If you’re not familiar with the concept of this happiness project (and the book I was inspired by), be sure to check out this post!
Welcome to the third month of my happiness project! Before I jump into my plan for April, I want to do a review of March. If you’d like to skip this over, click here to jump down to April.
This past month has been…I don’t want to say a flop, but I didn’t achieve everything I wanted to. And looking back on the goals I set for March, I think that’s understandable. Yes, I did drink more water, eat mindfully, and manage to get closer to my weight goals. But some goals I did not make, and I think that’s okay. I can say I’m a step in the right direction for the future.
For March, instead of setting short-term goals, I set a lot of long-term goals. Yes, I said I wanted to gain a certain number of pounds. But that’s not going to happen in a month. But for last month, I’ve set my intentions. I’ve been fighting keeping a healthy weight for years because I’ve never been able to stay consistent. But now I have a structured plan and I’m making it more of a priority than I ever have.
Realistically, March’s resolution of the Happiness Project needed to be much longer than a month. But I’m happier knowing that I have a plan, and so far, it’s working. I’ve been prioritizing things that will help me grow and improve, and that alone is a big step.
APRIL
This month, I’d like to tackle something that I’ve been itching to work on, and something that’s been sapping from my happiness a little bit. I can already say that this project is helping me quite a bit, since I keep asking myself what I need to work on next. Lately, iI’ve been wanting to simplify what I want to act on. I want to do this in many ways, but something that’s been bothering me the most is the state of my room.
My room is a bit difficult because it’s on the smaller side, with a closet that’s even smaller than what I had to work with in a college dorm. That being said, things tend to accumulate very quickly. To compensate for the closet situation I have more furniture storing my clothes than I’d like. And one little thing out of place makes the whole room feel cluttered.
When I was living on campus, I felt like I had a lot less than most of my friends. And I still got stressed about packing and unpacking, but the reality was that this process was so much faster in comparison to everyone else. Getting dressed was easy because I had fewer options, too. I realize that it made me feel so much lighter (which was something I really needed) and I’d love to experience that to some extent again.
I think that this month’s resolution is coming at the right time, too. This time of year, I like to do my own “Spring Cleaning”, and start swapping out my seasonal clothes. This would be a great opportunity to reconsider my whole wardrobe, what I need, what I don’t need, and what I can donate.
In order to do this right, I need to do it in a way where I don’t keep coming back to the same problem areas, and I need a plan. You could call this month’s theme minimalism, and although I’m not making a full switch to it, I want to embrace elements of it that can help me and get started. I know that minimalism is not just getting rid of, so like to explore the practice in other ways. I need to simplify and be realistic about my tasks and goals, too. And overall, I need to remove and simplify from the things that are sapping my energy. I think this will take a similar path to February’s goals overall.
So, without further ado, here are my goals for the month:
30-Day Decluttering Challenge.
If you check out my Pinterest I’ve been pinning plenty of ways to get organized as well as challenges pertaining to minimalism. I’ve been loving these pins because they remind me of things I should also be thinking about when going through with my goals this month. Using these for inspiration, I’m going to craft my own 30-day challenge to include problem spaces I need to organize. I’m going to treat it as more of a checklist – as long as I get at one thing done a day, I will be on my way.
Re-initiate routines.
This was one of my February goals if you’ve read that post – but sadly when I wasn’t feeling well it became less of a routine. I want to re-establish this because the lack of regular practice has taken a hit on my organization and productivity.
Create a better organization system.
I want to ensure that I’m not constantly having to take care of the same problem areas over and over. Once everything has a proper place, I shouldn’t have the same cluttered areas popping up.
Learn to live with less.
I have said too many times, “What if I will need this?” I’d like to stop saying that. Not just with possessions, though. I have a tendency to overcomplicate things. Living more simply should help ease congestion in my mind and reclaim my energy.
Be organized mentally.
I realize at the moment that I don’t have clear-cut priorities. By taking a moment to plan these things out, I can determine what I should be working towards first.
30-Day Decluttering Challenge.
If you check out my Pinterest I’ve been pinning plenty of ways to get organized as well as challenges pertaining to minimalism. I’ve been loving these pins because they remind me of things I should also be thinking about when going through with my goals this month. Using these for inspiration, I’m going to craft my own 30-day challenge to include problem spaces I need to organize. I’m going to treat it as more of a checklist – as long as I get at one thing done a day, I will be on my way.
Re-initiate routines.
This was one of my February goals if you’ve read that post – but sadly when I wasn’t feeling well it became less of a routine. I want to re-establish this because the lack of regular practice has taken a hit on my organization and productivity.
Create a better organization system.
I want to ensure that I’m not constantly having to take care of the same problem areas over and over. Once everything has a proper place, I shouldn’t have the same cluttered areas popping up.
Learn to live with less.
I have said too many times, “What if I will need this?” I’d like to stop saying that. Not just with possessions, though. I have a tendency to overcomplicate things. Living more simply should help ease congestion in my mind and reclaim my energy.
Be organized mentally.
I realize at the moment that I don’t have clear-cut priorities. By taking a moment to plan these things out, I can determine what I should be working towards first.
Thank you for following along with my goals for this month’s Happiness Project! Are you planning on doing some Spring Cleaning this month? Let me know below.
Sincerely,
Julie Anna
