...I am determined to once again give all my best to my main vocations, that of making home productive and pleasant, and nurturing my writing work here on the blog. I've been sailing along of late without any real plan or focus. Well this cannot go on. I'm enjoying life just fine but I'm missing that deep satisfaction at day's end when I settle down to rest. I am too conscious that I might have worked harder in the home. I am bored with the content of my mind. I have already spent too much of the day with games or in mindless pursuits and it's just not working for me.
This was most clearly brought home last Friday when I had a hard talking to myself. I'd not slept well Thursday night and that always makes it a bit harder for me to focus. I spent the bulk of the early morning hours when I'm normally most productive, looking at what appeared to be an overwhelming number of tasks. I played a round of games on the computer, read emails, gazed at the housework, determined I really ought to do something and did nothing much for another hour or so.
Eventually, I just pulled myself up by my own bootstraps and got busy. I forced my attention to stay focused on each job I laid my hand to, instead of wandering aimlessly from this to that and finishing nothing. In the end, the overwhelming work and an onerous task took up the better part of the remaining morning hours, but then I was done and it was but 11:30am. I looked at the clock, thought of what I might do for leisure then focused instead on making cushion covers for the porch chairs. At 1pm I stopped for lunch and went back to work at 1:30. At 2:30pm I was all done and ran up a quick little café tablecloth in a spare five minutes. THEN I headed to computer to work on blog post.
At the end of the day, I had a meal plan for Saturday, four completed cushions, the blog laid to rest for the week, a clean house and three additional outfits pieced together from things in the closet to add to my current stock of outfits. I felt accomplished. I was more at peace and happily enjoyed my quiet work that afternoon and went into Shabat evening with no regrets. At that point I allowed myself game time and blog reading. I enjoyed that past time as it was free of the guilt of what I thought I might be doing instead. I realized that what I'm missing in my home life is routine, focus and a sense of real accomplishment at the end of each day.
So, it's time to rethink my current pattern of dilly dallying through the days. I do work and I do accomplish things, but I seldom come to the end of the day with the sort of happy tired I had at the end of Friday. I want to have that sort of joy at the end of all of my work days once more. I must shake up my routines and focus on getting project works aligned with materials and get busy!
I haven't a set plan in place yet to share but I can tell it's time to shake up my routines once again because I am BORED with them, and I lack the necessary sense of anticipation to accomplish them. I wake and think "It's Sunday, time to clean the kitchen, ho hum..." Well who says it must always be the kitchen on Sunday? There are other jobs to do that might suit me far better. I'm going to make out a list (ha! One of my favorite chores is making out lists!) of things I want to do daily and weekly and try to determine what days the weekly chores might best be accomplished. So to that end, my work list this week might appear a bit slim, but in reality I'm shaking things up and just need time to figure out how to best shake it!
...I plan my work week:
All these weeks I've talked of a list for necessary shopping, of a list for this and a list for that and I've not made out a single list, until this past Friday when I finally jotted down a quick list of things I knew for a fact I needed to purchase. Well this week is THE LISTS WEEK in which I take time to make out a list of weekly jobs I'd like to do, a list of projects I want to accomplish, a list of items needed to complete said projects, a list of items needed to bring the pantry to the next level, a list of pantry needs to be restocked, etc., etc.
It is Harvest Week: balancing the checkbook, paying bills, running errands, making out a grocery list and doing the shopping.
Purchase meats at The Fresh Market while they are on sale (bs chicken breasts and ground beef only). We are down to a whole chicken and a pound of hamburger. I have not had a deep freezer amount of meat in my food inventory now for some time. I need to remedy that.
Shop for Easter egg stuffers.
Clean and paint plant pots. I'd love to purchase plants but doggone it we had frost yesterday morning. I was pretty sure that was the end of the frosty mornings for us, but this morning it was but 35 outdoors and guess what? It was a little frosty out there all over again! It's a sign it's still a little cool yet for planting. I'll give it another week or two.
I need to occupy my mind as much as my hands. I've plenty of work to do. I've added a new Bible study in with what I'm already doing and I'm enjoying that but I need something more. To that purpose, I plan to spend a little time each day reading in an effort to improve my overall appreciation and joy in life and the things I do in my home, with my family and with my mind.
Limit games, genealogy rabbit trails and mindless pursuit of Pinterest. These all have their place but no eating up hours of my day.
Fourth Quarter Budget. I never worked on this and must get it done!
...I plan meals:
John has two shifts and one extra half shift to work this week. I'll be on my own for three days of meals. There are leftovers and a day out with Mama in this week, so I'll manage. Then there will be a day for grocery shopping. If John chooses to go, it generally means a meal out of the house. I'll plan a fourth meal just in case, but I'll lay odds we eat out, which is usually something inexpensive.
