31 Day Minimalism & Simplicity Challenge | Simplicity Update

If you read my Minimalism Update you'll know I decided to write the updates of this challenge in two parts! Here is part two, the simplifying side of my 31 day challenge...

2. Don't check your phone for an hour after waking up

I exceeded expectations and actually left it alone for an hour and a half! It is easier than I think it is but I was still eager to get back to it. Bit pathetic really.

4. Don't check your phone before bed

I failed hard on this one. I tried, I really did but I just got bored to be honest. I wasn't that tired and I'd forgotten to charge my ipod so I couldn't even fall asleep listening to music. I ended up watching Drag Race until the early hours.

5. Read a few chapters of a book or a magazine

I was actually really looking forward to sitting and relaxing with a book but it just didn't happen. I ended up going out all afternoon and going to bed by 9:45pm. Bit gutted but it had to be done.

6. Go for a walk

Sure, I went for a walk. To The Range, round The Range, spent £18 in The Range, and walked home again. Totally counts, right?

8. Spend time on a hobby

I used to love writing stories. It's something I've wanted to get back into ever since I started blogging. Well, I just so happened to have a dream that I wanted to write a book about. So, I started writing. I soon gave up because I was doing a terrible job, but the point is that I tried. I couldn't even remember what my challenge for today was so is it fate or coincidence that I had a dream that inspired me to pursue an old hobby? Who knows.

10. Stay offline for one day

I didn't actually expect to do as well with this as I did! I actually accidentally set this challenge for the same day I went to the hairdresser, and I completely expected to be tweeting and sharing away my new 'do as soon as it was done. But that just didn't happen. I had spent some time online, but nowhere near as much as I usually would. So I didn't complete this goal exactly, but I did much better than I expected to do!

12. Go for a walk

I had it in my head that I was meant to declutter today, and didn't even leave the house. I didn't declutter either.

14. Spend time on a hobby

Does grocery shopping and bullying Ash count as hobbies? No? Damn.

15. Read

I actually managed to do this! I put Charlie to bed at 8:30 and settled myself in the lounge with a new book. I say new, I bought it for myself at Christmas from a charity shop (I LOVE raiding charity shops for books, they're usually only a quid or two) and hadn't had the chance to read it yet. I was a bit worried I wasn't going to get into it, the first chapter was horrifying but the second had me hooked. I almost didn't want to go to bed because I didn't want to stop reading.

18. Deep clean

It wasn't as much of a deep clean as I would have liked but I did manage to convince Mum and Dave to take Charlie round The Range with them so I could whip the hoover round my room. Charlie must be the only baby to not like the hoover, so I can only hoover my room when someone else is around to have him for me. Considering how often I hoovered while I was pregnant, he should be used to the noise! I've also been making more of an effort to tidy my room a bit every day or every couple of days, as I still have a LOT of stuff left to declutter/sell/donate and it's just really hard to get the time to do it. I miss the days when I could just DO something if I wanted to.

20. Go for a walk

I didn't even get dressed this day, let alone leave the house. I messed up my ankle and struggled to walk down the stairs so I didn't really feel up to walking. Shame though, it was a lovely day!

21. Don't check your phone for an hour after waking up

Yeah, no. I thought this was the next day's challenge. Oops.

22. Journal

I fully intended to do this but by the time I was able to write anything I was too tired, and just wanted to sleep.

24. Meditate

I only really get the chance to meditate at night but of course my phone is basically dead by then, and I don't want to risk falling asleep with my phone on charge, on my bed.

25. Have a pamper session

I SHOULD have done this as I had a party to go to the next day but I didn't even get time to shower, let alone anything else. I owe myself a pamper session.

26. Stay offline for 24 hours

Umm..nope. If I had known I was going to a party this day I would have set this for another day. I wanted to tweet and Instagram about it!

28. Read

29. Spend time on a hobby

30. Don't check phone for at least an hour after waking

I didn't get to make time for reading or hobbying (which to be fair, probably would have been more reading) and I thought Day 30 was something else so I failed pretty well om the last few days! To be honest, I didn't do particularly well on the whole challenge. I think I need to alter this slightly, and try again.