I have had to be flexible, morning was the best time for me to go out but to make that work it means getting to bed at a reasonable time, and preparation. During the week I get out of the house around 6.45am and at the weekend I was able to be a bit more flexible and get out at 7.30am. I am still finding my rhythm and I know that this week I will step up my pace and take a different walking route and I should be able to see more of the environment.
In regards to my backgrounds and challenging myself to create a minimum of one per day I've been busy and spent the time doing what I need to do. At this stage it's just about applying layers, having fun and creative expression, its not about putting restrictions on yourself.
The other thing that really helped me keep motivated this week was putting the challenge in my diary, I had to make specific time for it, rather than it floating in the air as something I would like to do, but something 'I'm going to do', keeping it manageable and realistic is the key!
Other things that have really helped:
Allocating realistic time between 5 mins and 30 mins we all have pockets of unused or wasted time that can be rescheduled, 20 mins for me has not seemed like a chore, but it took a while before I could identify just where I would take this time from.
Preparing for the challenge, I have to make sure that all the things I need are ready, for me its a warm hat, scarf, gloves, so that I can't give myself any excuses for not going out the door.
Self talk - During the week when I felt least like going out, I had to encourage myself to get up and reminding myself how good I would feel once it was finished. The second week is where you have to be particulary observant as it can be easy to slip back into old ways and talk yourself out of taking the steps.
Not being too hard on myself - When I first started I was convinced I needed to be out walking at 6am in the morning. On reflection I knew I wanted to have a morning walk, but with it being so dark I didn't want it to feel as if I just came back from a party! I wanted to walk in the daylight, so the compromise was waiting till the sun had risen and still have time to do some sketching or what ever else I had to do before 8am - when you start it is amazing how much you can fit in.
Look out for changes - I have also noticed that I feel more inclined to make desserts, I made coconut and ginger pancakes on Saturday and on Sunday made a ginger and carrot cake - both wheat free recipies. I will share some images in another post. It's useful to note anything that you find yourself doing as a result of taking part in a challenge and seeing what additional changes occur.....so exciting!
I am hoping to do a different challenge every month and make a small change to my life, maybe it could be as simple as doing sit ups every day or drinking an extra glass of water....I am looking forward to another week of participation, if you want to grab a button for this month please do. Equally, if you still wanted to do a challenge but felt that 30 days is too long to begin with, why not do 14 or 7 days. The main thing is to enjoy the process!
Week 2 Update
Week 3 Update
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