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Well, I did nothing on my weekend list, so it seems my all-or-nothing approach is going to take longer to change than 1 day. :) But I did have a fantastic weekend. It wasn't as hot as predicted so we bbq'd both days and feasted on burgers, steak, salad, corn (grilled corn is so good) and fruit. We napped, read, and watched movies. Two whole days of pure indulgence.
Today I will try a combo of easy and hard stuff on my list:
Costco run
Cook a pot of chili verde
Cube the remaining 2/3 of pork shoulder and freeze in containers for later use (I buy a huge pork shoulder pack at Costco and use it in lots of stuff)
Vacuum
Wash kitchen linens
Put out the trash, recycling, and garden clippings for tomorrow's pickup
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I love lists.
This summer I've given myself a bit of break from keeping a daily list but I have a summer long one I'm working on as well as my list of 52 before my 52nd birthday.
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This week:
1. Work
2. Use my Macy's credit card rewards gift cards wisely
3. Watch DVD of relative's promotion ceremony
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Now that I'm retired I find that I don't need use a daily list to keep track of things. Well, I should say I no longer make a daily list - I would probably get more accomplished if I did, which is a strong argument for doing it.
I think I will try going back to a daily list for a week or so and see if I like it.
I do have a long list of home repair/maintenance items that we are slowly working through (painting, trimming shrubs, replacing weather stripping, that sort of thing.)
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The shorter list did not work well for me. I wasn't getting anything done so I added a bunch of stuff and that mobilized me into action and I got everything done by 4 pm and then I showered and had the rest of the day to relax.
Today's list:
Take pets to vet
Gardening
Clean out pantry
Organize cupboards
Clean mirrors
Today's list has lots of time consuming and dirty work on it and I feel tired just thinking about it. I need to dig up some plants and pot them and there's weeding that needs done as well. And it's a warm day so I need to do the bulk of the work before it heats up too much. I'll need to find a way to motivate myself to get going. I was trying to think of small things to put on so that I can energize myself but am not feeling it and my brain is freezing up. Maybe some caffeine will help. What I really want to do is go back to bed!
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My list today is to:
1.work on my story for Writers' group tonight...needs typing up and tweaking.
2. Make elderberry elixir
3.do some weeding before it gets too hot
4. make lavender wands
5. laundry
Yesterday I DID, weed, make a blueberry pie, made 2 phone calls.
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What finally got me going yesterday was making a phone call to schedule a routine appointment. For whatever reason, that loosened up the brain and I was able to switch into action mode. I put a bunch of stuff on the list and finished everything up by 3 pm. It felt good to get sweaty. Last night I did some guided meditation before bed and that was nice too.
Today I had a few hours of paid work and since last night I've been having this exchange with my brain:
Brain: "No need to make a list since work is on the schedule."
Me: "It's only a few hours of work, not the whole day!"
Brain: "Yeah, but...."
It's been interesting to observe my brain this past week. It's a wiley little trickster. I just finished work and am feeling energetic to do some physical stuff now. But first, lunch!
nswef - blueberry pie sounds so good right now!
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I am just back from a vacation and jet lagged and it's 88 degrees outside and the ac is out in my house, all of which is making it very hard to motivate myself.
But I'm going to write a small list of baby steps and let you know later how I did:
1. pick up medication at CVS and get ibuprofen
2. Spend one hour on unpacking
3. Go through mail
4. Read for one hour
5. Walk and stretch
We'll see how I do ...
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Well it turns out even the baby steps I aimed for yesterday were a little too ambitious, but I never would have done any unpacking if I hadn't set the intention here.
1. pick up medication at CVS and get ibuprofen - DONE!
2. Spend one hour on unpacking - DONE!
3. Go through mail - DONE!
4. Read for one hour - too jet lagged. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open until the AC repairman showed up at 8 p.m.
5. Walk and stretch - nope.
New list for today:
1. Write for one hour
2. Do grocery shopping
3. Two more hours on decluttering and unpacking
4. Replace bulb in kitchen overhead light
5. Help daughter get bday present for her father, wrap, etc.
6. Walk and stretch
7. Turn in book order for fall
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Yesterday ended up being a mostly rest day. After finishing my paid work, I went to lunch with a friend and afterwards took a nice long nap. I still did all the basic everyday stuff, but no project stuff.
Today's list:
A couple of errands
This is the kind of day where I run into trouble. All the basic stuff is done: house is clean, laundry is done, pets are clean and groomed, fridge is full of good food, gardens are in good shape, etc. All that is left is the time and energy consuming stuff that is not urgent or very important and thus easy to postpone: sorting and organizing my office and the garage, minor gardening stuff, etc. I feel the pull of inertia dragging me down.
What is important, and should be urgent, is getting myself in good physical shape. But that feels overwhelming to start, and I think a big part of that is that a lot of work needs to happen before I see any results. If I start working out now, I might see results in a couple of weeks! :confused: I'm not good at delayed gratification. And it's a long-term project, it will never be done really. In order to stay fit, I will need to put in the work and effort permanently.
A good day would be if I put in a couple of hours of office or garage sorting and organizing and get in a workout as well. But for whatever reason, the thought of doing that is just plain tiring. I don't really know why I ran out of steam, or why this stuff all of a sudden feels overwhelming. Wait, it could be all the decision-making that will be required with these projects. Each item needs to be picked up and evaluated and a decision made as to where it goes, do I keep it, will I use it, etc... That is exhausting.