Where I’m Expanding Beyond My Comfort Zone
using “again” to shake up my routines
Quick Announcements
Something cute and spooky is afoot: my 100 Pomodoros in October workbook! The revamped workbook includes a printable and digital version of the pumpkin tracker, and I added in a 50 Pomodoros option, too! I hope you’ll join me in doing focused work AND prioritizing breaks this month through using the tracker. If you color in the little pumpkins and post on Instagram, please tag me @ thetendingyear. You can get a free copy of the workbook here. 🎃
AcWriMo is coming back! I am joining Dr. Katy Peplin of ThrivePhD to share free resources and support academic writers all November long. We’ll share video lessons, worksheets, and run co-working sessions, plus more free goodies to be announced! Don’t miss it—sign up here to join us for Academic Writing Month 2025.
In the most recent episode of Honing In, I dive deep into my process for selecting my theme word for age 39: AGAIN. If you haven’t listened yet, I encourage you to check it out, but the long and short of it is that I wanted an easier way to make decisions that align with my bigger goals. I used a similar process in my first year of my blog, The Tending Year, where I endeavored to use the theme word TEND to help me progress on my dissertation and care for my body while I navigated the onset of chronic illness.
This year, I hope that the framework AGAIN can help me reach four big goals:
Create and utilize a budget so I can save money
Develop a strength training routine
Set and hold boundaries around my time and energy
Try new things outside of my comfort zone
I loved it when Brooke McAlary shared updates on her 1% Experiment, where she committed to spending 1% of her time and energy on things that mattered to her. I’m setting a goal to share updates with you each month throughout the end of 2025. Once the year ends, I’ll check in to decide if I want to update my word and/or keep sending monthly updates on my experience with it.
Regular reflection is key to getting the most out of using a theme word, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the ease I’ve found with checking in on it regularly. Here are some things I’ve noticed about how AGAIN guided me in September.
Taking action on small things that will improve my experience takes a little effort
This month, I worked on breaking out of the patterns I tend to repeat simply because it’s “easier” in the moment, even if they actually make things worse for myself. For example:
After I put in a load of laundry in the basement, I decided to go back up to the bedroom on the second floor, retrieve my pillowcase, and bring it back down to wash it instead of sleeping on it again.
I realized mid-reclining asana in an online restorative yoga class that my overhead light was blaring into my face again, and chose to get up out of my pose, go turn on my little light and turn off the big one, and settle back down on my bolsters and blocks
I’m curious to explore outside the comfort of my go-to routines
As I mentioned above, I am trying to break out of doing the same things again and again by expanding my window of tolerance around making decisions that will ultimately serve me. A cookbook author I like is coming to town soon for a book tour when Kris will be out of town for work. While Kris is much more of a horror novel enthusiast, they’re always my date for events like this. I’m proud to report that I purchased a ticket to the reading and will take myself out for a solo date that night!
I want to investigate my attention habits further
It’s wild how addicted I am to scrolling on my phone. I try not to give myself a hard time about it (we’re all just doing our best), and I already don’t check work email on my phone, but I’ve noticed my habits around picking it up whenever there’s a lull in my attention. I will reach for my phone during a commercial on TV, then again while waiting for my food to reheat, then again when I’m alone in the living room for 15 seconds while Kris goes to get a drink from the kitchen, etc. I’ve been trying to limit checking social media and news and reach for Pinterest instead, which is mindless and kind of fun, but I’m wondering about not picking up my phone in the first place. I’ll continue to be curious about this in October.
Here’s to exploring the word AGAIN and bravely sharing my experience with you all! Rather than aim for perfection, I hope this theme word continues to help me ask myself questions like, “How will doing this again affect me?” or “Will I have the opportunity to do this again, or should I seize the moment and give it a try now?”
I’ll close out today’s letter some language from my very first blog post, published January 1, 2018:
I am not a blank slate that I can simply turn into perfection. Just like you, I have personal challenges and preferences and needs that prevent me from giving 110% percent on the daily. Not to mention the capitalist drive to push ourselves to achieve MORE without stopping to recharge (I’m also guilty of this). For this reason, I have to regularly remind myself to reject the idea that I should be perfect. Case in point: just yesterday I was giving myself quite a hard time because I preemptively worried that this blog wouldn’t be interesting, helpful, aesthetically pleasing, or–in another word–perfect. I had to remind myself that I have a whole, exciting year ahead of me to practice improving and developing my tending, and I shouldn’t hold myself back from that because I’m nervous I won’t obtain an unknowable measure of perfection. I’ve been working on this post for weeks, and instead of holding myself back from sharing it, I should be proud of having written it!
Curiosities
I was happy to learn about the newsletter Good Queer News. Right now being queer and loving so many trans folks in a country that is legalizing hate towards them is very scary. I know a newsletter about good news isn’t fixing that, but seeing it in my inbox helps me settle a little in that moment.
I love any savant detective story that is functionally a revamp of Sherlock Holmes, so I’m excited that High Potential is back for Season 2!
I liked the Thursday Murder Club movie! I know some folks complained about it not being as good as the books, which is fair, but I still enjoyed it.
It’s new book season and it was my birthday last week and Kris bought me some books! On my docket is the newest Blood and Ash Series book by Jennifer Armentrout, The Primal of Blood and Bone, Mona Awad’s We Love You, Bunny, and Patricia Lockwood’s Will There Ever Be Another You.
Take care and talk soon,
Dr. Kate
Email: kate@katehenry.com
Website: katehenry.com
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