Seinfeld Chains- August

[mschrisgo2]

I'm continuing... and adding another chain: 10 minutes per day to keep the bathroom spotless. I'm so much enjoying the kitchen, bathroom will be great, too. Continuing 10 minutes on paper, should get to just "maintenance" on that this week; and 15 minutes on a "special project."

[Chicken lady]

Ok, I did pretty well last week, but didn't actually keep track.

I'm going to have two chains starting yesterday for things I want to take seriously.

I'm folding the basement into "organizing and clearing out" and I'm starting a chain for "pottery"

Yesterday:
chain 1 - I passed on some books and storage containers and. Big framed poster. I also threw away some worn out seed starting trays.
chain 2 - I talked to a woman who was having her grand opening of a small home store nearby and she's interested in maybe selling some of my work - I'm going to take her om samples, which I now need to make.

[freshstart]

I cannot figure out why these are called Seinfeld chains and what you are supposed to do, lol

[Stacy]

I cannot figure out why these are called Seinfeld chains and what you are supposed to do, lol

Yes, it looks interesting and I'd like to know, too. Can somebody explain or post a link that explains?

EDIT: I found the original post that explains it all: http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?11630-Tidying-Up-Daily-The-Seinfeld-Chain&highlight=seinfeld

What a great idea! I think I'll follow along. I have an exhausting six weeks of overtime ahead of me, and if I don't get in the habit of tidying up a little every day, the place will be a horrendous mess before I know it. I'm going to start with a goal of clearing off the kitchen table completely every day before bed and putting the things into their proper places. I'll keep track on our kitchen calendar. If it works well, I'll add another habit.

[Chicken lady]

1-emptied some drawers in the basement and moved them to dd2's room- they will go to college with her.

2- cleaned off part of the counter in the studio, threw a few things away. actually this is also more 1 and I need to shift focus to clay/glaze/firing, but it is just too out of control out there and I only had a little bit of time today, I'm taking it.

[Chicken lady]

3rd links

Chain 1 - sorted through paperwork, started geting everything related o the goat herd in a binder, recycled some papers
chain 2 - threw 6 pots, re-wedged my scrap clay, and cleaned up the studio a little more - threw a couple more things away.

[mschrisgo2]

Great job, Chicken Lady! You are on a roll now!
Did all of mine today, too.

[nswef]

Chicken Lady, You just threw together 6 pots???? That would count as HUGE!

[Chicken lady]

I threw them on the pottery wheel. As in, wheel thrown from from clay? I've been throwing for over 25 years off and on, it doesn't take that long now. Handbuilding is a lot slower.

I have a friend coming over this afternoon and we're going to glaze (but not those pots, they're still drying.)

Mschrisgo2, your chains must be getting long!

Nswef, are you still working yours?

[Chicken lady]

So,
1- cleaned out a purse and found a loyalty card I've been looking for, trimmed the paper pile a few more pages.
2- actually ended up trimming and finishing greenware instead of gazing. Straightened up a little more.

The clean out and organizing was incremental today,but it's trending in the right direction.

[Chicken lady]

Yesterday I did both chains. Trimmed and threw more pots and worked on studio, minimal paperwork.

Then today I skipped both. Too much other stuff going on.

[mschrisgo2]

Chicken Lady, with "too much other stuff going on" you are also getting a LOT accomplished!
I believe as long as we're going in the right direction, it's all good.

I've keep up my kitchen and bathroom; and put all the "mail" directly into the shredder or recycle; and cleaned my car inside and out in the last two days.

[Chicken lady]

Nice job!

I am just trying so hard to get good habits established, but my focus seems to shift around too much. I think I am pretty sick of cleaning out the house. I may take a break on that until my college students are fully moved out for fall.

So, this week I have been doing garden/barn work in the morning and studio work in the afternoon. I have two links on each and if I can get through the whole week without skipping, I will try to add something else simple on Sunday. A "link" is a completed task - that might be as simple as "throw out a broken scoop in the barn"/"15 minutes weeding" or as complicated as "4 hours working in the studio"/"pick and freeze all the beans". It depends on weather and mood, but the main thing is to be mindful of and engaged with each area each day.

