Ok, I Did It

I promised Angela I would actually post something here today. So here it is. I'm not doing very well with the challenge, or at least the posting part. I don't have internet at my apt, and it's hard to find enough time to do it anywhere else. I'm also not being as consistent with the challenge as I should be. Heaven knows I need it. However, I am doing it a little bit differently. I bought the new edition of the Change Your Life Challenge Book. I really like this program better than the old one. I doesn't follow one chapter a day, and it has some added things thrown in. It changes the order a little bit, and does a lot of changes before getting to going through your house. Now by admitting all of that, I guess I have no one to blame but myself if this doesn't work as well as it should. But I am trying. I have my notebook with me at all times, just not as good at using it as I should be. Ok, my goal is that starting tonight, I will make it a priority every night to work at this. So every morning during the week as I get online at my daughter's house, I will have something I wrote the note before to post here. And I need to go back and read the part about procrastination again!

Day 16: Oops, My Bad or How to get sidetracked with a new toy.

As mentioned in the Day 15 entry, Day 16 is to be used making a list of those master tasks around the house and the frequency they should be performed. This is something I can work on but, again, something that will need to be revised once moving into the new place. I have made myself a note to do this two weeks after moving in (which is still a week before school starts).

My excuse for not doing this yesterday? I got a new toy. I was able to get a Blackberry Curve at a stupid price so I was playing with that and getting it set up.

How does this help me with my challenge? Well, once I have this master task and frequency list, it's going to go into Outlook which will sync with my Blackberry so I will know at any given moment what tasks are needed to be accomplished, both in the house and out of the house.

At least, thats the theory.

Day 15: Master Task List

Todays assignment is to make a master task list of all the chores which need to be done to have a smooth running house.. When I started the Challenge, I didn't remember how 'house' dependant the first couple of sections are. However, I wasn't planning on moving last time and so it probably didn't even phase me at all. I will do a master task list based on the home I have now but again, realizing I will have to revisit this when I move. (Making a note now to revisit this two weeks after moving in.)

I don't know how much will change (other than the fact I will have my own bathroom to clean) but I know there will be some! For example, we don't have carpet in our living room now, we have hard wood floors. We will have carpeting in the new living room. We don't have a separate dining room here but will in the new place. Same with a utility room. Another change will be the dishwasher we will have after the move (yeah!).

The master task list is to be written very specifically. No "Clean the kitchen floor" instead it will be Sweep kitchen floor, mop kitchen floor, wax kitchen floor, etc. Tomorrows assignment (yes, I peeked) is to assign frequency to each job.

Day 14: The Bathroom

Today we were supposed to work in the bathroom. The assignment was to clean, dejunk, and inventory. As I have already done this, there isn't much for me to do today.

However, there is a great suggestion: Have a master list of supplies needed for the bathroom.

I will attempt to do this but since we will have two bathrooms when we move, I will also assign myself to do it again about 30 days after moving. One of the great things about this list is that I can be watching for sales on what we use. Whoo hoo. Money savings too!

Day 13: Preparing for the hard work

Whoo hoo! Finally something I am ahead on.

The assignment is to gather containers so that one can sort through their belongings and determine if:

1. They really want it (if not, give away or sell)
2. If it's trash (throw it away, duh!)
3. If it should be used in a different room.
4. If it belongs in storage.

Since this is my whole plan for the summer, I've got a head start on this one.

We've completely finished the bathroom, are about 75% complete in the kitchen, and Kid #3 has started in the living room, kids #1 and #2 have begun in their bedroom.

Whoo hoo - this is basically a day off as I'm already in the process.

Day 11 and Day 12: Family Organization

These two days talk about implementing a message/calendar board and using a phone call log.

Again, my excuse to not do this yet is, the upcoming move. I have the message center purchased and will put it into place after the move but the phone message log? I'm going to wait on that even after the move. With voicemail available, I'm not so sure this is important. In general, my kids do not answer the phone if they do not know who is calling. So, I'm not so sure this is important for us. But I am leaving an open mind and will revisit this in a month or so to see if it may be a problem.

Day 10: Procrastination

Today's reading is basically a check-up about how we're doing on the challenge. So far, I'm doing great. i'm not really procrastinating on the important stuff, but as I've confessed before, I'm not REALLY working on the stuff I "should" be working on. However, sometimes the shoulds have to be put aside for the greater good. Right now the greater good is getting moved.

The one area I'm not doing so great but not so bad in is: the catch all notebook. I HAVE been carrying it with me everywhere but I'm not really using it much. I'm mostly at home now and I utilize my Outlook for those things I can think of that I need to do. I assign each task a day and as they come up on that day, I get them done. I'm confident I will be using the notebook better when I leave the house again.

