April is here and there are signs that spring weather is on its way. I fell behind with a few things last month, so my March 2024 roundup is a little lighter than usual. Even so, I made decent progress on my goals and found a couple of terrific posts to share with you. One is about niksen—the Dutch art of doing nothing—and the second is on why we need to slow down. 

Happy reading!

Cool things I read in March

Since publishing my first monthly roundup at the end of 2020, it has been an honour to introduce you to some of my favourite bloggers. I started the roundup to say thank you to the blogging community and bring attention to talented writers who create inspiring and informative content.

Although I didn’t have a lot of time for blog reading, here are a couple of pieces that caught my eye last month.

Niksen: The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing – Wise and Shine

In a world obsessed with squeezing the maximum out of every minute, Cristiana’s thoughtful post explores the value of slowing down and being fully present.

Niksen advocates for moments of purposeful idleness, where individuals allow their minds to wander freely and be in the present moment.

Wise and Shine – Niksen: The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing

Hurrying Never Helps – Surprised by Joy

On a similar theme, Wynne’s post shares a story of how her kids taught her the value of slowing down.

The number one thing I need to do in order to help myself and my kids try hard things is to try not to hurry.

Surprised by Joy – Hurrying Never Helps

What I wrote in March

In case you missed any of them, here are the new posts I published in March here on Boomer Eco Crusader.

• The Sunday Spark – What do green dresses and earworms have in common?
• The powerful environmental impact of small changes
• The Sunday Spark – Bathing suit shopping and body image
• The Sunday Spark – A suitcase of memories
• Do you really need 10,000 steps a day?
• The Sunday Spark – World Happiness Report shows big gap between young and old
• Clutter Tales – Don’t step on my blue suede bowling shoes!
• The Sunday Spark – Seeking the pause that refreshes

And here are the posts I wrote in March for Wise & Shine.

• Why music is good for us
• Do we have a loneliness crisis?
• What can we learn from Nordic Countries about happiness?

Plus, as I revisit my 52-Weeks of Decluttering Challenge, I refreshed and republished these posts.

• Week 9 – Desktop clutter
• Week 10 – Shoe purge
• Week 11 – Purses and bags
• Week 12 – Accessories and jewellery
• Week 13 – Living area table surfaces

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March goals – How did I do?

My year of reinvention got off to a good start in January and February. Would March be the month my progress slowed? Here’s an update on how the month went.

Fitness

For March, I again set a goal of 180 minutes of exercise a week, including 2 strength training sessions. I averaged 174 minutes a week and managed the 2 strength training sessions.

I also added a new goal to do a short balance or flexibility routine 5 times a week. I met this goal as well.

Reading

I met my goal of reading 2 books in March. I read:

• The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
• Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor Garcia and Francesc Miralles

Health

I gave up candy and chocolate for Lent, so my March goal was to limit candy to one day a week. I did it!

Reinvention/Second Life

My March goal was to finalize the material for my pilot workshop in April. I completed that and delivered week one of the workshop last week.

Decluttering

After meeting my decluttering goals in January and February, momentum slowed in March. The month’s decluttering tasks were areas that aren’t big problems for me, so I fell short of my goal of decluttering 50 items. In the end, I only managed to get rid of 35 items.

My April goals

Despite a very busy month, I’m happy overall with the progress I made on my goals in March. Hopefully I can get back on track and have a little more breathing space in April.

• Fitness goals: Once again, I’m working toward 180 minutes of exercise a week, including 2 strength training sessions. I’m also going to continue with a goal of adding a short balance or flexibility routine 5 times a week.
• Reading: Read 2 books.
• Reinvention/Second Life: Finish the remaining practice coaching hours to complete the Certified Professional Retirement Coach (CPRC) designation. 
• Decluttering: Declutter 50 items.

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Thanks for dropping by to check out my March 2024 roundup. With a quarter of 2024 in the books, how are you doing on your goals? Drop me a comment below to let me know.