I completed my Week of Walks and it really did feel like an achievement and I am still thrilled about it! These are some things that I learned.
Timeline
I completed my ‘week’ of walks in just under 14 days. If I had tried to do it in a week I would’ve failed. The realization that I do not thrive under pressure is something that I tried to work with here. I kept it open and I counted down instead of up (which is reflected in the way I numbered the walks on Instagram) to remind myself that I am heading towards the finish. I am going downhill, not struggling upwards. I am quite surprised by how effective that little trick is!
Hard vs. easy
I found it as easy to walk as not to walk. I didn’t aim for epic 3 hour hikes (although I did want to make it to the beach at least once). A figure of 8 around the local park is achievable and completely adequate for this Operation. Once I had decided I wanted to do the 7 walks I started looking for opportunities to fit them into my week. I felt surprisingly motivated and it wasn’t a decision to go or not. I wanted to go. It was easy.
Social walking
The social walking really helped. It helped to make an appointment, to say yes to spend time with friends, to go to places I might not bother to go to alone and of course it was a fun thing in itself. It was an extremely low effort way to get started and keep going because I had a couple of friends to walk with. I kicked the week off with a social walk and that could be a useful trick too – get started with some easy accountability.
Unexpected
I walked in the rain once which was something I would not usually do. It was a good one because it was quiet at the park and I felt engaged with the outside in a way that I am normally detached from. It really is true that there’s no bad weather, only bad clothes. That warm turquoise raincoat is one of the best things I ever bought.
Reward
I did make it to the beach on my last walk. It was after work, the weather was mild and I had leftovers in the fridge so I didn’t need to cook. All the stars were aligned!
I was rewarded many times over on that walk – the highland cows were there! They are literally massive teddy-bears! The weather was fine so it was silvery and bright when I got to the sea. I sat down to eat a mandarin and a black Labrador came over and sat with me for a bit. Then I circled back and met a giggling couple taking selfies on the dune walk and saw the cows again.
It was lovely.
Every time I go to the beach I feel like a d*ck for not going there more often. I have added ‘beach holiday’ as an idea for a Holiday Week.
Take-away?
I really enjoyed the after work walks. It was a pleasant commute home and as I don’t actually have a commute it seems like a perfect way to spend some free time and wind down. So much so, that I’ve added it as a future Holiday Week – a week of walking commutes.
What about Plan A?
Yeah what about it? I have done some Plan A stuff…
What is it about chores? It’s not only that they are boring. I am using them as some kind of barrier to prevent myself from getting to the hard stuff. There are some hidden decisions in there. For example, I was putting off a really thorough clean of the bathroom after Christmas and when I finally did it I knew it was because I was storing some items in there that I did not want to deal with. (I moved them, still didn’t deal with them, by the way.)
It’s Easter Weekend (I don’t always post in order, just in case it’s August by now) and I have a big chunk of the weekend to spend on Plan A. I do not want to begin Glass Goals until Plan A is finished. I’ll stick to my bujo and attempt to monitor or work out what my major malfunction is. Or at least get some stuff done.
A couple of random notes
One thing about Plan A that I have been doing more regularly is exercise. If I don’t take enough exercise I experience pain because my core gets weak and I start crumpling into a sad doll posture. So far so good; I feel no pain at the moment and I notice an improvement in my condition after just a week of extra activity. It does reduce worry too. If I don’t do it I fret. If I do it I’ve done it and it falls right out of my head.
I’ve also been messing with my diet in a low-key way and noticed that it has affected my sleep (I keep waking up hungry) and that too much sugar really does make me feel rubbish and gives me a ‘hangover’. I’m completely bored with the food that I cook. I need a re-boot of some kind so I’ve added this as a future Operation.
I might have noticed these two things because I am paying more attention to how I am feeling and what I am focusing on. I wanted to walk as a way to process some overload from a busy few weeks and it did help. One evening I planned to relax on the couch and ended up pottering about instead. I am just not that tired anymore. Another bonus.
The Week of Walks was only life enhancing. That’s all there is to it.
Kim
Co-founder, The Clean Sheet