Following the challenge laid out in http://www.servingjoyfully.com/ inspired by the Ebook 21 Days to a more Disciplined Life by Crystal Paine
A day behind...... I spent yesterday pondering the many potential projects for the Day 1 assignment.
I enjoy a challenge, I relish the thought of getting some chores out of my way... and I love the idea of helping myself learn to be a little more disciplined in my work.. whatever it may be. I learned a long time ago that I do not like the stress of last-minute or crisis work... whether it be cleaning, or errands, or finishing up a crocheted gift. While I can be spontaneous, like most people, I have a LOT to DO! And I have trouble both prioritizing and finding time to do things.
Something that really challenges me is getting a nice little pattern going accomplishing tasks... and then life happens.. I have to do something out of sequence, or schedules change, or well.. anything.. find a stray pup, prepare for a hurricane, have a car break down, come home from a vacation... (all of these [and more!] have happened to me in the last 2 weeks). These things are called LIFE.... they continue to disrupt my most diligent efforts.
But is it LIFE'S fault? I don't think so. I think it's me. I think that I should be in control - not of LIFE - but of ME! And I'm ready to give this a go. Worst case scenario? I get a few more things accomplished than if I didn't try!
So here we are... Day 1... ready to get out of my own way and stop some of the madness!
The assignment?
#1. Pick a small chore that has been bugging you - and DO it! The author suggests sewing on a button or tackling a pile of ironing... a "minutes" chore rather than a big one.
#2. Pick a LARGE chore or project to be completed in 21 days. Lay out the action in 21 steps and do Day 1
Okay - so you know me... I spent yesterday wandering around making lists. The 'little chore' list is humongous.... I mean, aren't there a thousand things that could be on this one? I've already sorted and tossed a pile of papers this morning and will be cutting more jalapenos up to freeze in a little while. BUT something that has been nagging at me for a few days is weeding my fall crop beds. With the heavy rains and vacation week, the weeds are getting pretty healthy. Today I will weed ONE raised bed. Just one.
The 'big chore' list is problematic. Already on my list to get back to is my photo scanning project.. but I don't know how to break that down into 21 parts to complete. I will commit to going back to my original resolution commitment of 30 min per week. At a minimum then.. with 8 more weeks in the year, I will have 4 more hours into the work and see where that gets me.
Decluttering is a big one too - but not one I can either break down OR see an end to :-) so I am going back to my 10 min per day specific room focus, eventually working my way through the house and yard and back again. I want this to be a life skill change so there won't be an end.
I thought of a few more ideas but have settled on my quilt.... remember? the one I keep saying I will finish one day? Mostly hand sewing left so I keep putting it off. I am going to take that one and go for it!
So... today's official work?
Weed one garden bed
Hem a long strip on the quilt
Those are 2 things added to my day that I know I can do and that will make me feel good even if I drop this project tomorrow (which I WON'T)
*********
Recap of Day 1:
So I did get the garden bed weeded - one of them :-) And
discovered that the bok choy has some harvestable leaves that I enjoyed
in my lunch salad.
I also wandered around hunting for
other small jobs and got a lot of little oddments handled... some that
make me smile.. this week's focus is the laundry room. I haven't done
too much in there this week - but I found my (unfinished) rag quilt and
dug that out. A month ago I did the snipping bits and needed to wash
and babysit it through the dryer so that the vent didn't explode.... so I
worked in the laundry room in 10-minute chunks as the quilt dried.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?), when finished, I found that there
were spots I didn't snip... so I had to snip those and go through the
process again. So I probably got my WEEK'S worth of laundry room focus
done yesterday :-)
And then, I had to hunt down the
instructions for finishing the quilt... okay I didn't NEED those today
or tomorrow but will soon - and also to create the 21 steps. So a bit
of shifting around and re-sorting and organizing.... and also (humbly)
recognizing just exactly how many unfinished projects I have. I've been
working with the crochet ones all year (along with new projects) and it
is almost embarrassing. ALMOST... because I DO love working with yarn
and fabric..... but I will definitely continue on the 'finish up' path
as I continue to declutter / downsize!
It took a lot
longer than I had anticipated to hand-hem the one long strip that was my
task for my mega-project.. and I was NOT having fun... but I did get
it done.
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