How To Lock In This Winter Arc
December is tomorrow which means it’s time that we lock in this winter arc together y’all! Although this lock in is 90 days, even after this winter arc lock in, I want to have these habits as part of my life so I am keeping them small and trying only to have 2 goals under 3 categories – mental, physical and creative.
In my latest youtube here I talk all about this but the writer in me of course also wanted to have a written format
Have A Mission/Vision
It is so important in life to have a mission/vision before doing something. So write down your vision. Make it plain for you to see because this vision will keep you going forward. Like I discussed in the video, my mission is to be more confident creatively, in the gym and in life. Basically to be more confident in the 3 things my blog is about – art, travel & movement. What is yours?
Mental
For everything else to work, the mental needs to be working. So think about ways that you are feeding yourself spiritually. For me, I have already been prioritizing spending time with God with worship & reading the Bible in the morning but one thing I have been thinking about is – what are things that I can can add to my schedule practically? For me, these are my 2 goals
- Journal once a week
- Sit in silence for 5 minutes a day
Telling myself I finna journal every day is setting myself up for failure because that’s overwhelming. So I am saying once a week for now but if I organically happen to journal more that’s fine too. At the end of the day, it’s important that we are realistic with our own capacity and that we think about what we can add to our plate to help our mental wellbeing.
What are simple practices that you can add to your schedule that improve your mental health?
Physical
A key to lock in this winter arc is to get back to the basics. I already work out 4 days a week so I am not adding to those plans per say but I am thinking about what is something else I want to grow in physically. (However, if you want to start weightlifting and don’t know how, I share some tips and advice here on how to get started by yourself) I started the core lock in challenge a few weeks ago which you can join and download here. But in the spirit of trying to get back to the basics my 2 goals is
1. Drink 120 oz of water a day (3 cups of my water jug)
2. Sleep 7 Hours
Now, how am I going to practically sleep earlier? Basically I need to sleep earlier. I am the most scared of trying to accomplish this because it is my weakest point but lack of sleep can contribute to so many health conditions and outcomes that it’s time to take my sleep more seriously. And I feel like sleep is low hanging fruit that we can all try to work on a little bit more. Without proper sleep, the rest of this challenge can be difficult to complete.
What movement should you add to your work out routine to grow physically? How can you improve in sleeping?
Creative
Since my page is all about artful active living of course I had to add creative goals. As I’ve shared on instagram here, I am working on this Black girl natural hair film that I am shooting very soon. So the goal is to complete that but also I want to:
- Post on Youtube More
- No more scrolling social media
- Read books
I wasted a lot of the time at the beginning of this year mainly posting on instagram. And I used to be on youtube 4 years ago but then completely fell off. I am finally joining again but with a whole new brand and everything. And it’s been fun but I need to go back to being consistent. Also I will be posting on socials but not scrolling. Will keep trying to engage with y’all and support friends making content but I will be MIA for 90 days besides that. And lastly, it’s time for me to get back to reading at night instead of staying on watching a movie or a crime documentary so that I can grow in my storytelling capabilities.
What is one creative craft that you want to invest in? What are ways you can create more and consume less social media?
Disclaimer
I put this disclaimer in the video but one thing that is not discussed enough is how a lot of these topics on wellness online are based on privilege – not if you are lazy or not disciplined enough. For example, if someone does not have the privilege of acesss to food, housing or certain finances it can make it even harder to attain these goals. So I just want to name that I come with my own privileges, so even as you read this and try to lock in this winter – please give yourself grace with where you are at in life based on the resources you have available 🙂
Download Winter Arc Lock In Checklist
If you would like to join, feel free to download my checklist here. I printed it out, laminated with a cheap sticky lamination similar to this one here so that I can checkmark throughout the day as I complete the tasks.
On Instagram, I will be documenting my journey through my stories and on youtube continuing the creative winter arc series. So follow me @theauthenticayo for more!
Now let’s get more artsy and active together 🫶🏾
