Feb 4, 20192 min read

February Challenges

Updated: Feb 28, 2019

One month down! What a month January was. January was the month to focus on habits and solidifying foundation. I set out to accomplish 5 major goals that would undeniably move me closer to the life I desire, and I accomplished 3 of those goals:

Run 35 miles min
Wake up before 530am EVERYDAY
2 Blog Post

"The first leg of the journey is complete, you should be proud of the ground you've covered but this is no time to celebrate. January is the easiest part of the journey. You wanted something new, something transformative, the thoughts of paradise propelled you. I wonder if you've considered going through hell to get to paradise.. What's more powerful running towards paradise or away from hell? I wonder how you'll react when faced with adversity.. When things get dark, I wonder if you'll forget why you chose this path and return home. See, you can never really tell how one will react.

Despite only accomplishing 3 out of 5 goals you opened the doorway for other accomplishments that weren't tracked like (longest run, reading & writing more, building relationships). January was a success, you were prepared. You'll need to keep that same energy for the next part of your journey. How did you get off to a strong start?"

Planning. I've always planned more than most people but consistency has always been an issue. Not to mention executing the strategy. That wasn't a problem in January. The planning system that I created worked, though the execution was still a bit shaky, it's improving. There are four phases of how I'm planning:

Plan Year - Every quarter is a general focus like (habits & foundation). Every month has three primary goals pertaining to the general focus. This is written in a
Plan Month - At the end of every month create new goals, using the primary goals from the year plan. Add challenges that are less important but would like to accomplish. Look at every week and give a rough breakdown of the focus for each week. I keep this folded in my wallet!
Plan Week - Every Sunday plan the coming week using the month plan to see what the rough breakdown is for the week. Add challenges or events as you see fit. I bought a giant calendar that I could write on.
Plan Day - Every night plan the next day considering the focus for the week. This is the most detailed out of all the plans, breaking down the day by the hour. Everyday should have 3 priorities to accomplish for it to be a successful day. A daily planner will do!

A little OCD? Perhaps. But it works for me. It really takes a lot less energy to plan on a consistent basis, I always have something to go off of rather than starting from scratch. And if I miss planning a day then I still have a general aim on what I need to accomplish.