The definition of crazy?
Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result.
This week, given my usual feverish pace – (thank goodness for high energy) – I decided to change one thing. I picked a small, manageable, but possibly significant item. I chose to switch two activities around in my schedule.
I plan on continuing to do this for a week to ten days, though I admit it’s harder for me to implement than I would have thought – small step though it is. I am, like most of us, wedded to a particular routine. I may also need to put this change into practice for a longer period of time. After all, experts tell us it takes 21 to 28 days to change a habit.
So why am I doing this?
Change One Thing About Yourself
Like anyone, I have bad habits. I want to improve, if I can.
Like anyone, I suspect I can perform certain tasks more efficiently, but what I’ve tried to do in recent months isn’t accomplishing my goals.
Like anyone, there are things about myself that I would like to change relative to health, specifically – sleeping more and feeling less stress.
Like anyone, while I don’t believe in a single “best self,” I believe in continuous improvement if I actually give myself the time and space to think about it, then put a plan into action.
Like anyone, I often bite off more than I can chew, exemplified by that “plan.” In other words – I take on too much, too fast, and cling to unreasonable expectations (of myself).
Like many women, I enjoy changing my look – be that hair, wardrobe, makeup – which can become costly and distracting if that’s not really what needs to be changed. However, it’s fun, budget-friendly, and exhilarating if it’s used as a pick-me-up.
(Allow me to mention: By switching my schedule around, I was able to fit in a 20-minute haircut at one of those walk-in salons, which also allowed me to “tweak” my appearance slightly. Win-win.)
Change One Thing in the World
This is one I’ve thought about before, and tend to act on when a situation arises. I don’t believe in sitting still when we see the difference we can make through our words and our actions.
I won’t say I’ve set about identifying any one thing and dedicating myself to it, though I’m not against that approach at all. For me, as I consider changing one thing – I also realize that means one thing – not a dozen instances of one thing in a variety of arenas… one of the challenges I have (as a bite-off-too-much kind of person).
So I stay open on this, open to picking my battles (causes, interests) according to my convictions and in small ways that I hope, through many voices, can add up.
I do, however, believe in the service of changing one thing in the larger world – education, for instance, is a huge step forward, especially the education of girls.
And I am plainly in favor of the educational process of reading, questioning, discussing, and sharing. (We do some of that here and elsewhere on the web.)
Change One Thing and… Change Everything?
The Butterfly Effect. I’m a believer. One small act can have incredible ripple effects. You never know when changing one small thing can extend its reach in positive and powerful ways – for ourselves and beyond ourselves.
I was chatting with a friend a few days ago about one single decision – a simple one we never give a thought to – the cab he hopped into on a city street – that changed the entire course of his professional career, and, he’s convinced, the life that has followed. You might chalk that up to chance. Then again, how many of us can look at relatively minor choices that changed everything in our lives?
Maybe the small change you undertake will impact your relationships. Maybe it will impact your children’s lives. Maybe it will impact your finances, your opportunities, your capacity to exert your influence in important ways. So I’m hoping that in changing one thing – I’m thinking and tinkering – I’ll find a change that nudges me closer to some specific goals and may also, spontaneously, lead me somewhere I never expected.
I like routine; I need routine. But shaking things up even slightly can allow us to see new possibilities.
After all, I embarked on one small thing more than four and a half years ago, and look what came of it?
What I Changed Yesterday
Can people really change?
I think so, but no one can change another person – not fundamentally.
Events, of course, can change you significantly. But personal change because someone else wants it? At best, I believe it’s a temporary fix. You can change you. No one else can.
The one thing I changed yesterday?
It led to a day that flowed delightfully and in the end, in more productive fashion. I’m uncertain if it was the sunshine, the energy of doing things in a sequence I’m not accustomed to, the fact that the change generated a few new ideas…
This morning I took a similar approach (in terms of time management and priorities), and I can tell already that the impacts are positive. Tomorrow? We’ll see.
- So how do you feel about changing one small thing, to see what happens?
- What about re-prioritizing or rescheduling slightly, especially as we enter what is the busiest time of year for many of us?
Change doesn’t come easily. But it certainly comes more easily in small, intentional doses.
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Oh Wolfie, aren’t you delightfully optimistic today! This post really made me smile.
