When the kid is in school, things have to be organized or we're just a mess. With no homework to get done and no strict bedtime to enforce, it's like Lord of the Flies over here. Messes everywhere, nothing gets accomplished. My nightly schedule has gone to hell in a handbasket. I do nearly nothing for hours after work. And that was fine for a while. It started mid-June. It's been six weeks now and I think maybe it's time to finally get off my can.
If you've been around here for very long, then you know that I have a lot of hobbies. I spread myself a little thin sometimes. But it's also easy for some crafts to get occasionally neglected. I have a scrapbook room people. A room. Just for scrapbook stuff. The last time I scrapbooked? I'm pretty sure it's been at least eighteen months. That's freaking ridiculous. And it's not because I don't like scrapbooking anymore. I just can't get myself in the mood.
It's this kind of crap that has made me decide that getting myself "in the mood" for specific hobbies or tasks is bologna. I need to make myself a schedule. With little goals. Because I may have all the grandiose plans in the world, but the whole train will fall apart if I make my goals too big.
I am being bluntly realistic with the project. Are you ready for this? There is. no. plan. Yup. No hard plan. I'm not exactly sure what I want the final picture to look like. I'm going to go in small phases until I get my schedule the way that I want it. The first step for that? I'm giving myself a ten step program.
Ten rules. Some of them are more fun than others. I'm going to stick to them and do my best and then reevaluate in three months to see if I need to push myself harder or create new and better habits. Day one for this first phase is August 1st. Reevaluation day is November 1st. Here's the plan...
1. Make progress on one item each from my 101 in 1001 and my 50 x 50 lists each week. Progress. That's all I'm asking for. If I complete something, fan-freaking-tastic. This is low pressure.
2. Read at least two nights a week for a minimum of an hour. This should be easy for me. I love to read. But I've totally let life, and laziness, and iPad apps get in the way lately. This minimum might increase, but for right now...this is what I want.
3. Continue to exercise at least three times a week. I've been doing this since June 1st and so far it's going okay. I say okay because, while I've lost some fat and converted it to muscle, I have yet to lose more than two pounds. And even that isn't consistent. If you average, I'm probably at the same weight. Annoying. But I do feel better and there's less cottage cheese glued to my thighs and butt. So that's nice. Plus, I'm quite enjoying my Wii Zumba game. I don't care what exercise I do, as long as it's a minimum of 15-20 minutes three times a week. That's all I'm asking of myself. I don't need to train for a marathon, I just need to move. I'm an adult. I should be able to handle this.
4. Participate in at least two of my hobbies (other than reading) at least once a week. Let me be clear that the word "participate" was a very conscious choice. I was going to say "work on", but decided that anything with the word "work" being used will make me want to run screaming. So it's low pressure again. LOW. I just have to make an effort. It's like kindergarten. Baby steps. I could sew; I can scrapbook; maybe I'll cook something, or write. Don't care what it is...just do something. Well...actually, do two somethings. Mix it up a little.
5. While we're on the topic of hobbies, actively do something in each of my chosen hobbies once a month. Because it's ridiculous to have hobbies if you're just going to ignore them. This one is going to push me for a smidge bit more commitment. I'm going to make a list here. For each hobby I list, I will produce something to do with that hobby within a month's time. Every month. But again, it doesn't have to be anything major. Just progress. Ready?
Blogging - this should be easy or I'm really screwing up
Cooking - again...once a month should totally be possible
Crafts - DIY, paper, etc.; actually use Pinterest for something
Creative Writing - the blog doesn't count here
Gaming - any...board, computer, video
Photography - preferably with something other than my iPhone
Reading - another easy one. I need small wins.
Quilting - for fun or for profit; either way
Scrapbooking - I need to use my mountains of product
Sewing - clothes, toys, presents, doesn't matter
6. Do at least two loads of laundry a week. This is a totally low goal. According to my household chore schedule, I'm supposed to do a load a day. I'm totally out of practice on that. So I'm going to have to wean myself back into it. I'm starting with two loads. Eventually I may find my way back to at least four loads a week. If I manage that, we're totally cool. No one will go naked and everyone will have towels and socks. Win-win.
7. Cook dinner at least two nights a week. This means actual cooking. Not putting something in the microwave or deeming it a leftovers night. Real, honest-to-goodness cooking. I should be able to handle that, but I'm putting it down here anyway. I have to keep myself accountable.
8. Complete a household chore at least three days a week. Laundry isn't included here. This is cleaning stuff. Again, I have a household chore schedule that gives me stuff to do daily. That hasn't been happening, but it used to. And it was a good schedule. And things stayed clean. So I'm working my way back to it. Doesn't matter which chores on the list I choose, as long as they get done. Oh...and making the bed doesn't count either.
9. Have a family night at least once a week. We're highly independent over here. We all have our own hobbies and we do a lot by ourselves. But we need to find our way to each other at least once a week. So we need to convene together in some form of activity for a minimum of two hours each week. That's the goal. Doesn't need to be anything fancy...just time together. Darian spends the majority of his weekends with his mom, so I'm specifically meaning this goal for weekdays. Stuff done as a family on weekends doesn't count.
10. Have a couple's night at least twice a month. See #9. We're independent. We're also busy. Sometimes my schedule and Collin's don't line up very well. But we need to spend more time together. This one can be a weekend one, but I want us to spend at least two hours doing something together at least twice a month. This can be an actual out of the house date or it can just be spending time together at home. But it needs to be just him and me with uninterrupted time. This isn't family time or time with friends. It's just us. We need it.
And there you have it. Phase two. Hopefully I've made the steps small enough that I can reach them, but big enough that I feel I've accomplished something when I hit the three month check in mark. Time will tell.
What kind of things do you set as goals to keep yourself on track?
