I’m a very routine person. Every morning since August 10, 2021, I’ve woken up and immediately done a 2 minute plank. I have my daily activities. A step count. My Happiness is post. The New York Times Connections game. I have my weekly activities. Two Smile Project blogs. Meal prep. Balancing a checkbook. I have my monthly activities. Pay rent and, far more excitedly, learn something new. But yearly? That can be harder to identify. It’s just a lot of time.
At the start of the year, I always jot down a few notes. It includes the things I want to maintain (like studying languages); things I want to do more of (a higher book count than last year); and things I really need to build from the bottom of (an intentional and dedicated stretching routine).
Looking at something like my book count, it would be easy to say, “I read xx books last year and I’d like to read xx + y this year.” From there, it would be easy to divide the number by 12 and figure out about how many books we’re talking each month.
For easy math, if the goal was 24 books a year, we’d be looking at two books a month. But say come April second, you’d only read 1. Well, by this logic, you’re five books behind. Of course, that’s not always how it works. Some days you feel like tearing through a bookshelf. Other days, you might feel unable to get through a page. Some months we just read more than others.
And while I’m someone who's very good at structured daily and weekly tasks, I’m learning that not everything can be sorted that precisely. Sometimes we need more time. Sometimes we need more grace.
So as we sit here on the cusp of August, about to start the eighth month of 2024, I encourage you to have a little patience and grace with yourself and whatever goals you set back on December 31’s eve. It’s never too late to begin.
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