I would love to say that my quest to meditate once daily is going perfectly. The reality is that I only managed to meditate for five minutes once last week. With that admittance comes a feeling of guilt, of letting myself down, of not trying hard enough to meet my goals, but also a sort of “it is what it is” attitude.

This week I am going to try adding “meditate” to my daily to do list. I also hope to make some sort of a habit or a consistent time that I meditate, that way it begins to become automatic instead of something I wake up in the night remembering I forgot.

Every quarter I start out with the best intention of getting more sleep, and after a couple weeks in I am a complete mess. This year I decided one of my goals for January was to get myself on an actual sleep schedule where (for the most part, see below) I would go to bed and get up at the same time every day of the week, including weekends.

I work in San Francisco two days a week, which means I am up at 6 a.m. to make my train and make it to my desk before 9. The rest of the week I really don’t have to be up at a particular time. In the fall I would get up at 8:30 a.m. on school days, but it made the days I went into the city complete hell. I could never get in bed on time, which was fine when I could set my alarm a little later the next day, but completely disastrous when I had to drag myself out of bed on my early mornings.

For all of January I kept myself honest and stayed on track for my goal (I know January is not yet over, but I only have a few days left and I’m confident). Every night I try to be in bed before 11 p.m., and some nights I even make it before 10:30 p.m., a huge improvement from rushing to make it before 12:30 a.m. I set my alarm for 7 or 7:30 a.m. on the days I don’t have to get up for work. I am slowly working myself closer and closer to 7 a.m. to make it closer to my early mornings. On work days I am up at 6 a.m.

But here is the monkey wrench in my otherwise perfect plan: the newspaper. I work at the school newspaper where we go to print Wednesday nights/ Thursday mornings. This means I can be up until upwards of 2 a.m. on a weekly basis (or later if things really aren’t going well). This means I only have Thursday to recover before I have to be up again at 6 a.m. on Friday for work. To make it easiest on myself, I aim for six and a half to seven hours of sleep on Wednesday nights to make sure I am can make my bedtime (and fall asleep) on Thursday without falling asleep in class.

After a month of progress, I now wake up a few minutes before my alarm at least once a week. I don’t feel like someone drugged me or walk around like a zombie on a regular basis. Here is what I did:

1. Start slowly! Wake up 10-15 minutes earlier for a few days, and then cut back again. Don’t try to wake up hours earlier all at once.

2. Go to bed. No excuses. Set a bedtime and stick to it. My goal is 10:30 p.m., but my hard deadline is 11 p.m. If I don’t make it by then, I know the next day will be rough.

3. Set a routine. I start getting ready for bed at 9:30 p.m. now. It gives me time to do a short yoga routine, foam roll, and get organized for the next day. It also gives me space from whatever I was doing before I go to bed so I don’t get in bed still thinking about it or all of the things on my to do list.

4. Be firm, but not punishing. If you didn’t make your bedtime, don’t just turn off your alarm for the next day or set it even earlier so you are even more tired tomorrow. You have to find the right balance for when your plan just isn’t going to work and you have to just roll with it.

5. Weekends count. Don’t turn off your alarm for the weekends. It will completely mess up all of the progress you have made, and you will have to start over every Monday. Enjoy the start of your week and a full weekend by sticking to your schedule.

6. Good night phone. Good night computer. Good night TV. Put it all away at least 30 minutes before bed. I use my phone for my alarm, so before I finish getting ready for bed I make sure it is set and on my light stand. Leave your electronics behind for a better night’s sleep.

Between CrossFit, running, and yoga I only have one day a week where I completely rest. I am training for a half marathon and I have goals for CrossFit that I am trying to achieve. There are some days where I have two-a-days. Because of all of this I am even more careful than before to make sure I get enough protein as an active vegetarian (at least 50 grams per day), but I will not drink protein powders.

