Priorities

Getting Organized
I love to organize things. Books, files, documents, rooms, you name it. I can track huge projects and barf out complete status reports within ten minutes of any request. So why does prioritizing my own personal crap make my brain feel like a pretzel? Specifically, I’m referring to exercising and writing, and how to cram them back into a fairly full schedule while still getting enough sleep to avoid becoming the epicenter of mayhem. This goal has proven difficult to hit, but I’m happy to say I’m making decent progress.

In the past when I was working and commuting, I hated doing anything that wasn’t a video game or television when I got home, and pretty much the same went for the weekends. I was bone tired all the time because I was sick and didn’t know it. Now I’m far healthier, but the thought pattern of “home is for loafing” has been difficult to break since I went back to an office-commute work situation. The solution has been to think of my time in chunks. Yes, I calendarized my brain.

Calendarizing helps me deal with the breaks that come from shifting to another task before the first is finished. I like to focus, so breaks make me itch, but task-hopping is the reality in which we live. Looking at the day as time chunks has saved my sanity; this post is a great example. I started it this afternoon and realized I needed to get dinner in the oven before I’d be able to finish. I saved my progress, started dinner, finished the laundry, and washed my hair before getting back to writing. In the past, that would have driven me batty and I’d have just abandoned the post. Today, it still makes me itch, but I can get everything done. Yay!

Getting Re-Healthy
Now that organization makes more sense, some of the time chunks have to be dedicated to exercise again. We ditched the gym a few months ago due to me being over it and both of us wanting to save money. Don’t get me wrong, I loved working out there… just not when other people were in my way, which was often enough to get on my nerves. In lieu of hitting the gym, we’ve resumed our cycling training so we can do the Dehydrator again this year. Getting in more activity is going well since we’ve put our minds to it.

In addition to working in more exercise, I’ve climbed back on the balanced eating wagon after the better part of a year wallowing in tasty abandon. Working in an office has been surprisingly helpful in this endeavor because I pack a lunch every day and have nutritious snacks rather than sitting at home munching candy. What I’ve lost in step count I’ve made up in calorie reduction, so the new weekday routine works out well. It’s also good for my brain.

Oh, my brain. Before the new job, I was getting depressed. Often. Having a steady income and something to focus on during the day has improved my outlook quite a bit. My heart still feels like an anthill, though. Someone (usually me) will trip over it and a stream of biting misery boils out, leading to A Very Bad Night, but those don’t happen as much as they had been. I deal with them as best I can and keep going. It is getting better.

Getting off My No-Blogging Butt
Time will tell how well I manage this one. Today is a good example of what I’m hoping future Sundays to be since I’ve been able to get so much done and since Sunday is the day I like to write (and ride, do laundry, shop, make roasts, clip coupons, etc.). If you don’t see another post by next Monday, feel free to leave snarky comments. A waiting, testy audience is an excellent motivator.

How about you guys, any new projects or organizational challenges in your bailiwicks? Chime in (or snark) below!