Try Something New for the New Season. I Did!

Journaling in my hammock while camping.

As a coaching group, we continually reap the benefits of sharing knowledge and resources that inspire us. My fellow Coach and Accountability friend Alexandra Hughes shared with me an interesting TedEd talk entitled “Try Something New for 30 Days” and asked me to consider what I’ve always wanted to do consistently but just haven’t.

I was surprised to find that my first thought was journaling. My surprise came from the knowledge that I write quite a lot every day, mostly resumes, cover letters, eNotes, and other documents for my career coaching and communication clients. But to sit down and write for myself, well, that’s always felt a bit overwhelming.

I took up the challenge, and knowing my personality, I created a short action plan for success:

• Take 10 minutes to find a paper journal with prompts – no blank pages to give me writer’s block or hours spent in the aisles of Staples in an attempt to find the perfect journal!
• Write for 10 minutes each day – giving myself a time limit reduced the feeling of overwhelm.
• Don’t go to bed without taking the time to write – my journal of choice has gratitude prompts so I thought at the very least I could write down things I’m thankful for before going to sleep.

In the end, I managed to journal for 27 of the 30 days, not bad for my first attempt. While the number of days wasn’t really my focus, consistency was the key. I found that taking the time to write down a few things helped bring the things I spent energy on into focus, brought structure to my feelings of chaos, and calmed my many thoughts before going to bed.
 
Would I do it again? Yes! I’m really enjoying the journaling so I’m going to continue with that process. In my desire to start the “something new for 30 days” right away, I printed a pdf version of the free Best Self “self journal” (try it yourself!) and if I continue to enjoy and use it for the full 13 weeks then I will buy one of their hardbound physical journals. They offer a few different products, check out the free pdf version of the scholar journal if you’re a student!

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Since I’ve had a good experience with my first 30 day “something new” challenge, I’ve decided to try a second one. This time I’m focusing on celebrating fall, my favorite season, with Griffin, my favorite scruffy little pup. Wish us luck as we get outside every day, enjoy the fall leaves and change of the seasons!

What will you do for your “something new for 30 days?” What short action plan will you create to help make it a success?

Griffin's ready for our fall outdoor adventures.

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Author

Heather Palow, Career and Business Coach empowers entrepreneurs, career changers and people who want to take control of their lives by clarifying their strengths and achieving their goals.