Set-up & complete mini-challenges throughout 2009

My challenge lately has been to not beat myself up. With so much to do, selling this house (we still have plumbing issues that need fixing) and buying the other one (the inspection found some major repairs that will need doing) and trying to coordinate all the stuff in between, I find myself slacking off. I’m trying really hard to not beat myself up about it. If I’m off the eating plan, well, I’ll get back on when I’m ready. I haven’t been going to the gym regularly, and I’m trying to let myself have the time off. I have lists & lists of stuff to do, and some of it just keeps getting scheduled then ignored.

If I need a couple of hours off, I can do it. Eventually, everything will get done because it HAS to, so if I don’t do it now, I do it later. Telling myself I shouldn’t be taking a break, or I should be doing something else is not helpful and I’m trying not to do it. I wouldn’t treat a friend like that, why do I do it to myself?

I’ve been frustrated lately with my inability to get things off my plate. I think something is finished, and then it comes back up again. So this week I made a POINT of getting things off my plate, in a way that they wouldn’t come back.

I finished up all the detail work from my accident a few weeks ago.

I finished the assessment on my father in law and submitted it to my brother in law, with my recommendations.

I returned all the EMT equipment to my ambulance squad. Laid my exit out as because of the move, so I’m hoping it’s a bit more gracious. I know they still don’t appreciate it because they have several senior people out for the summer, but I’m not a senior person, can’t take their place on the rig anyway.

We are out of attorney review for the house sale! Yay! There were a couple of warranty repairs that came up from doing so much work so quickly, but the plumber is here now fixing it. More yay!

I still have a tasklist a mile long, but I’m hoping that by focusing on small groups, I can get bigger items off my plate. Permanently.

This upcoming week, I desperately need to do a detox cleanse & get back into doing my stretches. Had several long days in the car this week and boy did I feel it! A week of stretching ought to get everything a bit looser.

From last week’s mini-goal, I figured out that if I eat clean during the week and flex a bit on weekends without going totally out of control, I should be back within my healthy range within two weeks.

So that’s my new mini-challenge. Once back into range, I’ll move my progress reports on this to my “Eat for Performance” goal.

I have been REALLY off my eating plan for almost 4 months now. Have also been off my workouts, but have returned to half-time for the past month or so.

I’m craving real food. I am SO TIRED of junk food. So for the next 5 days, I need to do a minor detox & eat clean. I’m also going to try to get 4 rides in. No big fancy workouts, just a ride or spin class.

My mantra for this week is “It’s five freakin’ days, you wuss! What do you mean you can’t handle it?”

This upcoming week, the bathrooms are getting finished out by Wednesday, then I leave for a 4-day trip to Detroit for family. I still have to get everything sorted out for my trip, while making sure that the bathrooms get done and are functional before I leave.

My challenge to myself this week is to do something for myself every day, even while on a trip. It can be something small, like 10 minutes of meditation, or taking a walk. It can’t revolve around food – There is going to be too much food involved as is (trip to see family, remember?).

Over the next week, I will have all 3 bathrooms in my house out of commission, have 6 workpeople tramping in and out, work 3 night shifts (even though I have to stay awake while all those people are in my house), work on the squad banquet, complete the FAFSA (financial aid form) for my college-bound kid, travel to another city for 2 days for interviews, schedule the work for next week, and deal with whatever crisis of the moment is going on.

My challenge for the next week is to be an ocean of calm amidst the chaos, to nuture myself daily and remember to breathe. . .

I often set myself mini-challenges that don’t show up anywhere on 43T, but may work toward a larger goal. Decided to create this goal to track my mini-challenges over 2009.

I’ll be posting my mini-challenge to myself and then posting results at the end to keep myself accountable. Feel free to join in, if any challenge fits with what you’re doing.