If I'm not here tomorrow, it's because the hotel does not have internet access. I WILL be back on Sunday.

Day 9: Efficient use of time

The challenge suggests we track what we do during the day and see what time wasters we may have in our day and to also see how much of our time is spent doing those things which are really important and are a priority.

I have done this exercise before (for a college class) and I was pleasantly surprised about how well I did use my time. I should do this again but now is not the time. I will revisit this probably on day 71. Its not because I don't want to do it now, but with it being summer, me not having classes, the upcoming move, I just don't feel as though I will get a valid picture of my usual time usage.

There was a section of the days reading that I do think I will implement right away. It was suggest we determine how much time we could spend doing things for others - for example, being asked to serve on X committee or being asked to spend some time at a school party or PTA or or or... you get the point. In each week, once that time was used up or allotted, we should start to say "no" to other requests. I like this idea. I'm going to ponder just how much time is 'enough' to spend on other things. Right now I'm thinking 10 hours a week but this may not be realistic. According to MANY I have spoken with, I'm barely going to see the light of day for the next 2 years while I'm in nursing school. So, for now, in the summer, I will try for 10 hours, with a re-evaluation in the fall.

Day 8: Change Your Life Challenge Pact

Change Your Life Challenge Pact

I, Angela, am willing to commit to the 70-Day Change Your Life Challenge because I want to experience life differently. Three of my specific motivations are:

1. I have not been paying attention to my nutritional needs and what I have been placing in my body to help nourish it.
2. I have not been moving my body enough to keep myself healthy and energized
3. I feel a greater need to be in touch with my children and their everyday lives.

I commit to working through each daily challenge, regardless of how long it takes me.


Angela - 6 August 2008
Signature and Date

Day 7: Top 3!

I DID read this yesterday but things got crazy busy and I didn't blog about it. However, I think the reading is the most important part. I know that doing should be the most important part but until you read it, you can't do it.

The idea for this day is to make a list, as part of the nightly reflection, of the three most important things you can do the next day that will bring you closer to the goals you have set for yourself.

My "problem" (which I don't think of as that) is my goals overall for this challenge are different than where my efforts need to be right now.

I am getting ready to move in 3 weeks. Moving HAS to take priority over those goals I've set for the challenge.

That doesn't mean I don't have to work on the challenge - far from it. It means that I am going to use the challenge to build good habits for my new place.

Day 6: The Nightly Reflection

This is probably one of my favorite days because I know how well this works.

It's suggested we evaluate our day and see if something needs to be put on the list to do tomorrow. Another suggestion is to review our long term to do list and see if its time to move something to our short term listing.

I know when I do this sort of thing, my days go so much better because I go to sleep knowing what needs to be done tomorrow. Not in a worry sort of way but in a "I'm prepared" sort of way.

I also like to review my appointments for the next week so that I can make myself aware of my time commitments and possibly the things I will need to do to prepare for those appointments.

LOVE this idea.

Day 5: The key to never forgetting

If I were using the notebook the way the challenge has it set up, I would be taking everything on my daily "to-do" list and re-writing it everyday for the reminder to get things done.

I'm NOT exactly using a notebook that way. I do carry a book with me where I will write down items that I need to get accomplished and then I move them to outlook. I plan a day to accomplish that which needs to be done and put the task on that day.

If it's not accomplished the assigned date, the task font will be colored red. The red bugs me enough that I don't think its too important to worry about rewriting. However, I do think I would like a way to further color code the tasks. For example, if a task has gone three days past due, I would like to color those a different color, a week past due, another color, etc.

Does anyone know how to do that? Let me know.

Day 3 and 4: The Chat

Susieq: done day 4 yet?

Angela: Just finishing up both 3 and 4 right now. Should be done in about 1/2 hour. How about you?

Susieq: i really have a hard time with the whole notebook thing

Angela: Im not going to do the notebook. I've started to use a blank book for this kind of thing.

Susieq: the notebook is sort of of blank except for the headingson the pages

Angela: Using the right hand side for my lists and the left hand side for a journal/notes area, etc

Susieq: i just posted a short thing on the blog, but this notebook is what hangs me up everytime. i have this fetish for day planners with all the sections

Angela: I know what you mean and although we're encouraged to do it exactly this way, I do think you need to modify to something you will use and works for you.

Susieq: i thought about just using my day planner and just making those few sections to see if that works. but then i started thinking maybe i should give this a try just the way it says. of course, i feel like crap today and that isn't helping

Angela: I just can't carry another notebook around with me. I have so many all for my school stuff that I know it just will get left at home.

