monthly challenges: november

for each month of this year (I started in March), I’m going to be doing...

for each month of this year (I started in March), I’m going to be doing a monthly challenge, where I practice something NEW for the entire month (about 30 days). I didn’t want to preselect all the challenges for the entire year, because I’m always changing and there are always areas of my life that change and some need more help than others at certain times.

let’s start with a recap of the last month and then get into this month’s challenge!

october’s challenge: recap

october’s challenge was to set myself up for success in the morning by keeping the living space (living room, kitchen area, etc) clean and ready for a new day. that meant doing all the dishes, clearing the clutter, putting away Luca’s toys, etc. I think last month’s challenge may have been my absolute favorite (or tied with the daily walks one.) every night (I think I missed only 2-3 nights), I cleaned the kitchen, put away all the dishes, and tidied everything up. I woke up and didn’t have to spend all my time cleaning – I could spend more time getting ready myself (and not look like a hot mess!) and spend more time with Luca, playing, before the work day started.

and every night, I’d light my favorite pumpkin spice scented candle and let it burn that evening in the kitchen so I’d wake up with those smells from the night before. I’m so happy I set this challenge, and I definitely intend on continuing this nightly ritual!

november challenge

november is a tough month to set a challenge up, because I’m traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday! I also was traveling the first weekend in November (I went to Iceland!), BUT I’ve decided to set this challenge with the exclusion of Thanksgiving day: NO SWEETS. I’ve been wanting to do a dessert free month for a long time (my night time chocolate addiction is REAL), and I realized that after I got back from Iceland, I was in a total sugar coma and haven’t had any dessert since then (so, all this week!), so it’s the perfect time to start this challenge.

of course, on Thanksgiving, it’s all about #allthepies, but for everyday until then after then in the month of November, I’m saying NO to dessert. I’ve noticed a lethargic feeling at night and in the morning because of all the sugar, and it’s time to quit while I’m ahead, because December is one of those months where I just HAVE to indulge (peppermint chocolate bark, hello! it’s a must!) so I’m taking a break and saying no to sweets this month!

what will your november challenge be?

with love, Ali

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comments

  • Hi Ali, I've been browsing the internet to find a suitable November calendar for my instagram story and found your blog. What I did ,and doing, is basically what you did but I just started in October 2023 with the Sober October. I did really well, I'm a social drinker but my social life did not struggle because of me not drinking. For November I'm going for No-added sugar-vember. Which, I guess, is what you were going for with the no sweets. I have a really bad sweet tooth, but about a year ago the doctor told me I was highly insulin tolerant. To be honest this is the first time i got scared for my health. I tried Keto for a few months but the stimuli quickly passed through me once the holidays came in 2022. Now, a year later I have gained my weight back but doubt all is lost. I got excited to see someone else setting a similar challenge and decided to drop a note. All the best, Denny