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Middle-aged Man’s Quarterly Report on New Year’s Resolutions

In January I posted my New Year’s Resolutions. Here is the First Quarter Report for the period ending March 31, 2023.

Eat professionally prepared meals judiciously. GRADE: C. In January we did a great job in minimizing expenditures on eating out. Expenditures shot up in February and March. The increase was largely attributable to some traveling we did in those months. The average monthly spend for Q1 for our family of two adults and one tween son was $590, of which $109 consisted of alcoholic beverages. That’s not bad, but it’s not very good, either. $590 per month invested at a reasonable 7% return for 20 years would result in a future value of $307,346.73. We need to do better. Having taken a Vow of Poverty, my goal for this month is to spend $0 on eating out. That should help Q2 numbers.

Eat less for dinner. GRADE: D-. I just wasn’t making enough effort, here, in Q1. I exerted complete control in adhering to the 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule, eating nothing until lunchtime. During the work week, for lunch I was extremely disciplined in what I ate and also quite disciplined for afternoon snacks. When dinner was served, though, I went overboard most nights. Maybe I ate too much because I was hungry from not eating enough during the day, but I think my failure was mostly psychological. By the end of the day, I was ready to loosen up and my will power was weaker. I need to take control in this area in Q2.

Start each weekday with 30 minutes on the elliptical. GRADE: A-. I was consistent with this practice in Q1. Other than the days I was out of town, I only missed a couple mornings on the elliptical. On the days that I missed, I noticed I operated with less energy and focus. That, alone, was a good motivator not to miss, again. Good job, here, in Q1. Keep it up!

Meditate for 1 minute each day. GRADE: C+. I purposely placed the bar for meditation low so I’d actually make meditation a habit. Even with that low bar, I was inconsistent in Q1. On some days after I failed to meditate on prior days, I set the timer for longer meditation sessions. That’s nice, but it’s no way to build a habit. It’s like trying to cure a persistent sleep deficit by sleeping in on the weekends; the benefits are very limited. I need to improve, here, in Q2.

Engage in Christianity every day. GRADE: A-. I do this mostly by listening to YouTube while on the elliptical in the morning and/or in the car after dropping my son at school. For Q2 I need to work on spending more time reading the Bible.

How are your New Year’s Resolutions coming along?

With Love,

P. Gustav Mueller, author of The Present