Hello Reader,

James Clear is the author of Atomic Habits, an excellent book on making small changes that lead to significant impacts (he also writes an email newsletter called 3-2-1 that I love to get!).

One of the main chapters of this book focuses on using the environment around us to create, build and maintain habits. For example, if you want to drink more water throughout the day, leave your water bottle sitting out. Add a reminder on your phone every hour to drink water. Leave a full glass of water on the counter to drink first thing in the morning. Simple modifications to our environment can create big changes in our lives.

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Another supporter of environmental changes is Marie Kondo. Her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, discusses the impact of a clean and organized space on our mental health. Her theory is that by bringing clarity to the physical environment, we can have peace of mind, achieve our goals with ease, and be more present. If you have read my writing before, you know I have a secret dream to be the Marie Kondo of nursing education. 😆

Maybe you note this concept in your life and work - that your physical environment impacts your mental health and productivity.

So, let’s start with a simple goal and apply these concepts to our home or school office. 💻

1. Choose a goal or a habit that you want to do more of this semester. 🥇This could be that you want to prep two weeks ahead (instead of the night before) or that you want to complete your clinical evals immediately after clinical. Or maybe you just want to keep your desk clean.
2. Do a solid decluttering. 🧹Only keep your favorite pens. File last year's papers. Remember that your computer desktop and virtual file folders can also use a deep clean. If it is hard for you to trash old files completely, or if you have to keep student records, consider creating an "Archive" folder and dropping last year's content in there. This way, those files will not clog up your everyday work and can easily be accessed if needed.
3. Set up one physical reminder of the goal that you want to do this term. 🏆Put a reminder in your calendar once a week. Change your computer's desktop image to inspire your habit. Modify your physical environment to support your big or small goal.

Here is my goal: I want to use a project plan timeline for my next idea. My creative energy has been flowing lately, and the ideas are coming together. And hopefully, discussing it with all of you will keep me accountable. 😉 I use Notion for my project planning, and I will write a bit more about my system next week when we explore project/semester plans.

Talk soon, Martha