I begin

On the available offers of discounted audiobooks on Chirp, the following title popped up:

I popped over to Goodreads to see what the reviews said. The top rated reviews weren't stellar. Apparently readers had wanted a self-help book with step-by-step instructions, but the listed title was written as a memoir. I wasn't deterred yet, but I wasn't convinced either. It seems odd for me to do this much research for an audiobook that was at a rock-bottom price ($1.99), but my pennies have been more precious lately. So I googled the author and found a Talk at Google that she had given on some of the themes in the book.

Although our circumstances are different, I was inspired by her method of making small, incremental changes that accumulated significant results over time. Everything I have read and watched recently about habit-forming and long-term change has been founded on similar concepts. With a small amount of hope and a lot of faith in proven methods ...

... I begin.

1. Goal - Less email to process.
1. Yesterday, while stuck at home waiting for my doctor's office to call me back, I unsubscribed to at least 10 different commercial and professional email senders. They ranged from coupon offers for fast food to a therapist message boards to daily discounts on everything from audiobooks to zippers.
2. Goal - Stop spending on audiobooks.
1. I currently have 478 books in my Audible library, and 22 in my Chirp library. I don't even know how that happened. I also have 3 unspent Audible credits. Time to put the Audible account on hold. Done!
3. Goal - Increase habit-driven behaviors.
1. I downloaded the Loop Habit Tracker  app based on recommendations from my son. He has inherited my sloppy self-discipline disposition (sorry, son) and has had success with this app.
2. I set up four small daily or weekday habits.
1. Meditation - minimum 2 minutes daily.
2. Sugared drinks - abstain daily. Does this count sugar in my tea? Undecided.
3. Exercise - the same or a little more than the day before.
4. On Time - arriving at work on time, M-F

My intention is to post weekly check-ins. I better add that to Loop. I will post other progress that is not tracked on Loop as it occurs to me. I'm going to be doing a ton of self-validation.