At the end of last year, I said December will be the month of getting things finished. It wasn’t. January was just as bad. February is unlikely to be much different.
So what went wrong?
To be honest I have very little idea. If I were to guess, I would say that December is a terrible month for trying to get things done. December sucks because it has Christmas (usually pretty cool), New Year (not bad), and so much nice food (excellent). All those preperations, getting people presents, making sure you phone or visit family (lockdown permitting), and generally being festive leaves very little time to focus on anything.
January comes off the back of all that and that lack of focus just sort of drifts into the new year. Which is why I suspect that the New Year is also the stupidest time of the year to make life changes. New Year’s Resolutions are just a way to lie to ourselves so we can indulge over the holidays with less guilt.
And don’t get me started on the cluster f–k that is Brexit. Just don’t.
Is there a better time to make life changes?
Is there a better time than the New Year to make life changes? Yes, I think there is. The start of spring. This is when the weather improves, flowers are starting to bloom, and we can at last allow ourselves to think about the coming summer.
With the increased opportunity to go outside and be somewhat active (as active as I ever get), spring is the best time to try and do new things. Spring feels like a new life and, for those who follow the church calendar or like chocolate, it contains Easter. Easter being another celebration of new life and new starts.
Also, Easter comes at the end of the 40 days of Lent. Lent is the traditional time of giving stuff up for spiritual or mental refocusing. The end of Lent, (Easter and chocolate) is a great time to start new habits while Lent is an ideal time to try and shed some old habits.
When is Lent?
As luck would have it – I had not planned this in advance or with any awreness of the time of year (due to COVID) – Lent is just arround the corner.
Wednesday the 17th of February 2021 is the start of Lent.
Traditionally one gives up luxuries and tries to live a simpler life for 40 days. If you are really into it, you can fast for the whole 40 days. (Talk to your doctor before attempting to go 40 days without food).
Will I give up anything for Lent?
I don’t know. I only really thought about it while writing this post. This post follows a similar start at the top and think it out by writing as another post of mine about how lockdown is getting to me.
After sitting here for ten minutes and thinking about it, I officially have no idea. Let me think about that one and I will (maybe) get back to you. I could try to give up procrastination but I’ll probably put it off.
Conclusions
My month of getting things done probably fell short due to being the worst possible time to try and get things done. Lent, Easter, Spring suggests itself as a better time to make life changes.
Only time will tell if it is.