[mschrisgo2]

I've added to my chains everyday all week. For special projects I went through the extra school supplies box; through the 2 boxes of "extra, too good to throw away" stuff; emptied a bookcase; dispersed stuff from bookcase (that took me 3 days); cleaned out my personal "personnel" files. Today I'm organizing the linen shelves.

[Chicken lady]

Great job!

I was doing pretty well, although I stretched one day and called working on lesson plans during wait time " studio time" but today I can't count studio unless I count " stacking 8 bats while showing a bowl to my son.". That seems a bit too far.

so I'm going to try to get though another week before I think about making any changes/additions. The categories I'm thinking about adding are paperwork, cooking,or cleaning.

[ejchase]

I did my morning routine this morning for the first time in about three months. It felt good.

[Chicken lady]

Yay ejchase! Glad to have you back on board!

I didn't get to the studio again yesterday. It's becoming very clear that while dh thinks it's nice that I can work in my studio, he doesn't think it's particularly important. Actually, he doesn't think most of my non-paid work is particularly important.

Yestrday got eaten up by barn stuff, the telephone guy, the electric guy, canning beans, making pound cake, a goat sale, the assessor, laundry, housecleaning and a trip to the grocery store.

What he heard "i made some phone calls, ran an errand, tidied up and made you a cake, then some of my fun stuff got in the way of some other fun stuff.". He thinks, so that took what? Two hours and the rest of the day was yours.

What I said "I spent four hours literally trapped inside this house by the need to have phone service and take a cake out of the oven, plus an hour giving chatty assessor a tour, and a two hour round trip to drive and buy groceries. The rest of my day was spent working on making this place pay toward itself.

He said thank you for the cake.

SO, if I'm going to get back seriously into clay work, I'm going to have to fight for it.

[mschrisgo2]

Chicken Lady... well, at least he said thank you for the cake. I know sometimes when I have days like that it even sounds lame to me as I say what I've done all day, like, only that? but there is tons of time involved, and all the different personalities, and then the frustration of not getting to what you really wanted to do. Don't give up, especially as the work on the house continues. There will probably be time when you can't be working in there and you can be out in the studio.

I'm feeling frustrated, myself. I've gotten rid of 707 items through July, and more this month. And I still have way too much stuff! I'm seriously thinking of renting a storage unit, and putting everything I don't use on a daily or weekly basis in there. Then in six months evaluate and discard whatever is in there.

[Chicken lady]

I don't know about that storage unit - if you really need a break and would be able to get rid of most of what you stored after 6 months because you've learned you could live without it, maybe. But i find tht if I make my stuff inaccessible, more stuff just creeps in.

I made progress in the garden AND worked in the studio yesterday. I'm going to try again today, but I know tomorrow i won't have time for either.

[mschrisgo2]

Still keeping up my chains. Still thinking about a storage unit. Thing is, I have shelves of stuff I haven't touched since I moved here 6 years ago. But I can't really get to the shelves, so I need to move things out for a while so I have room to work on it. (500 sq ft apartment).

[Chicken lady]

Ah. Storage tetris! My favorite! Autocorrect tried to turn "tetris" into "yetis" which s funny because sometimes that's how I feel about my storage - I don't want to go in the basement! It's full of yetis!

[mschrisgo2]

Ooooh, are yetis baby elephants?!?

Yes, storage tetris - that is a very good name for it. And now that I have it named, I should get started...I think that will be on Saturday. I've located a 5x10 space for $45 the first month and $1. for the second month, and I have a friend who will be away for the weekend and said I could use his van. I have planned and boxed what I want to move out. Now I just need to find a helper.

[danna]

Sept 02/15
Hi all, I have come back to join you...I was doing so good in July and early Aug when I was doing this so I need to try again
This is my revised list from July....I now know the original was too ambitious AND was too much to keep up but, of course you all and I knew that.....lol

1.---30 min first think on getting up dress/hygiene/bed made/quick pick up of house/breakfast/coffee
2.---30 min of decluttering in house and or garage and/or posting online sales
3.---30 min of exercise or walk
4---30 min of house cleaning or yard work
5.---30 min of finances and decluttering computer/pictures and/or doing Club books
Number one is happening all the time now. Just to get try for the rest
See you later today...