New month; who dis?

Let’s be real: we could all benefit from adding a few healthy habits to our lives, right? That’s what my newly declared “New You November” initiative is all about, and I know that by sharing it here with you, I’ll actually hold myself accountable and commit to the changes I want to see!

So what do I mean by “New You November”? Basically, I’m setting a few healthy goals for myself throughout the month! And when I say “healthy”, I’m not strictly talking about physical health (although, if you’ve been following along with me on social media, you’ll see that I’ve been striving to stay active and eat well…. minus the recent Roberta’s visit and everything consumed in Portugal, but everything in moderation, right?)  I’m talking about developing solid habits to help me become a more proactive, present person in my day to day life.  I’m definitely not looking to change myself completely, but sometimes we all need a little bit of a reset to find some clarity. 

So, without further ado, here are the goals I’ve set for myself for the month:

1. Become a morning person. Said no one ever. So, why? Well, they say that morning people are more proactive and are both mentally and physically healthier. Great benefit, but I’m also just trying to make it to work on time. (Hi, boss. Sorry, boss.) Realistically, though, I’d really like to just get out of the habit of snoozing until the last minute and then feeling totally rushed in the morning. Not a good way to ease into the day.  It’s like I’m setting myself up for stress! I’d also love to get some more morning workouts in so I can have more time to decompress at night (aka finish Stranger Things 2 and eat dinner before 10:30 PM) I’m starting off strong, having made it through a 7:15 AM Overthrow Boxing class. KA-POW!
2. ‘No Spend November’. GA$P! Devin, Britt and I were just chatting about this last night. We figured the first of the month would be a great time to put a little more thought into our spending habits (Do I REALLY need to eat out for lunch 3-4 times a week?? By Chloe. just opened right by my office…pray for me.) I’m not going to totally skimp because, well, this is NYC, and I want to participate in alllllll of the activities, eat alllll of the food, and try alllllll the matcha. I’d just like to be a little more conscious of where my money’s going and find areas where I can cut back on excess spending. #ADULTING
3. Finish my online coding crash course. As a blogger in the 21st century, I thought it would be beneficial to improve my computer skills (and maybe pick up a new hobby?) by learning how to code. My roomie, April, has helped me navigate the HTML world in a very basic way, but I’d love to nerd out and understand exactly how HTML and CSS work. I know this isn’t exactly a “healthy habit”, but it requires setting aside some time to work on something I’m interested in.
4. Buy a planner. Am I the only person that doesn’t have one? Probz. I usually just use my iPhone to set reminders and add events to my calendar, but I’d like to invest in a physical planner to actually write things down (and so I can get the gratification of crossing that sh*t off the list when they’re done!) I’ve always been a very visual person, and out of pure laziness,  I’ve basically conditioned myself to ignore reminders when they pop up because THAT’S how many I set. It’s just too easy to hit  ‘remind me tomorrow’ or ‘remind me in an hour’. I think the physical planner will do the trick! I’d also like to have a space to not just see the tiny things I’ve accomplished each day, but a space to jot down something positive about each passing day.
5. Less social media. LOL JK. It’s hard to imagine maintaining a blog without obsessing over social media. In all seriousness, though: I’m definitely not going to scale back on posting or engaging with people I follow. I LOVE social media. It’s as fun as it is integral to helping to maintain a brand.  I’d just like to keep Instagram from being the FIRST thing I see in the morning and the LAST thing I see before I catch some zzz’s. Easy enough to commit to, right? Well, we’ll see how that goes.
6.  Cook more. Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to challenge myself to cook some more (AKA the hardest goal to achieve on this list). This definitely ties into my budgeting goals, especially considering I love to eat out and try new restaurants. Realistically, it’s not THAT hard to cook during the week and bring leftovers to work for lunch! My boyfriend and his old roommates used to whip up the easiest concoctions (usually featuring brown rice, chicken sausage, veggies and some kind of seasoning). If they can do it, so can I 😉 I ordered groceries and snacks through Foodkick for the first time last week (they’re always running deals where you can get $25 off your first order of $50 or more) and this week I’m trying HelloFresh. Even though I’ve only cooked one meal so far, I think that HelloFresh might be a really great way to both budget how much I spend on food and to ensure I’m not wasting any produce (guilty as charged.)

So, there you have it! What do you guys think about trying a ‘New You November?’ I know everybody’s different, so I’m interested in hearing what you’d like to work on! Let me know in the comments section below!