Daily Must Do's

/

I am a list maker. Whether it's for the grocery store, chores, or work-related items to tackle for the day, I make a list to make sure nothing is forgotten or overlooked or--gasp!--not attended to.

Along with this, there are certain daily habits I aim to cultivate. Things or actions that are important to me and that I want to make sure get done every single day on top of whatever might be on the list of the moment. The problem is, there are only so many hours in the day, I appear to have a limited amount of willpower upon which to call, and the list keeps growing.

For example, my current list of "daily must do's" reads as follows:

  • Meditate
  • Morning pages - handwrite 3 pages about anything first thing in the morning.
  • 8 Minute Workout - This is weight training from George Cruz's book by the same title. I'm trying to get myself into the habit of working with weights now, so that when my running schedule picks up again, the habit is fully formed.
  • Write 1,000 new words EACH & EVERY DAY on a new YA novel I'm working on.  The "each and every day" part must be stressed or else I'll do the "I'll write my 1,000 words tomorrow" trick and suddenly it's Friday and I owe myself 7,000 words!
  • Stretch. Especially that right hamstring which still appears to be tightening instead of loosening.
  • Drink 8 glasses of water (or thereabouts).
  • Play with cats.

The almost daily activities include:

  • Run - 5x/week
  • Yoga - Would prefer 3x/week, but I've been doing two.
  • Cook - 4x/week

There is more I'd like to add to the weekly list, such as a certain amount of time to spent outdoors, reading, focusing on marketing work, straightening the house, connecting with family/friends, etc.

When I look at my main list, it doesn't look bad at all. It's only 2-3 hours, depending on how long the 1,000 words take. So it just shouldn't be that hard to fit in. But somehow when I add in e-mail and work and runs and showering and phone calls and errands... things get set to the side.

I'm not really complaining. I love my life and the freedom that comes with it. That's probably part of my problem. I know I have "all day" to get stuff done and time just slips away. Plus, there is the teeniest-tiniest chance that I may be too regimented in my approach to life. (But just a tiny chance...)

What about you all? Any "must do's" on your daily list?

Hunkered Down

/

I'm going into battle mode. I've got a scientific article for a dog journal due Wednesday and was only just able to catch the interview I needed with the lead researcher late this morning. I was out all afternoon and this evening and so will spend all of tomorrow puzzling out the pieces of how the story fits together.  I've already written about half the article, but I really wish I had a few days to let the piece sit so I could look at it with fresh eyes before turning it in.  Still, no complaints. I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to land the interview, so I'm just relieved to have that behind me. Tomorrow I'll brew a big pot of coffee, line up a row of the Weight Watchers double chocolate muffins, and have at it. No coming up for air until it's done. Luckily, I do well on tight deadlines. Brings out the competitor in me.

Imagine that.

Unable to Focus

/

For almost a week now, I've been unable to settle in and focus on any one task. Whether it's brushing my teeth or working on an article, I kind of float around the task at hand, diving in and out like a seagull dipping into the ocean to snag a fish and then flying away, only to return for a repeat attempt two minutes later.

I feel jittery. It can't be caffeine--I don't drink it. I'm not feeling stressed or nervous. I'm just off in la-la land and, frankly, it's annoying. I sit down to work on something and pop up to put clothes in the washer. Sit down, oops! Forgot to get coffee. Sit down, check e-mail, then up to pet the cats. Sit down, finally work on article. Phone rings. Ignore it, but get up to get more coffee, change laundry, and put on music. Sit down, thumb through a book and wonder if I'm on the right path to accomplishing my goals. Get up to check hair in mirror (I'm letting it grow out long and curly and it's taking up quite a bit of space these days.) And just on and on and on...

Getting ready for bed last night, I walked in and out of the bathroom no less then 7 times. That's ridiculous. I can't even settle in and read. Nothing holds my attention and I have... not quite a headache, but more what feels like could be the start of a headache.

I'm monitoring my TV time and trying (trying) to cut back on how often I check e-mail. I think so much of what I do in life, like TV and e-mail, is cut up into tiny little sections that the brain rebels when it's presented with a task that requires a long stretch of undivided attention. I'm retraining it to PAY ATTENTION.

And now that I've managed to sit still for the six minutes it took to write this blog, I'm freaking out. Calm on the exterior, doing the cha-cha inside. Let's hope an hour on the treadmill will take care of that.

Happy hump day.