An extract from this week’s Substack newsletter
I like to start each month by looking back on the previous month to see what went well and what didn’t, how I can improve, what habits worked for me and any little ways I can make my life a bit easier for myself
On the surface, June was a good month, but when I look a bit deeper, I can see that it wasn’t without its challenges.
I’ll start with the challenges and where I can improve, that way we can finish on a positive note, rather than finish thinking how rubbish I have been!
Emotional Hangovers
Despite knowing I suffer from these, it still doesn’t stop me. At the end of this week, I suffered terribly after drinking Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday this week.
It’s not a regular occurrence, but it is something I need to be more aware of and consciously make an effort to have more alcohol-free days.
Not putting my screens away
Guilty!! I managed to do this for a few days here and there, but I am still picking up that phone and scrolling, for NO reason. It’s unnecessary and a bad habit that I am determined to break.
Not moving so much
I only managed to close my exercise ring 4 times in June! That’s terrible! I know that I have been sitting doing lots of writing, but I must get up and move around more.
Eating junk
I’ve eaten a lot of junk this month.
Possibly a side effect of alcohol but also just convenience. I do a meal plan each week, but I’m a bit vague when it comes to lunches so I need to be more specific about that and stick to it. It’s not like I’m going out to eat so much now!
Not completing my health tracker
I created a little health tracker a few months ago. I’ve been so good up until now at filling it in, but again, I have become a little lazy with it.
The idea of it was to see any patterns in my weight/eating/moods. It doesn’t take that long for me to complete the only things I need to do weigh myself and track my calories and water intake, I managed to do this solidly for two months but towards the end of June, I was a bit slack.
Not finishing what I started
I have a few articles that I started and haven’t finished, some of them I way enthusiastic about but need to finish something else so I left them. I want to get them finished so that when my brain decides it’s not going to produce something, I have a backup plan.
Not always re-reading my articles enough before submitting
I write each article the morning before they are posted. I usually re-read them as I am scheduling them on the platforms, but sometimes, I just copy and paste and click schedule without another thought.
When I read them after they are posted, I notice mistakes or things that I think I should have worded differently. Maybe writing them two days before and reading and scheduling them the day before will help with this?
No longer having a job
I’ve plonked this one in the middle of the negatives and positives as I see it as a bit of both.
Whilst I have found the behaviour of the consulting company highly unprofessional, telling me the position I had resigned for now doesn’t exist, they then did not call me back about another position the following day as they said they would. I do see this as a blessing in disguise and that perhaps this just wasn’t meant for me.
It has given me more time to focus on my writing, I am determined to make the best go of earning from something I love doing instead.
Now onto the positives, thankfully there are many.
My first published article
I had my first article published on a Medium publication.
It was a fantastic learning experience for me, I learnt about the importance of how you format articles, how to write headlines and subheadings and describing images and also led to some great tools such as Grammarly.
Family time
I’ve spent lots of time with my family.
My family and I all have our own lives and families of our own, so sometimes it’s not always easy to get us all together but when we do it’s so much fun, we never bicker or argue its relaxing and usually full of laughs. I’m very lucky to have the family I have.
Renewed my goals
I spent some time reviewing and renewing my goals.
It’s amazing how sitting down and taking the proper time to think about what I genuinely want from life can make such a difference. Everything I wrote down at the beginning of the year seemed rushed, now I have clear and concise goals and a good plan.
Dates with the husband
The husband and I had some proper dates.
Not just plonked in front of the TV watching Billions, we went out, saw a film, went for dinners and long walks. More of this please husband🙂
Read for Read
I joined a read for read group on Medium and it’s been great.
It gave me more exposure, not only are my articles being read by other people but I am being given exposure to other writers that I may not come across otherwise.
Medium Stats
It’s no surprise that by renewing my goals and putting more focus on my writing, submitting articles to their publications and engaging more with other Medium writers, my medium stats and earnings are much better this month. It’s given me the motivation to do more.
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