The Butterfly Effect – Challenge Week 4

Each Monday I check in with my update on my 13 week experiment to transform areas of my life using small habit changes that I call Butterfly Effects.  Over time, in theory, these small habit changes equate to massive transformation.  My experiment is to see if this theory works, and allows me to concentrate on multiple goals at one time. 

Today marks the beginning of week 4.

Health Update

I'm doing well with the strength exercises from last week (Hindu Pushups and Hindu Squats.  I also continue to do a few minutes of Yoga every day and I meditate either before bed or during my lunch hour at work.  My intent was to start cardio today, but I got inspired after seeing this video below on Chi Running, so I went out on Friday and did two miles. 

Now I don't expect everyone to start at two miles.  I am a somewhat experienced runner.  I've completed a marathon (2008) and two half marathons (2007 and 2009) in the last three years (mostly through sheer will), but I inevitably fall off the wagon after the Memorial Day (last week of May) race each year. 

I typically stop running after that race till the following March when I start training for the current year's race.  As such, the pounds come on quickly and, to be frank, I have trouble walking up two flights of stairs.

What I am trying to establish here is a habit that can be maintained year round.  Therefore, my only goal is to do one lap of my course every other day.  That lap has been measured at 1.75 miles.  If I feel like doing more, so be it.

I know that there are a great many bloggers that talk about the harm running has on your joints.  That's a big reason why I am learning Chi Running.  I don't do running just for the health values.  I actually quite enjoy it, but I tend to injure my hips quite frequently.  I'm hoping that Chi Running will alleviate that.

I'm also adding a couple of videos that show the Hindu Pushups and Hindu Squats respectively, since I have been getting some questions on that.  I apologize for not doing this previously but I am brand new to YouTube, and quite frankly, have purposely avoided it in the past so that I don't get addicted to another online social medium. 

Hindu Pushups:

Hindu Squats:

I don't expect to add any more exercises to this experiment, except for possibly something for my flabtacular stomach or my astonishingly weak shoulders.  I even question that because the Yoga does so much to work on functional strength that I really don't care if I ever have a six pack again (unless it's a six pack of Guinness beer). 

Simplifying

Last week I said that I would spend a few minutes each day writing down five things to be grateful for.  Well, shortly there after I found a nice app for the IPhone that helps facilitate this.  It's called, "Gratitude" and it prompts you to write down five things that you are grateful for everyday. 

How does this work into the process of Simplifying?  If you're not grateful for the things you have in your life now, it's likely that you'll continue bringing new things into your home (or new activities to clutter your schedule) in order to find something that makes you happy. 

Be grateful for what you have then let go of it if it no longer serves you.  Only then can you let new experiences into your life. 

I've found this process of tracking my gratitude to be one of the best Butterfly Effect principles that I've implemented so far.

I've been bothered by my digital clutter lately.  I disagree a bit with the concept of digitizing all of your paper work.  It's still clutter even if it's not sitting out on your desk.  I think that digital clutter is preferable to physical clutter, but one can get carried away with this as well.  I read recently about a blogger who was trying to simplify his life down to a suitcase yet he had nearly a tera-byte of digital music.  Seriously, can you listen to that much music?  Ever?

For me, a small task this week is to spend time organizing my digital eBooks, cataloging them, and additionally, going through my recently digitized music and deleting those books and songs that are not either truly useful or truly beautiful to me. 

That means that if I only like two songs on an album, I will delete the rest.  Why have something around that you don't love if you're always going to skip by it when you listen to it?

Blogging

I had a meeting yesterday with some very helpful and like-minded bloggers.  I have these plans to really grow the site, but like many things, my enthusiasm can over-rule my logic and I was cautioned on that call yesterday to continue working on the basics.  That means writing great content and building a nice community. 

So, nothing new this week except that I will work on finishing another draft of a guest post for another website.  Otherwise, it's the basics still, from the last few weeks. 

Finance

I continue to track my spending, but now I have my reason why.  Initially I was doing this just for the sake of knowing where my money is going.  Now, I've realized that this is a critical component of knowing what I need to support my family in the event that I decide to turn my writing into a full-time gig. 

I've also decided to dedicate myself to two small Butterfly Effects that I've haphazardly implemented in the past with success.  They both are along the same lines.  One is to save all my spare change, and earmark it for a Savings fund.  The other is to also save all the five dollar bills that I get, for the same reason.   The larger my emergency fund gets, the more comfortable I'll be should I decide to make writing my fulltime pursuit.

Writing

I could write verbatim from last week on this topic.  I continue to write 250 words per day on my Haiku Life Lessons book, and it is coming along very well.  I intend to still write five posts each week, but I may open up some slots for on-topic guest posts shortly to help grow the community here, and to allow me some time to adjust as the babies come home soon. 

Nothing new on this front, the status quo is yielding some tremendous benefits. 

As a quick round-up, here is the list of previous Butterfly Effects that I have implemented.

Health:

1. Drink a large glass of water before each meal.
2. Yoga for ten minutes each day
3. Meditate for ten minutes each day
4. 10 Hindu Pushups and 20 Hindu Squats, incrementing each day

Simplify:

1. Re-purpose two items per day
2. Catalog my possessions for 15 minutes each day
3. Write down five things to be grateful for each day

Blogging

1. Comment on 1 post each day
2. Respond to each comment received
3. 15 minutes learning the blogging trade

Finance

1. Track spending each day

Writing

1. Write 250 words each day toward my first book/ebook