Medium 365 day challenge: Writing, not shopping, not drinking?

Can I do it?

Days writing: 1

Days not shopping: 1

Days not drinking: 1

My 2024 goal to write for the next year

In 2023 I managed to write almost daily on Medium for a month. I enjoyed it, but I also eventually felt like I ran out of content.

I felt like on Medium, you have to dole out advice in neatly subtititled articles.

Five ways to kick a bad habit!

Three tips to get over a breakup.

How to turn your life around.

In 2024, I want to keep writing. But I want to write for me. I think it will still be an interesting read for you. But maybe not.

I suppose it shouldn’t matter much. We all come here to get what we out of the experience. I think you want to hear stories. So I will try to tell them.

Although, from my 30 day experience, life gets in the way. It’s not always easy to write while on holidays.

I think the first step is to set a daily schedule for writing. Ideally not at the end of the day. Perhaps lunch is a good time? I will try that for January and see how it goes. Noon it is.

My 2024 goal to stop shopping

In addition to writing daily, I want to stop shopping in 2024. Meaning, I want to stop buying clothes, accessories, makeup, home decor, and plants that I really don’t need more of.

An inventory last year of my random beauty product drawer revealed that I still have five brand new bottles of facial cleaner in waiting. Honestly, that will probably take me a few years to use up.

I bought a two pack of Guerlain mascara at the airpot during a long layover, and I haven’t started using either of them. And then I bought another mascara during black friday. What gives?

So, stop buying things out of bordem, really. Stop with the mindless online shopping. Stop depending on the doapin hit of delivered boxes.

Honestly, at this point the shopping ultimately makes me feel bad about myself. When I run out of place to store the items. When I see my sweaters squeezed so tightly in the drawers that they become wrinkled.

Things I can buy

I can buy necessities like vitamins and lotion and cleaning supplier as I run out of them.

I can buy gifts.

I can buy groceries, of course.

It sounds very doable. But lets see how it goes.

My 2024 goal to drink less

I’m not sure my goal is to stop drinking. Or is it? I’m struggling with this one. I rarely, if ever, crave or need alcohol. But the occasions I do have it, I have enjoyed.

Should I start with just dry January? Am I being commitment-phobic? No, I think I’m being realistic. I will try not drinking for a month, and see how I feel.

Either way, the intention here is to start keeping track of the frequency I drink alcohol so I have a better sense of where I am at. Right now, I just loosely think that I drink less, but what does that really mean? Let’s put it into numbers.

To my readers

If you have any tips on any of the above topics, or can share from your personal experience, I would love to hear what worked and what didn’t work.

If you’d like to join me in the challenges, I welcome you.

Until tomorrow.