make that into goals, I could say that I would very much like to have two books ready to launch on indie under a secret pen name, plus the novel I'll be serializing here. That's three books I want to have done this quarter. But more than that, I'm just prioritizing the system: I'll be writing, and I know that will eventually result in $$$.
The third system in place is going to sound super cheesy, but get this: I need to treat myself more. I'm used to skipping meals and neglecting doctor appointments in favor of taking care of others (or other priorities, like $), and that's just not healthy. Not for me, not for the ones I love. If my family is my #1 priority, I have to act accordingly: if I get sick because I'm not eating healthily enough or won't do my check-ups, I'll give them something else to worry about.
This is the most difficult system in place, but I still think it's easier to shift into a system of paying attention to my body and mind lovingly, than to make it a goal to eat XYZ amount of calories, meals, work out for ABC amount of time, etc.
What are some values important to you, and how could you employ systems in this semester to make sure you're living according to them?
Late but I love to hear you're prioritizing yourself in this way. For me I want to focus on getting used to my new work schedule and maintain healthy habits while I'm doing so - eating well, exercising - as well as spending time on some personal priorities (writing) and working on getting one side hustle doing. Actually I guess the systems we want to work on are pretty similar!
I love hearing your thoughts about this! <3 Setting goals / systems has always been difficult for me: mental health is such a wildcard. But I love the way you spell it out.