I really need to finish all of my UFOs so that I can really spend time on doing some art quilts – really dedicated time without being drawn away by other projects. Perhaps just keep the traditional patchwork projects for my Friday work nights with the group or an occasional block swap for a particular project.
This also brings in not watching so much TV – where a lot of time is wasted too.
Perhaps if I get back to writing lists of what I want to achieve in a day – something realistic – perhaps a two part list of simple and achievable and then extras that could be done on top of that for the day. I like my lists but I have to be strong and stick to them and even make a plan for each item on the list of how I expect to achieve it and what my rewards for the day will be when I achieve my goals
The more I can save at the moment the more I have to spend on my holiday away. This means no mail order, not being wasteful when doing the grocery shopping, no snack box at work.
Only for a day – but I have started – it was good as I stayed more focused on other things and wasn’t drawn to the TV and sit and watch something so there was a positive side to listening to music more often and it meant that the TV was off! Mind you I blew that a couple of days later than I was in front of the TV one way or another for a lot of the day.
I am terrible at buying food at the supermarket that never gets eaten and has to be thrown out. That often seems to happen with fruit when you just can’t be bothered eating the last of it and finally the fruit flies force you to throw it out. I am no better with leftover that I think would be good the next day but when the next day comes something else happens and I end up making something else or whatever and again when the leftover start to grow I have to throw them out. Again buying a portion of something that you only need a small amount of in a dish and then the rest sits in the fridge waiting for me to be inspired in how to use it up. I have to stop this but I am not sure how.
I need to tidy the decking area first before I put any new pots there. There are a few plants that need to be put into the garden, they have been sitting there far too long already. There are a couple that could be put into pots or at least need repotting. But tidying first is the main aim . I know I did try to start but then I bought more plants! I am getting to the stage of needing a paper list of all the things that I am trying to improve in my life.
Well I do try to go for a walk around the garden most days – sometimes it is the only time I go outside or at least it feels like it. I should put on my gardening gloves and take the gardening fork with me and spend a few minutes here and there each time – a little bit each day can make a difference over time.
This should be easy, I already go to the library most fortnights so I just go once a week and instead of always getting just non fiction books I should try getting some fiction – 2-3 books – for the times when I turn the TV off, turn the music on and want to do something better with my time. I am sure that reading is better than TV. Perhaps I should consider biographies as they would be informative and educational – I would learn something from them. I should find out what my friends are reading and try reading those books perhaps. I should expand my horizons and try to have five books a week from the library and compromise with a mixture of fiction and non fiction. I could also on rainy winter days read some of the magazines in the library during my lunch hour. Good idea
Ahh, now this is a biggie.
I know I should be better, I know I should do more but I procrastinate too much. There seems to be a mental block as if I could be doing better things for the time that I have, more creative things, more relaxing things and that my time could be better spent elsewhere but I end up sitting watching TV, wandering around the garden (doing nothing) or checking out the pantry and fridge. I must do at least one thing each day beyond what little that I already do – even if it is ony something small that would be a start – to change my pattern to include that little something extra each day.
Even at lunch time I should do new things, go to new places – there is so much within walking distance. There shouldn’t be too much of a problem most days to eat my lunch at my desk so that I can utilise my lunch break more. There is the art gallery, the historic area and even just walking a bit further than usual. It would be good exercise too if I go further. This would be a good start.
I know that I am limited with my fruit and vegetables but I must make more effort to improve on that – I leave a lot out because it is an effort at times to include them – I become bored with the same things all the time. I also find that if I have a bad time with something then it is hard to come back to it another time. More fresh fruit, more salad – these are easy to get at the supermarket in small quantities so that there should not be too much waste which is another of my weaknesses. Do I need to plan interesting ways of eating the few things that I do like and slowly try to add more of all the little extras that give me more variety. I must try.
I am not sure how to make better use of my time or at least to organise myself not to waste my time. Should I try to get more books out of the library so that I at least read something instead. So much time is wasted infront of the TV. It isn’t so bad when I am by myself (or is it) but I feel better organised when my time is my own and I have only myself to consider. I need to make some commitments to some projects or activities that can utilise my time better – perhaps do some hand quilting, I mean it isn’t as though there are not enough quilts to be done and it is a good project to do while listening to music (instead of watching TV)
Yes, the controlling force of our lives or at least one of them. It always seems to come back to money. Well I need to start saving seriously. I have been to the travel agent and started to make the plans for my OE later this year so I need to start saving for my spending money. There should already be more than enough to cover my travel and accommodation. I am not that independent that I can travel on the sniff of an oily rag, I like safety and security and the knowledge of a hotel booking especially when I am travelling in the height of the holiday season when accommodation is as a premium.
Well that is exactly what I have just done. Instead of leaving it on while I come down to work on my PC I turned it off – that is a good moment. This ties in with wanting to listen to more music, I must turn the TV off more when I am only turning it on for company when I am in that room. I should put on a CD instead and have some good music in the background – I mean to say even the radio would be a better alternative when I just want the company.
I am not doing enough, well let’s clarify I need to be in better contact with ALL my friends and not just one or two. Obviously I am going to see more of some but I shouldn’t forget the rest. I need all my friends, they are valuable and important people in my life and I should not neglect them. I will try to make a special list with what I can do for all of my friends, they all need to be treated individually in this goal
I now have a CD radio that I can play my music on – yippee !
I have made a small start – I have even got some CDs out and have them nearby so that I can put them on while I am doing other things in the lounge/dining/kitchen areas. Good start I say.
I don’t listen to enough music. It is too easy to turn the TV on while I am doing something and then becoming distracted by the programme. If I play some music it is there in the background to whatever I am doing – it is relaxing and more soothing and I can stay more focused. What I need is a good small CD player – something portable would be find and then I can have it in whatever room I want to be working in.
It is so easy to be so wasteful and I don’t want to be throwing out so much – it eventually goes on a large bonfire and burned – well everything that will burn – there is always a lot of little rusty tins let over.
If I shred more of my newsprint and add it to compost for the garden that would be a small start and be good for the garden at the same time.
I find it hard to include fruit in my diet because I react badly to so many – it is the acid in them that makes my tongue painful and swollen. I tend to get out of the habit of eating even those fruits that don’t cause me too many problems.
Vegetables are another matter – I don’t like many vegetables and I can’t stomach eating something that I am not enjoying. Basic salads and coleslaws are great but again I find I get out of the habit of having them or the ingredients to make them up.
I need to find ways to include them in my diet more
I am terrible at managing my time when there are a lot of things that should be done. I get side tracked or look at the task and think how big it is and become disheartened. I need to write myself more lists to help keep on track to the tasks.