Beyond the fact that I am not trying to be a body builder and that I cannot get over the disgusting chalky texture, I won’t drink protein powders. Years ago I read Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules” I have done my best to only eat things from nature that have not been processed or man-made.

Protein powders, whether whey, soy, or another protein, are heavily processed and full of additives. It’s better to eat whole, natural foods that provide protein as well as other nutrients. In addition protein powders make you more likely to eat more protein than your body needs, which can harm your kidneys. While it may be convenient to get 20 or more grams all at once, it’s better for your body to eat natural sources.

I am by nature a fearful and cautious person. I am a worrier, a contemplator, and most often a sideline, “I’ll hold your stuff while you try that,” kind of person. I’m also a huge fan of personal space and I’m most certainly not a big hugger or toucher. To put it simply, Acroyoga was WAY outside of my comfort zone.

I decided to try Acroyoga at this year’s Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco despite all of these things. I have always been entranced by people who do Acroyoga, and I wanted to be able to try it myself. Needless to say, I fell literally head over heals in love with it.

Before class started one of the assistants invited me to fly. It was so much fun! This is my first time ever doing Acroyoga. Photos courtesy of the amazing Jennifer Russell who kindly snapped photos of me without me even having to ask. I’m so thankful she caught this great moment for me!

The amazing instructors, Jenny Sauer-Klein and Jeremy Simon, and their helpers did a fantastic job to make everyone feel more comfortable with just how personal we were all going to get with each other. I felt completely safe bending over backwards and hanging out in the air on someone else’s feet and hands. I never thought something that looks intense and terrifying from the outside could be so relaxing and enjoyable.

This was a definitely a good reminder to me to push myself outside of my comfort zone and make someone else hold my stuff for once. I can’t wait to find new friends near me to play around with.

One of the most important things for me about my living space is that it needs to be clutter-free. I am one of those people that when items are strewn about a room or a space feels over-crowded I get physically uncomfortable. I can’t stand a lingering mess or an abundance of items.

When my room is a mess I feel anxious and cannot focus. A clean, organized room makes keeping the rest of my life organized and on task so much easier.

Staying organized and clutter free doesn’t have to be hard. It just takes getting into a habit.

1. Everything has a place. It is so tempting when I first enter my room to drop everything in my hands on my floor and desk and move on. I sometimes get in the nasty habit of piling clothes, especially jackets, on my desk chair. Once you have determined where all of your items live, put them back exactly where you found them when you are done. It might take a few extra seconds and maybe even a few steps, but your space will benefit immensely.

2. Cut back. I am constantly trying to balance my needs versus my wants. There are items I own that I need, and others that just get in my way and take up space. Be willing to really question what you need, while being completely realistic about the space you have, and be ready to let things go. Sell back clothes you haven’t worn in months (not clothes intended for warmer weather that you just can’t pull off in the middle of winter) to your local thrift or used clothing store. Donate items in good condition to a local organization or your friend’s closet.

3. Stay strong. Sometimes the hardest part of staying organized is keeping items from creeping back into your life. I feel like every time I finally let go of a magazine, I end up having a new one that lives on my desk for months because I think I might want to go back and read it again or refresh my mind on that one tip or article. Don’t let yourself fall back into bad habits.

4. Just say no! Shopping, thrifting or trading can be great when you get exactly what you need. But don’t overdo it!

5. Set boundaries. I have a closet and a single dresser. I could easily add to the amount of storage space I have, but I won’t. Limiting the amount of space I allow my items to take up means I cannot just fill it with things I don’t need. When you live in a small space you have to be incredibly economical with it and you only keep items that truly fill a need.

With the flu season ramping up, it seems like it’s impossible to avoid people who are sick. My roommate has been battling something for a few weeks and it seems like every time I go in to work someone else is home sick.

Between the Christmas trees, wet weather, and all of the bugs going around, I spent a few weeks suffering from allergies and/or a minor bug. I have posted about my neti habits in the past, but after seeing so many people suffer I thought it might be time to bring it up again.