Sometimes in order to focus, you must unfocus first.

I have a thing about me.  I hate unfinished projects.  When the kids were younger and I stayed home full-time.  I would stay up until midnight finishing projects.  It wasn't a big deal because the boys were little and their first nap was at 10am.  Yup, I said first.  They slept for 1.5 in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon.  Sigh... I still long for that schedule sometimes... Now, I work part-time and the boys do not nap. 

A task that I am not fond of is laundry.  The actual task does not bother me.  I used to do all my ironing while watching Sunday night t.v.  Now I spend my Sunday night sleeping for Monday morning.  So there is a pile of "to-do ironing".  There are 4 baskets of "to-do folding" and then 3 baskets of "look at me!  I'm dirty!"  THIS makes for a messy bedroom, hallway and ironing board in the bedroom that should be put away. 

I know that this is going to come as a shock for some of my friends, because I distinctly remember a bunch of girlfriends coming into my room at a party once, to see if I really folded my underwear.  I did!  THEN.  Now I am just grateful for the daily jackpot called, "clean and I can locate it with minimal light".  This is a hazard of getting dressed in the dark.

So back to the laundry.  I like to see a task completed and put away.  Not, thanks for hanging that picture- now why is there a hammer on the kitchen table finished.  Tools away, floors swept, ready for the Queen Of England to arrive. 

But as you smart people know-

laundry. is. never. really. done.  

So the other night as I was approaching my newly- (not going so well) bedtime, I had a HUGE pile of "to-put away", "to-hang" and "to-sort".  I wanted to cry a little. So I made a command decision.  I stood up and LEFT the laundry right where it was.  The amazing thing was, it was okay!  I spent 10 minutes putting it all away in the morning and gave the ironing to the hubby to do while he watched a movie.  Hooray for me!

So I learned that in order to focus on my newly arranged priorities.  I must un-focus on tasks that used to be higher on the list.  Sleep now trumps laundry.    Laundry can be left for the next day AND can be deligated.  Oooohhhhh-aaaahhhhh!

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Focus...discipline...blech

FOCUS
I need to slow down...

FOCUS
on the basics...

DO the basics WELL...

THEN I may move on.

This is pure torture for me.  PURE.  (I am aware of all the capitals I am using)

This week, I am adding a consistent sleep/wake cycle. 
Today is Tuesday.  I have not done well.

My idea is to have media off at 8pm. (It's 9:01)
Read for 30 minutes and then bed by 9pm.

freedesign4.me

This needs to happen in order for me to wake everyday at 5am.  What?!  Yes.  Trust me, this is hurting me WAY more than it hurts you.  My children have finally reached the age that they do not wake us up.  They will let us sleep until 9am!  YES!  9-freakin' AM!

Well, it goes back to the basics.  If you have had a child, you know that they were better off on some kind of schedule.  You could vary it a bit depending on the circumstances and age, but really, they did better on a schedule.  That goes the same for all humans. 

I am blessed with a wonderful job that I work 3 days a week.  It also requires me to wake at 5am.  So to wake up one day at 5am, the next at 7am, back to 5am, then the weekend hits and I wake at 9am?  Is not working well.  So, the 5am wake time rules and therefore, I should wake at 5am consistently.

The idea is that I will take care of myself first.   Get up, exercise, get ready (in a calmer fashion than this morning when I woke up 20 minutes before school started), have a healthy breakfast.

You know- put the oxygen mask on yourself first?

The good news is although I did not wake up at 5am this morning, I DID exercise!

Also, I am still working on sitting up straight and applying lotion to my hands.  Phew- lots to work on.

A new approach

I need a new approach.

To what you ask?  Just about everything.

I have realized something important recently.  I still have the same train of thought and expectations of myself as when I was in my early to mid-twenties.  (A.K.A. before marriage/children)  Yup, I said it.  When I was young and single.  When my biggest responsibility was to feed the cat and scoop the litter box.  When I had an idea, I went for it, completed it, did it well and never understood anyone who could not achieve the same thing.  I always had 2-3 jobs and still managed to keep a tidy, well organized house and stay in reasonable physical shape.  I was actually, very active. (More on this at another time- sigh...)

Fast forward 10 years.  I have 2 beautiful children, a wonderful husband, 2 dogs, a mortgage, you know where I am going with this.  I seem to start projects, volunteer for things and then just peter out. (Like- oh I don't know- this blog and my intention on selling things on e-bay)  If it is not huge and awesome on day 1, I loose interest by day 4.  Slow and steady needs to be my new mantra.

I often feel like Doug from the movie Up.

I have several goals floating around in my mind.  Some of them for this year, some as a stepping stone for the future.  I need to set aside time to write it all down and break it down into attainable goals.  I have a friend that is fabulous at setting and attaining goals and I am going to be hitting her up for a motivational meeting the soon as her Grandmother is all moved in.

My #1 priority for 2012 is: FOCUS and PATIENCE

I am stuck in a house full of half finished projects at the moment- when the house is out of order I can not focus, so in order to feel like I am starting to act on my new goals before I can organize them, I have been working on two very small things daily.   More on the great project debacle of 2012 later.

1. Sitting up straight
This is an easy one.  I have terrible posture.  I have had terrible posture since I "bloomed early" and was in Catholic school. You try being 10 years old with boobs in a uniform and see if you don't slouch.

2. Putting lotion on my hands. 
To be very specific... After every time that I wash my hands, before bed and when I think of it until my hands resemble a lady's.  Ugh.
No, really, I am.  I go 100 miles a minute at most times.  Putting lotion on my hands is like torture.  I hate having to wait 2-3 minutes for them to dry off enough to be able to open something, touch the phone, computer, etc.  This leads to cracked hands.  Ew.  Not only is is unattractive, it hurts and is very hard to fold clothes with your hands getting stuck to socks like Velcro.

So there, I have not fallen off the face of the earth, I just like shopping at yard sales a tad a TON more than I like listing the things I purchase.  I am going to change the way I use this blog and hope that it helps me focus and be patient with the natural progress of life and I would like to talk about more than just my yard sale finds.  That is, if you'll have me.