Minimalist May: A Change for the Better

Minimalist May is a self-imposed month of LESS (and so-called hardship). It is the month I set out three minimalist-focused challenges to complete. I want to say less, but I gain so much from the adventures I choose each year. 

As this is my fifth year, I thought it would be interesting to decide on five challenges instead of my usual three. I believe keeping any new challenge or habit to three, maximum, in a month gets better results than overdoing it. Ideally, I have found introducing one new habit more effective, overall. 

Now, the five areas I have selected will be challenges I have been putting off for a while. There are many personal gains to obtain if I keep to them beyond May. Adversity is something I admire because I grow from each experience. I must be crazy, I know. The following five challenges will my hardest challenges to date, so here goes…

Diet

I must avoid all cakes, biscuits, sweets and crisps all month. I have noticed a trend in my diet where I snack in the evenings or on my way home. The act of snacking so much could be emotionally triggered or boredom. Either way, I have noticed my weight has increased in recent months to a point where I feel uncomfortable in myself.

I have gained a stone since the start of the year. It is not a good look. My body is feeling the strain. 

Finance

I must avoid spending at all costs. Realistically, this is an impossible challenge to complete. What I mean is I will only pay bills, car fuel and part of the food shop (my wife will do the rest). I trialled it out in Aril and found myself saving £270 ($337), which I have put into my savings account. My goal is to save at least two months' wages for a ‘rainy day’. 

I have a habit of popping to the shop to buy junk food after a busy, stressful day at work. When I am at home, I automatically head to the cupboard for all the sugary treats. This will stop during May. I truly hope it continues afterwards. 

Caffeine

I reduce my caffeine consumption to one cup of coffee per day. The ultimate goal is to cut tea and coffee from my life for good. I currently average three cups of coffee per day. I am conscious that it is not good for me. At the start of the year, I cut energy drinks from my life. I am now 121 days free from energy drinks. 

Exercise

I will replace media consumption with exercise. I have been guilty of making excuses to not exercise each day. The list is endless of excuses. Starting from mid-April, I introduced ten press-ups and one-minute of plank in the morning. In the evening, I do the same, as well as a 10K cross trainer session and several sets of weights. 

I don’t have time to get to a gym, so anything at home is better than nothing. I will cut the amount of time I sit in front of a TV or computer screen to focus more time on exercise. This should fit perfectly with my dietary changes. 

Sleep

I will be in bed before 10:30PM. Recently, I have noticed my bedtime has been getting later and later. I’ve lost count of the times I have looked at my clock to see it is some time past midnight. I have to wake up at 6AM, so I know I am getting less than six hours sleep. 

My concentration has been affected by the lack of sleep. Less time-consuming content and drinking coffee late into the night will replaced with a healthy bedtime routine to get me into bed earlier. 

Updates

I won’t post daily updates on my Medium account. Instead, I will post daily updates on my new blog over on Scribbles. My new blog address is blog.codemaclife.net. Please don't hesitate to subscribe to the RSS feed if you want to see how I am getting on.

I plan to update on Medium halfway through the month and at the end of May. I am hopeful that that experiment will be a success. Furthermore, I know I can apply my stubbornness to most challenges I put myself through.

My post is part of #WeblogPoMo2024 — I will post each day for the month of May

Mark @ CodeMacLife
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