Getting Intentional: Week 4

“Tuesday seems to come round so quickly; I’ve just completed week four of the Intentional Health course! In light of the fact that time flies between each session, I was especially glad of the chance to go into pairs in our breakout rooms at the start of the session, to reflect on one thing we’ve learned and changed as a result of the previous week’s session. It helps me to remain engaged, and not just drift along the course. After we’ve had our breakout room chats, the course leaders ask us for feedback on one thing that our partner said to the rest of the group (that they were happy for you to share, of course!). Not only does that seem an effective way to keep you focused on the task, but it also encourages active listening!

Tying in beautifully with this idea of making proactive changes in our lives, and not just living in default mode (ie passively going through life in an unintentional way), was today’s content: Goals and Rewards. Through a video, activity, and discussion, we looked at making SMART goals, to help us be intentional in different areas of our lives. Something which really captured my attention was that with goal setting, it’s not just about the destination, but it’s also about the steps we take along the way.

One of my favourite parts of the session was watching a demonstration of goal setting. One of the delegates volunteered to take part in the demo, as her goal is to pass an upcoming music exam. Our course leader helped her to set targets of things to do over the next few weeks to help her achieve that goal. She showed us how you need to start with goals that would almost be impossible to fail at, as these quickly become stainable changes in our lives. As she gave examples, it felt like an ‘A-ha’ moment for all of us there!

So, with this in mind, what would be my goal be, and what small steps could I take, which would be almost impossible to fail at? I’ve noticed that my sleeping habits aren’t great at the moment: I often go to bed later than I mean to and have been having interrupted nights’ sleep. I received a Fitbit for my birthday, and this has confirmed my suspicions that my sleep isn’t optimal: my sleep scores are often only categorised as ‘fair’, and the graph shows me that I rarely sleep for more than 7.5 hours per night. Perhaps this wouldn’t be a problem, but a couple of people have mentioned to me recently that I look tired!

Thus, my overall SMART goal is to consistently get 8 hours of sleep per night, with at least a ‘good’ sleep score (according to my Fitbit!). But, the journey is just as much about the small steps you take to get there, so what will be my mini-target for this week? I will aim to get to bed before 10 pm at least three times this week. Whilst this might not sound like much, it needs to be a goal I can easily achieve, and as my dad is visiting this week, any more early bedtimes than that is unlikely to be attainable! Let’s see how I get on…”