Sara Soba

Dickinson Green Devils 2020

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
746 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

730

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

580

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted
UP TO

620

minutes

spent exercising

Sara's actions

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Happiness

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Work-Life Balance

I will not work more than 8 hour days each day to practice work-life balance.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Learn About Renewable Energy

I will spend 30 minutes learning more about renewable energy alternatives (i.e. solar, wind, biomass) in my region.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Plant an Herb Garden

I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 20-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 20 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Less Screen Time

I will replace 30 minute(s) of screen time each day with other activities.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?

Sara Soba 4/19/2020 4:30 PM

Our dryer broke down recently, and it’s given me a chance to finally try something I’ve been excited to do for a couple years now: set up a clothesline in my room!

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Sara Soba 4/18/2020 8:03 PM

One of my favorite challenges this year has been the health challenge to write down things you’re thankful for / reach out to someone and praise them. Over the past couple weeks, I’ve reached out to some people I haven’t talked to in years and it’s led to some really wonderful conversations with old friends.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Work-Life Balance

How might practicing work-life balance lead to a more sustainable life for yourself? How might it contribute to sustainability more broadly?

Sara Soba 4/12/2020 8:53 PM

Act with intention. When I give myself 8 hours to do work, I find I’m much more productive than if I give myself the entire day and let the work expand to fill that time. Practicing a work-life balance means that I don’t feel burned out at the end of the day or frustrated with where the time has gone. On a broader scale, I think setting limits on when and where work should be happening helps maintain mental health through allowing your mind to explore different things throughout the day.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Plant an Herb Garden

Consider the ways you can garden: a plot of land? a patio container? hanging basket? windowsill gardens? What would work best for your living situation and lifestyle?

Sara Soba 4/12/2020 10:21 AM

I've found I can really only manage one plant at a time. But it's nice because I just have this one plant friend that I can take with me between houses and help make my room feel cozier.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Spend Time Outside

Rachel Carson said that we need the beauty and mysteries of the natural world for our spiritual and emotional development. Does that ring true for you? What are the implications for a culture that spends most of its time indoors?

Sara Soba 4/09/2020 8:54 PM

Carson's advice most definitely rings true for me! Time outdoors is wonderful in many ways, but one that I find most impactful is the perspective that the outdoors offers. There's something to be gained from seeing how large the world is and how small you are in comparison. Time spent outside helps provide me the headspace to reflect on my life from a wider perspective. Spending all day inside causes me to get caught up in/overwhelmed by the small obstacles and things weighing on my mind.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Happiness

How does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?

Sara Soba 4/07/2020 8:10 PM

Tonight I participated in one of those social media challenges. I usually think they're a bit annoying, but this one was for suicide prevention and letting others now that they're not alone and that you care about them. It was really great to hear from a few unexpected people and be able to return the favor to many friends through writing a short message thanking them for their friendship over the years. Even though I spent about an hour on my phone doing this random challenge, it felt like I was having a genuine conversation with people. I had been having a tough day with work and seeing all the support that's out there was incredibly motivating and helped me feel a lot happier.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Go for a Daily Walk

How do you experience your neighborhood or city differently when walking instead of driving?

Sara Soba 4/06/2020 2:53 PM

I've started to notice how many small things happen outside and I've been reminded of how fascinated these small things can be. My neighborhood also feels much more alive and community-like during this pandemic because people are outside all the time and I've found that many of the kids have taken to creating art in nature as a means to connect with others. I've seen hand-drawn photos of springtime hung up on street signs, someone left some carrots for my neighbor's rabbit statue, and another family decorated their driveway in chalk designs. It feels like a little community of fairies has gone around our neighborhood and brightened it up.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Go for a Daily Walk

Fresh air and movement are good for our entire being and can help us think more clearly and creatively. How does taking a walk each day affect yourself and/or your work?

Sara Soba 4/06/2020 2:49 PM

Taking daily walks has kept me sane! It feels good to move and acts as a nice way to reset before doing more work. I also don't think I've spent this much time paying attention to springtime happening since I was maybe 10-12 years old.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Less Screen Time

What did you notice in implementing this challenge? Was it hard to choose other activities over screen time? How did you decide to spend your time?

Sara Soba 4/06/2020 2:47 PM

At first, it's difficult to decide what to do when you're not your computer or phone (especially now with all the online classes and most of my work being online). But I've found that you kind of have to go back to a childhood mindset and think about all the random stuff you did during the day. I've found myself spending more time with my family outside doing things like kicking a soccer ball around, going on a bike ride around the neighborhood, or just reading a book. I've also realized that I'm much more productive and feel more fulfilled when I don't spend as much time on social media.

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