Back atcha then, Gandalfe. 🙂
Interesting that you mentioned in your conclusion the possible beneficial effect of sunshine on your day. Although most of us know about our medical need for vitamin D, I have recently been coming across articles with an underlying theme of sunshine being a fundamental human need from both medical and psychological perspectives. We know that the sun is the ultimate source of all earth energy, which we assume that humans access indirectly through food, but it also appears that both the body and the mind need direct access to the sun to function properly. German scientist Joanna Budwig believed that the body’s basic cell and organ functioning was dependent on it being charged by solar energy, and I have found reference to that in current medical literature, including studies that link certain illnesses to cloudy geographic regions. And of course, on the mental side, we all know about Seasonal Affective Disorder.
I think you’re right about the sunshine, Robert. I need to make sure the schedule change allows it whenever possible.
I am busier now than I have been in a long long time. So I think the one thing I would change about the holidays this year is to shop more online. I love getting out and going in stores…but I am just a little crazy with my life…so online shopping is it…the one thing I will change right now…the next is to stop doing my daughter’s family laundry for her!! (Yes I am a SUCKER)
Shopping online. Great time-saving idea, Pam! Even saving an hour a day that way can make all the difference.
Your daughter’s family laundry? (I’m not saying a word…) 😉
Just love this post, D! Lots of good food for thought, from small changes in habits to small decisions years ago that perhaps have led us to where we are now.
I very recently decided to make some of these small changes, with the most important ones being to exercise and apologize. I joined a small 24-hour gym near our supermarket to ensure that I would actually go, and it’s been amazing. I have never been a physically active person, and that one step has improved things even in the last week, not least of which is that I have a new optimism to fight what sometimes feels like depression or hopelessness.
I’m also trying to actually say “I’m sorry” for small things like being too curt to my husband, small things that over a lifetime together can build up into more serious problems. I’d been too proud to apologize before.
We’ll see how long this lasts…hopefully, longer than 28 days 😉
That’s a good one, C!
There is nothing like getting super sick to change your priorities. I was down and out for a week and had to cancel all I had on my busy schedule. What this reminded me was: 1) I’m not invincible and 2) It is OK to trim down a hectic pace. I am using this experience as a reminder as I approach the holiday season. Take it easy; go slow; and instead of doing EVERYTHING, do one less thing from last year and relish the spirit of the season more.
What a great attitude adjustment post! And one we all can relate to with our crazy busy lives. Comfort zones and ruts….I think sometimes they can be synonymous. It takes shaking things up a bit to really make us feel like we’re alive! It can be small things…like a 20 minutes walk in the sunshine….or a retail therapy session in a shoe store (my favorite). 🙂 They both achieve the same result.
DEATH and NO CHANGE are indistinguishable. Some changes are unpredictable by us humans, some we can make mindfully, and of course many are in some place between. Even when all is going well, it’s good to change things up occasionally, intentionally, just to keep in the practice. A balance of habit (the flywheel of society that frees us for doing new things) and fresh eyes and bodies. What sort of day will it be for you tomorrow?
It seems we’re both of the same mind this week — I changed my routine just slightly (we’re on day 2 of it) because I wanted to get more out of my time during the day. So far, the adjustment is paying dividends, and it was a relatively minor schedule switch. I hope your switch keeps producing good things for you too!
Keep me posted, CT! (I know for myself, the toughest part can be keeping up the effort over time…) Wishing you success with your slight schedule change as well! Bisous à tout le monded, et surtout le petit O.
I like this because it’s manageable, isn’t it? One small thing and then there’s the whole ripple effect. I know what my one small thing has been since November 1st and it’s enriching my soul on many subtle levels. Now what for December?
Glad to read you are reaping benefits too – sleep and stress and otherwise. And sunshine? I mourn its loss as we head into winter here in the Pacific NW. I’m a Colorado girl where the sun shines just about ever day so it’s an adjustment and I’m learning to interrupt whatever I’m doing if the sun comes out and walk – even if it’s just, as I wrote about earlier, 10 minutes. Those are 10 small things that add up.
I love this, BLW, and the debut of DPOC!
Small changes…slow and steady wins the race against so many things, in particular ourselves…
Doing something differently is one of The Five Facets’ strategies to overcoming loss or conflict…it’s what I always come back to…and, yes, change is hard because it takes us out of our comfort zone, a place where we often become complacent… Any change requires us to be attuned and tends to spark something alive in us!
And the sun…sweet glorious light!
Nice catching up here, today! Congrats on your new level of energy and productivity!
So much to love about this post. I recently read another article regarding habits and how to really commit to them. This article suggested making a mini-change. For instance, if you want to meditate, try practicing meditation for 1 minute for a period of time and then continue to build on that momentum. I tend to make changes in small increments, thus the mini-change approach works best for me.