Now that 2019 has officially hit us with a tsunami of chaos and confusion, I decided that I would try to pick up some habits to help keep my head above the water.
The obvious choice was to keep following the ‘New Year, New Me’ philosophy, but this year I decided to change it up and try the ‘New Year, Smarter Me’ philosophy. All I wanted to do this year was to recognize what habits I wanted to quit and try my best to keep improving myself. I also wanted to find different ways to make my life more functional.
1. Minimalism
This year, I decided to take a step towards being a minimalist. I realized that I had a lot of clutter and I would usually keep things that I did not use at all. I did a huge wardrobe cleanse where I got rid of clothes, shoes, scarves, and socks, as well as old underwear that I only kept around because I didn’t want to buy new ones.
Doing the cleanse really helped me feel better about the things I surround myself with, and it also made me realize what things I really needed to function and what I did not. I’m no expert in this and I still have a long way to go, but I’m trying to keep being smarter about what I buy and use every day.
2. Bullet Journaling
Another addition to my ‘functioning adult’ starter kit was that I wanted to start bullet journaling. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and finally sat down and drew up my bullet journal. My bullet journal has become a place where I track my mood, my habits, and my days. I can be as creative or as boring as I want, and I have been having fun planning out the themes for every week or every month.
3. Meditation
I’ve always tried to meditate but have failed. This year I realized that I really needed to get into a good headspace and improve myself inside out. Unsurprisingly, the internet gods heard my mental plea and sent an ad for an app called ‘Headspace’ my way via Instagram.
At first, I was planning not to get it, but it turned out that students only had to pay $9.99/year for their subscription, so I immediately downloaded it. It has been a blessing since then. Even when I barely get any sleep, the sleep I do get has been very restful, and I have been able to focus and prioritize better.
4. Cleaning my room once every two days
I’ll be honest, this has been the hardest resolution to keep up with. But the feeling I get after seeing my room clean has been great. Just the simple act of putting things back in their place and folding my clothes has helped me feel better about being in my room and has helped me de-stress almost immediately.