Roast Beef, Wild Rice, Steamed Asparagus, Texas Sheet Cake
Leftovers of this rump roast, an Aldi purchase that was tender (enough considering it was Round Rump) and delicious, will go into a big salad for tonight's supper and be sliced for sandwich meat to use this week.
Pinto Beans and Cornbread, Coleslaw, Applesauce
I do not add sugar to my applesauce or coleslaw or cornbread, so if this meal seems heavy on carbs, it's not added carb. I have some older apples I need to cook.
Alpine Chicken, Green Peas, Salad with carrots, radishes and green onions
and here it all changes. John has just announced that we are going out and which day we're doing so and he didn't mean grocery day!...No need to plan further meals.
...I plan leisure:
I spent considerable time on the genealogy notebook and doing a few searches last week but I tend to be very random with this method. I have specific questions I'd like to answer. I have my father's family to search out. I have John's and Amie and Sam's dad's family history to research. I have found numerous resources on Pinterest for general helps, etc., that might be good for me to learn from. So at least two hours this week I shall work on specific questions and I shall spend at least 30 minutes to an hour studying some of these genealogical help posts. This is not a daily figure but it might all end up being done in one day if the week progresses well.
I've been going to Pinterest every day for several weeks now. I use it as a tool really, looking for sites of interest to save money or piece together outfits or seeking inspiration. I'll still do that but limit it to one hour or less each evening. That's AFTER the day's work is over and done.
I will spend one day out shopping for stuffers for the children's eggs, but I'll pop into a thrift store or two for fun.
8 comments:
In your home, are you sure you weren't talking about me. I have such good intentions, but i really want to read another chapter. Then this little voice says tomorrow is coming. Then I promise myself to jump right out of bed and get busy, but maybe, i should check Facebook first. Then I say, spring is on the way and that's a good time to open the windows and get busy, and do it goes! LOL. Gramma D
Pretty sure you've been peeking in my window! I do a similar thing. I gave myself the talk in October and I stuck with it until we got pneumonia in January. The recovery was hard and I slowly drifted back to my old habits. Like you, I felt good about me during that time. I slept better, got more exercise, the house looked better, and I really enjoyed my leisure time. So, why is it so hard to get back to that? I sure don't get it.
You know that rule we have at my house about no screens before school? I do follow that rule, but if I get on the computer as soon as I get home from the bus stop, I easily lose an hour or two from my morning as well as much of the ambition I had to get my tasks done.
I have a new rule for myself that daily work gets done first, then I can look at the computer for a break. We'll see how that works. I won't tell her, but one of the biggest distractions and interruptions for me is my manager texting me all day long. Sometimes it's relevant to work, but mostly it's just chatter. I'm polite and always respond, but she's learning when I don't really want to be texting about nothing. LOL.
Using computer or reading as a bribe so to speak to get any dull jobs done does help. :) You might think of something Lane of Lane's letters mentioned years ago. She changes up her housekeeping by say doing all the glass work or something else in the house one day. On glass days she does picture frames..light fixtures, windows that need it, glass figurines or any such thing. She had other ideas in one of her 'home' letters but I forget the others. She also mentioned needing to switch things up once in a while1.. :)) Sounds like you
are not alone doesn't it!!! I love taking care of my home too but everyone needs some change off and on! Routine can keep us on track but sometimes we want to get off the train and into a new station!! Love our blog and your honesty. Sarah
My Dad always waited until Good Friday to plant. The frosts were usually over in North Alabama by then.
We have had freezing temps right up to our frost date and a few days beyond for the last few years so I am biding my time. Better to wait then to have to haul everything into the garage or cover things.
I know what you mean about productivity for sure. My problem is that I like to sit and drink coffee first thing and then I get online at the same time. But, I have had the same chore list that rotates over 4 weeks for years and it gives me a routine that keeps me on track with cleaning. I make a seven day list every Sunday night for the week M-SN. I put all chores and laundry and any errands and appointments we have for the week. Then along the right side I have another list of a few extra items I would like to accomplish that week. Lists work for me since I work hard to check it all off everyday. As long as I finish the list I feel like I did well. It was such a relief to figure that out!
An ongoing chore here for the next several weeks is restocking my freezer meals. We ate most of them in the last 3 months since hubby came home from the hospital. This morning I did make a large batch of cookie dough and put three containers in the freezer. I mostly keep meals but also cookie dough, muffins and frostings round it out.
I agree, it is easy to get into a routine that uses up too much time! Those little games are really fun, but do eat it up. They are useful on sleepless nights, though--I often play for a while, then are able to go back to sleep.
I'm sure you will feel great once you get the routine re-established!
I agree with the first comment here, as I'm sure you were talking about me here too! I was just thinking this morning that I need to limit computer and reading time to non-daylight hours so that I use my working day most efficiently. I am trying to tell myself I am at a 'job' all day, so I don't get sidetracked into personal stuff. I always find I am much happier at the end of a productive day as I get very cross with myself if I waste a day!
Love all these posts on routines, homemaking, etc - thanks!
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