Goals and Priorities

I cannot wait to get back into the gym tomorrow!


Three rest days in a row is not my favorite; good thing this is the last week of that.


So, I went back to the doc today for a final post-op check up before returning to work next week. So far, he says everything looks good and the swelling should dissipate within the next month or so. If not, we will explore the option of going back in and doing the more invasive procedure. He said it is still too early to tell right now whether or not that will be necessary, so I just have to wait it out and see.


I will not be running for at least the next 30 days and at the end of that period of time, we will reassess and see what he thinks I will be able to do from there. At that point, it will have been 3 solid months of no running. 


BUT...


I know that is is really not that big a deal. There are other cardio options available to me, so I am still ok with that. 


This is kind of a different subject but, I mentioned going back to work...usually, for me that means going back to STRESS.


I have had nearly a month away from all the madness and I have to say, I feel ok to go back.


This time, I am armed with a plan. I have my priorities in order. I have clear goals. I have decided that I will not allow myself to be consumed by work. 


My Husband and a couple of my friends have been extremely helpful and encouraging. They listened to me gripe and then helped me figure out ways to cope with my issues. 


A lot of what I was feeling boiled down to feeling like I am always rushing and never have any time to do the things I love or want to do. 


Between responsibilities at work and at home, I never felt like I could just relax and enjoy relaxing. There was always something I needed to do. Everything felt laborious.


Sometimes, I would just avoid all of it and waste hours on the internet. This method, of course, would accomplish nothing and I feel even more overwhelmed because I still had things that needed to be taken care of!


Self-sabotage, much?


I think this is one of the reasons I stopped taking good care of myself. I just felt overwhelmed and every little thing that was added to my "to-do list" was just another job.


I didn't make ME a priority. And not only I suffered for that.


So, I made a list, well actually more like a "schedule". 


It looks like this:

Monday- Sunday

AM:
Rise at 5 am
Leave the house NLT 545 am
Skin regimen
Brush teeth
Take vitamins
Fish oil
Eat on time (Goal is 2-3 hours)
Drink water (Goal is 1 Gallon a day)
Exercise (Goal is 4-6 times a week)

PM:
Walk Bing for 30 minutes
Fish oil
Eat on time (Goal is 2-3 hours)
Drink water (Goal is 1 Gallon a day)
Skin regimen after dinner and chores, well before bed
Brush teeth
Floss
Study for 1 hour
Write or talk to Husband
Pack bag for next day
Pack food for next day
Be in bed between 9 and 10 pm

Monday: Dust and sweep
Tuesday: Laundry
Wednesday: Brush Bing, dust, and sweep
Thursday: Laundry
Friday: Dust, sweep, mop, clean the bathroom
Saturday: Wash sheets, make grocery list and go to the gro sto, discard any old food; mani/pedi
Sunday: Go to church, prep food for the week; face mask and candlelit bath after dinner

Weekly as I can

Blog (Goal is 3 times per week)

Read for 30 minutes (the internet doesn't count)


Monthly:
Clean out refrigerator
Wash and detail cars


Now, you may be saying, "Brush your teeth? You have to put this on a list?"


Yes.


The thing is, sometimes I don't brush my teeth or wash my face before I go to bed. 


It is a bad habit, I know.


It is also gross.


But I have to be honest with myself. And, as grodie as it may be, it is true.


I am sure everyone out there has been guilty of this at some point. 


Don't judge.


This list is for me. So I can feel better about myself. So I can visually see what it is that I want to do to feel that way.


Not all of the things on the list are necessarily enjoyable but they are things that must get done.


As my Husband has called us, we are the "The Great Procrastinators of our time". 


It is true.


There have been a few  times where clean laundry just will not get put away. I hate that part of laundry. Once the dryer sings its happy "I'm done!" tune, I dread the next step.


Why?


I have no idea. But it is that way.


So, instead of feeling bad about it or weird or just letting my laundry pile up, I have decided to manage my procrastination by making a specific time to take care of it. This way, it is not hanging over my head. 


To be honest, this was really my Husband's idea.


We have been talking a lot lately about what makes us happy and why we don't pursue those things more often. We are both experts at finding excuses, so in an effort to branch out and actually do some of those things, we both came up with our own time management strategy. His came first. 


I was inspired by his improving attitude as he was realizing that "all the things I want to do but don't have time for" was actually not the case. He was finding that he did have the time and once he got a routine down, he was finding that sometimes, he would even have time left over. 


After a couple weeks of him doing this, I decided that I wanted to get on board and I have slowly been working my way to today's scheduling culmination. 


It is all about perspective, mindfullness, and paying attention to what is important.


I am excited to incorporate the extra things to my days and weeks with the things I have already been doing for the past couple weeks. It seems like a lot but I don't want that to discourage me from making it work.

As my schedule dictates, my goal is to blog three times a week. (I am already at 33%!)


Even if no one reads this or cares what I write about, it is a release for me, it feels good, and is my way of leaving an imprint of my existence.


Of course, I hope people read this. That was kind of the point.


I hope my past and present experiences help someone realize they are not the only one that feels the way they do and that they are not alone in their struggle. Better yet, I hope I can help them through it by talking about how I got through it myself.


That is my ultimate goal in this life: To make an impact and to help other people.