Saturday, March 8, 2008

The Project

I spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about everything that I'm not doing better. I let the housekeeping slip so I can have more time for my creative pursuits, but then I start to hyperventilate whenever I can't do something because I can't find an uncluttered surface to do it on. If I eat in, that helps me save money and eat healthy, but seeing my friends usually requires eating out. And having friendships is good for my health too.

I'm constantly finding books and articles to help me with one aspect of my life. I could get more organized, but it might require getting less sleep. And I'm not getting enough sleep as it is. There's got to be a way to make it all work.

So I thought of this project. In each phase, I'll tackle something different, adding on to what I've done before. I'll exercise more, eat better, stay on top of my to do list, and find time to relax. It doesn't seem possible, but when I asked my husband if he thought the idea was crazy, he said, "Well, weren't you kind of going to do that anyway?" I take this as proof of my insanity, but if I keep expecting myself to do it all, I might well try and find out whether or not I really can.

So here we are.

The Rules

  1. Each phase lasts 3 weeks. That should be enough time to absorb each new habit. 
  2. I reserve the right to make a phase longer if I need more time, or cut it short if it's just not working out.
  3. I reserve the right to pick something easy, like flossing daily if I need a break. 
  4. I reserve the right to repeat a phase. I imagine that I'll need to repeat Setting Realistic Expectations a couple of times.
  5. You don't get to pick what the phases are. If you think I need to give up carbs, stop swearing, or find Jesus, I don't give a rat's ass. I'm doing this to please me. Not you. That includes you, Mom. 
  6. You do get to give advice on the current phase. I'll need all the help I can get.
  7. I'm not shooting for perfection. Getting it right more days than not is good enough.
  8. No backsliding beyond Day 1. I don't save money by shoplifting now and I'm not about to start. No blogging at work, keep on doing good things for the environment, that sort of thing.
  9. You get to play along. If you want to join in and make some of the changes that I'm making, then come along and let me know in the comments. 
  10. I reserve the right to change the rules at any time.
How am I going to keep track? Well, I'll report on my progress on the blog and I'll also be keeping track on a calendar. If I find the time to figure out how to do the calendar in HTML, great, but I have bigger fish to fry. I've printed out a calendar (on scrap paper, of course). Each Phase will get its own color. I get to make a check mark with a colored pencil if I meet my goal for that day. I may be 36, but I still like getting check marks. 

No comments: