First of the Month

“It’s the first of the month, so get your checks and come on.” Catchy lyrics from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Every first reminds me to resolve to do something new in the new month.

This morning I woke up irritated, frustrated, and angry — mainly about world events. But I had to investigate why I felt the way I did. My inner wisdom was nudging me, so I checked my phone usage stats. What I found revealed one clear source of my mood. For the week, I averaged 44 minutes a day on Instagram and 29 minutes on Facebook. Yesterday alone? Two hours and 54 minutes on Instagram. One hour and 34 minutes on Facebook.

There was culprit number one.

The second culprit was this: I had limits set on my phone to cut me off from both apps after ten minutes. But instead of honoring those limits, I kept pressing the “Ignore for Today” button. So now I wasn’t just frustrated with the world — I was frustrated with myself for breaking an agreement I made with me.

So on this first day of the month, I don’t need a new goal. I don’t need to beat myself up. I just need to honor the agreement I already made.

The behavior to eliminate? Pressing that ignore button. The replacement? When the ten minutes are up, put the phone down. Or better yet, don’t open the app at all. I could probably finish two or three more books this month if I redirected even half of that scrolling time.

It really was that simple.

What agreements have you made with yourself that you’ve quietly been breaking — and what would it look like to simply return to them without shame?