To Do 01.07.21

RISE-AND-SHINE: By redefining your morning routine.

Admittedly, winter is probably the hardest time of the year to wake up early, especially when you have to wait so long to even see a glimmer of sunshine. But at the same time, waking up early during the coldest and darkest season will help you capitalize on the shorter hours of the day and allow you to get more things done and shift the way your world works away from your job (especially those who work a 9-to-5) and recenter your day toward yourself and your priorities. Maybe this could be the time you can build other habits, like reading more, catching up on language lessons, exercising, or maybe just catching up on cleaning. Bonus points if you can fit all your me-time in there. If you’re really not a morning person, shift your priorities to having a wind-down routine so you get enough sleep. 2020 was the year of sleepless nights and that bad habit should stay there.

TAKE UP: a hobby that minimizes screentime.

If you didn’t get into baking bread in 2020, that’s fine. But it is good to have a go-to default hobby that gives your eyes a break from the blue light, the noise and constant melatonin delay of screen-related hobbies. Don’t get us wrong, there are some great shows and movies coming this year, but from virtual offices, Zoom meetups, YouTube videos and streaming – it can add up. It can be as easy as taking nature breaks – Fort Ord, Garland Ranch, Asilomar, Veteran’s Park, Natividad Creek Park and Jacks Peak can provide quick 15 – to 20-minute jaunts in nature. Or learn (or brush up on) a new hobby with the plethora of classes available locally. Monarch Knitting in Pacific Grove offers plenty of prompts for knitting. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is still accepting submissions of artwork for Art Sparks. If you have kiddos to take care of, Salinas Parks and Recreation has activity boxes for kids and MY Museum in Monterey has make-and-take boxes as well as Zumbini classes for kids.

FIND: an accountability partner.

An accountability partner is someone who helps you stay on track with your goals. It could be a friend who wants to take that 30-day yoga cleanse with you, but ideally it’s a person you don’t have a close relationship with, but is as equally as goal-driven as you (friends tend to give you a pat on the back and may let you slip). You can find an accountability partner simply by asking around your social circles – maybe a friend of a friend knows some guy – you can thumb through your followers and find someone you admire but don’t really talk to, or find some groups through meetup.com. Or start a public blog or social media account that everyone can see, so you’ll have to live up to some kind of expectations of posting regularly.