Friday, January 31, 2020

Friday Feature: Leaping into February

As the clock ticked past 3 PM on this Friday afternoon , I still had no article for my Friday Feature. Though there's the usual pile of things I want to read (and I've actually tapped into some of the recently excavated magazines that have been tucked away for a while), this week has been more about writing and class prep than reading.

So, I mined my inbox (as I often do) for ideas, and came across a newsletter I keep meaning to read. Today's issue was packed with links (including an article about how, in 2019, we made more trips to the library than the movies), but my favorite was this one, about setting a 29-day challenge.

I set monthly goals, to varying degrees of success, but aside from routine things like showering, eating, and sleeping, there aren't a lot of things I do every day without fail. I've read on more than on one occasion that it takes 21 day to create a new habit, and so it seems that the 29-day challenge would be the ideal way to do just that.

I'm intrigued, but can't decide yet if I'm going to take the leap (pun intended). My first thought was that if the right behavior -- the thing I want to make a habit -- presented itself, I would be inclined to give it a shot.

And then it occurred to me that there are two behaviors that get edged out of my daily life on a regular basis -- two that I always swear I want to do more of. If you're a regular reader, you've probably already guessed that those two things are reading and writing.

So now, all that remains is deciding. Overachiever that I am, I'm tempted to go for broke and say, "BOTH!" but the reality is that my hesitation about taking this on is largely based in fear of failure. Setting two goals seems to simultaneously increase and decrease my likelihood of success.

So, I'm going to ponder. I have until midnight to decide, after all. Meanwhile, there's a very good chance that if I choose reading, back issues of this newsletter might top the list.

How about you? Are you up for taking the leap? What will you do every day in February?

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