The Sunday Spark 🍟 [February 20, 2022]

The Sunday Spark!

Hi friends,

Did you know that we will spring one hour forward this weekend in Jordan? Yes, daylight saving is one month earlier than usual this year. I don't know who will dislike me for this, but if you have not noticed, I have shifted to the winter-loving side of the seasonal spectrum lately, so I am not ready for the time change yet (yet is such a magical word, but that's another post).

The highlight of my week was enjoying the green landscape when we went out of town on Friday. It was so refreshing, and I want to make sure I don't miss it this year by going out of the city during weekends. Did you go outside, too?

I'm also thrilled about the news that schools won't go online again, at least in the coming few weeks as per the very recent announcements, so we finally have some predictability of how the semester will unfold, and it feels good. I promise I'm not going to talk about online/not-online anymore.

I have this unhealthy habit of binging on chips and dip while watching TV on weekends which causes a few here and there pimples that the beauty salon lady noticed in my last visit. Can you relate? My skincare routine has been amazing lately, and I refuse to ruin it with this habit. So, how will I apply what I have learned and teach about habits to overcome this problem? By using the inverse of the four laws of habit change from Atomic Habits as follows:

1- Make it invisible - Change the location of chips to some unreachable, out-of-sight place in the house.

2- Make it unattractive- Read about the adverse health effects of chips.

3-Make it difficult-Don't buy chips, avoid supermarkets if I can for a while.

4-Make it unsatisfying-Announce my commitment to friends (I just did here) and maybe use a commitment device such as paying money to my accountability partner if I eat chips in the coming two weeks.

Other ideas could be finding healthier replacements for the salt craving, such as pumpkin seeds or salted shredded cucumber with dip or yogurt.

Do you have other ideas to help me?

You may be thinking, why two weeks only? Because if I say "never again", I'm unlikely to commit. More importantly, in two weeks, as I approach my winter in my cycle, my salt cravings will increase, which I'm planning to happily honor.

That's why self-awareness and self-reflection are crucial; you observe your tendencies and take action on what's not working. That's how the new week will be better than the last.

What about you, dear First name / Sunday Spark reader How will you CHOOSE to make this week better?

Exciting News: My friend and the above-mentioned accountability partner Rania Khoury, an associate certified coach and laughter leader, is running a Laughter Wellness Workshop this Tuesday 22.02.2022 in Chemisty in Amman and I will be there! Will you? It's going to be FUN.

Here is your weekly dose of The Sunday Spark ⚡️ a newsletter listing 5 inspiring things I thought were worth starting your week with:

From my desk: Starting a New Job? Here is Some Advice.
For more than 2 years, my work routine pretty much consists of going over to Brain Fm, blasting some deep work music and the rest is... focus. You get 20% on your subscription using this link.
A podcast episode from Beyond The To-Do List that I really enjoyed: Building Better Relationships with The 50 75 100 Solution. If you don't already, follow this podcast, it's one of my favorites.
My current audiobook is Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing. The content is as rich as the title.
A favorite quote from this book:

"Why do we love committers but act like browsers? I think it’s because of three fears. First, we have a fear of regret: we worry that if we commit to something, we will later regret having not committed to something else. Second, we have a fear of association: we think that if we commit to something, we will be vulnerable to the chaos that that commitment brings to our identity, our reputation, and our sense of control. Third, we have a fear of missing out: we feel that if we commit to something, the responsibilities that come with it will prevent us from being everything, everywhere, to everyone."

― Pete Davis, Dedicated

(resurfaced through Readwise. If you use Kindle to read you will love Readwise so much. Download this awesome app to remember books/articles you read)