Weekly Review
This week I was successful in achieving My SMART goal, which is turning off my lights every time I leave my bedroom.
I think I can safely say that my SMART goal has turned into a habit! I don't think about it as a chore, or an obstacle, instead it is something that I do on a regular basis. A piece of advice that was given to me a couple of weeks ago was to be patient as it takes 3 weeks for a change to become a habit. I took the advice of being patient, stuck with my goal, and I am now turning off my lights on a regular basis!
I am very excited and happy that over the last few weeks, what started out to be a challenge is now something that I have conquered and made a part of my daily routine. I never really thought that turning off my bedroom lights was going to be a challenge or that successfully completing the challenge was going to make me feel so good! What I learned this week is that if you stick to your goal and be patient, then changing a simple lifestyle can truly happen.
A couple weeks ago, I added the challenge of turning off the power bar in my room whenever it is not being used. This week I did ok with the challenge but not great. I turned it off about 60% of the time. I noticed that when I leave for school and have to unplug something then I would remember to turn it off, but the challenge I faced was that I forgot to turn it off if I didn't need to unplug something from the power bar. Although I had a rough week with this challenge, I want to continue to challenge myself because power bars can really suck up energy.
Review of Entire Process
Review of Entire Process
My SMART goal remained the same over the last 5 weeks, but I did add a challenge as I was becoming more successful with my goal. I added this challenge at about the half way mark of this 5 week lifestyle change process. Although my SMART goal is something that I have successfully made a new habit, the challenge that I made for myself is not there yet. Turning off my power bar in my room whenever it is not being used is something that I will continue to try and make a habit, just like I did with my SMART goal of turning off my bedroom lights whenever I leave my room!!!!!
The challenges that I faced throughout this process was remembering to turn off my lights when I got busy or stressed. I noticed early on that whenever I was in a rush or my mind was preoccupied with who knows what, then that's when I would leave my lights on. Noticing the obstacle that got in my way of being successful allowed me to realize that I needed to slow down, think before leaving, and remind myself of what I was really supposed to be doing in that moment. Taking a few moments to just think and take a breath is a strategy that I will continue to use in the future.
Taking on a lifestyle challenge of turning off my bedroom lights had some rough patches along the way, but now reflecting back, I can see the benefits. The first benefit is that reducing the amount of electricity I use will help to lower our electricity bill. This is something that I can benefit from and so can my roommates, who I know love saving money anytime we can. Another benefit is that I have reduced my Ecological Footprint and have helped to make our world a better and cleaner place to live. This might not be something that I can literally see right now, but I know that these types of lifestyle changes can truly have a positive impact on our world. Behaviour change is not something that happens overnight, instead it takes practice and is something that can take up to 3 weeks to make a habit. Challenges can seem overwhelming at first, but I think that if you want to be successful you have to make a commitment to the challenge, be patient, and remember why you took the challenge in the first place.
My SMART goal has really turned into a new habit of mine, which is something I am absolutely going to keep on doing! It is something so simple, yet in the long run it is something that is huge when it comes to protecting our earth. We only have one beautiful earth and now seeing how I can make a lifestyle change, I want to challenge more behaviours of mine. One challenge at a time while taking steps towards a greener place to live!
The challenges that I faced throughout this process was remembering to turn off my lights when I got busy or stressed. I noticed early on that whenever I was in a rush or my mind was preoccupied with who knows what, then that's when I would leave my lights on. Noticing the obstacle that got in my way of being successful allowed me to realize that I needed to slow down, think before leaving, and remind myself of what I was really supposed to be doing in that moment. Taking a few moments to just think and take a breath is a strategy that I will continue to use in the future.Taking on a lifestyle challenge of turning off my bedroom lights had some rough patches along the way, but now reflecting back, I can see the benefits. The first benefit is that reducing the amount of electricity I use will help to lower our electricity bill. This is something that I can benefit from and so can my roommates, who I know love saving money anytime we can. Another benefit is that I have reduced my Ecological Footprint and have helped to make our world a better and cleaner place to live. This might not be something that I can literally see right now, but I know that these types of lifestyle changes can truly have a positive impact on our world. Behaviour change is not something that happens overnight, instead it takes practice and is something that can take up to 3 weeks to make a habit. Challenges can seem overwhelming at first, but I think that if you want to be successful you have to make a commitment to the challenge, be patient, and remember why you took the challenge in the first place.
My SMART goal has really turned into a new habit of mine, which is something I am absolutely going to keep on doing! It is something so simple, yet in the long run it is something that is huge when it comes to protecting our earth. We only have one beautiful earth and now seeing how I can make a lifestyle change, I want to challenge more behaviours of mine. One challenge at a time while taking steps towards a greener place to live!
Great job Haley! I knew you would be successful in your SMART goal. Every little challenge that popped up, you tackled head first...never backing down! I'm glad you listened to the advice about habits taking three weeks to form. Many people give up much too easily before they can see a change.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your secondary goal of turning off the power bar. Once that too becomes a habit, you, your ecological footprint and the world will be on its way to bring a healthier place for future generations.
Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteYour right, it feels really good when things become more effortless and just a part of what we do, especially when they have a benefit. Keep hanging in there with the power bar... every little bit helps. You're creating an awareness for yourself that will, most likely, spill into other things too.
Congratulations!
That is fantastic that you have turned your goal into a habit. It is great when things like this become part of life and effortless. Sounds like you are on a great path.
ReplyDeleteYour right... every little bit helps! As we become aware of one thing then other seem to follow and we find more things we can do to help. Happily, some of the good things we can do aren't very hard to do, they just take some shifting.
Nice job on your goal!
Goo job Haley! It must feel really good to have a sense of accomplishment, even if it was something that you thought was small when you first started out. Good luck continuing to work towards remembering to shut off your power strip. I'm still struggling trying to remember to do that, I see what you mean that it is easier to remember when you have to unplug something, that's about the only time I think about it too!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you feel accomplished with your goal for the past five weeks. I know it can be really hard at times to remember to turn lights off, but with anything I'm sure the practice has helped improve your track record. I hope to decrease my energy consumption as well but I think I will focus more on water and gas than electricity for now.
ReplyDelete