We are 9 days in to the #monthofme and I have added a couple things to my list. One thing that I was reminded of pretty quickly is that whenever I make a commitment to do things for myself, the Plan Wrecking Fairy's sister, the Obstacle Fairy swoops in. The Obstacle Fairy likes to put road blocks in plans in a way that you can still do them if you are dedicated but you will have to jump through hoops first. Dedicating a month to do things for yourself takes some creative planning. If you have a family, job, and a real life that nobody is paying you to live, you may have to multi-task some things. That is ok. We all only have so many hours in the day and focusing on yourself should not be punishment. Through the course of life, I have learned about myself that I am way more productive when I am doing two things at once. I think if I am doing two things at once, I am not as easily distracted on one task.
One of the big fires broke out in our neighborhood during the week and we had to prepare to leave our house. We packed up what we could not live without and in that moment, it was reinforced that all I care about in my house (aside from the people and pets, obviously) is family photos, hard drives of art, my cookbook, and my baby blanket. Luckily, the fire retreated and we were able to stay. But, it has really reminded me that the clutter is just clutter. It's easier for me to part with the things I do not love or need right now and focus on the parts I love.
- Get rid of all the crap/clutter in our house
12/9 update: Started upstairs in the art closed. Have completely sorted through and tossed all old and unused supplies. Going through drawers while watching what is on our DVR. - Watch all the shows on our DVR
12/9 update: We have gotten caught up on Mr. Robot and Shameless. Mr. Robot has put me to sleep EVERY episode so I really have no idea what happened except everyone is guilty, E corp ruined everyone's life, and everyone mumbles. I have no idea why we are still watching Shameless. I am totally caught up on Trisha Yearwood's cooking show, The Little Couple, and Long Lost Family. We just started Godless, which is on Netflix not our DVR but we love it. - Make Challah
- Back up all my travel photos to one hard drive
- Use my real camera on photo days instead of my iphone
- Weed the zen garden
12/9 update: I got halfway through weeding the zen garden when the extreme winds suddenly blew in, knocking trees, fences, and tons of leaves into the yard. The Rye Fire started moments later. Dustin rebuilt part of the fence but now we need some trees trimmed. As soon as weather permits, I will get back to the gardening plan. - Read a book
12/9 update: I haven't had time to read so I asked Alexa to read my book to me while I paint. Normally, I listen to music all day so this is a nice change. - Eat meals and snacks at the table
12/9 update: This one started off forced because I realized I kept grabbing food that was easy to eat while I worked, then I looked down at my plate and saw my apple was eaten before I realized I ate it. Sitting down at the table to eat, even for 5 minutes, has made a big difference. I don't feel as stressed and I feel like I am getting a break from work when I am not eating at my desk or easel. - Recover the bar chairs
12/9 update: I have wanted to do this since we had the interior of the front door painted green. It should have taken me an hour, tops. It took me three hours because I took the screws out of one chair then somehow lost them and got all nervous that one of us would step on them or Zibby would eat one. One hour to do the chairs, two hours searching for screws that blended into the area rug. Now that the chairs are done, I feel like I can focus on upgrading the style in the rest of the room. - Paint the blank canvas on the wall
Visit Linda Woods Artworks for prints on canvas, paper, or wood for all size spaces and budgets.