Susieq: yeah, i hate having to carry just a notebook that size with me which is why i thought about using the planner cover cuzit's smaller and fits on my purse

Angela: I really think what's most important about the whole thing is to have it with you, whatever it is. If the notebook doesn't work for you, use what does.

Susieq: hey, ever heard of the book called quantum wellness

Angela: I don't think so.

Susieq: Some girls are doing it, and i have looked at it at walmart. it seems interesting

Susieq: if this 70 day thing doesn't work, i might try this lol

Angela: well give it 66 more days before we jump ship, okay?

Susieq: oh, this time I’m gonna finish the whole thing. i keep thinking it's the perfect time cuzi have my own place and space. and i never got past maybe day ten before

Angela: I will keep encouraging you if you will keep encouraging me.

Susieq: definitely, this challenge is the reason i got out of bed and came got online

Susieq: i started using outlook and i like it but don't use it for email cuz of the whole online thing

Angela: I don't use it for email either, unless I know I'm gonna be away from access because I can read/type offline on that and send it when I am connected.

Susieq: it gaveme the option of setting that up when i first started, but i said no

Angela: I did too but there is a way to set it up later if you want.

Susieq: sometimes i think it would be nice, but i get so much crap

Angela: Gmail is great for filtering crap out and you can set outlook to retreive the gmail stuff.

That Darn Notebook

Day four talks about putting together our notebook. It seems really simple in theory, and I guess that is my problem. I love day planners, and over the years I've had tons of them in all sizes and flavors. I seem to think complicated is better. But this one just seems too simple. Plus having the main binder at home with everything in it means if you are away from home, it's not with you. But I have committed to giving this a try, so I'm going to do it. I'm going to just do what it says, and reevaluate when the 70 days is over. I will keep telling myself that doing nothing isn't working, so this might work. One day at a time.

Day 3: Postponed

I didn't get to my day three reading today but I will do it first thing in the morning and post then.

I didn't do so well about my morning plans for this morning but it wasn't an awful morning. However, I DO have coffee in the pot ready to brew in the morning, I will be eating oatmeal and I have a plan for the morning: Read Day 3, post on the blog, then review my plans for the rest of the day.

Hey, it's a start.

Good Morning

Good morning, Susan. It is going to be a great day! With the day I had yesterday, I actually didn't read Day Two until this morning. But I definitely agree with the fact that out attitude first thing in the morning can have a huge impact on our day. I woke up yeterday with the headache still there, horrible sleep, nightmares of vampire and a generally crappy attitude. And I had a generally crappy day. But today is Friday, I have a weekend ahead of me with nothing major to do, and I'm looking forward to it. So I'm starting today with a positive (generally) attitude to make it a good Friday. Stay tuned to see if it works. Might take a day or two or three or......you get the point. But I do get to go home and starting putting my stuff together to keep going on this challange. So there is something to look forward to.

Day 2: Great Starts

Todays challenge is to start the day with a few good words to ourselves.

Now I understand how affirmations work and I also know how silly I feel doing them out loud. So, honestly, this probably won't be something I will do but I do know a few other ways I can make sure I have a good start to my day.

One of those tasks is checking my planner/outlook for the tasks on my list for each day. When I do this, I'm much more purposeful in my morning and then in my day. Second thing I can and will do is exactly in line with my overall goals for the challenge. I will decide the night before what my breakfast will be each morning. If there is some early prep I can do, I will do that.

These two things alone will make a huge impact on how my day gets started.

Tough Questions

I think what I found so amazing in answering those questions is how much things have changed since I tried this before. My tens are totally different in some areas because my circumstances have changed. Such as relationship with (hmm, how did it word it?) maybe partner or spouse. I have always thought I had to have a man in my life to be happy. And although I do have some men 'friends', they are way down on the list of what is important. I have so much more I want to accomplish, and in the past they were much more important to me.

Like Angela diet, nutritiion and exercise ranked high. I have insurance with my job and just got some medical tests ran for the first time in years. The results yesterday surprised me, they were very positive. My cholesterel was 147, which the nurse said was very low. I said must be genetics, can't be my fast food diet. Blood sugar, thyroid, all the other stuff was good. I do show some arthritis in the foot they x-rayed. So last night I was sitting there thinking "ok, Susan, if you don't have any of that stuff wrong with you, how come most of the time you feel so crappy? Do you supposed it is your eating habits?" I hate to admit the answer was a resounding yes. I started riding my exercise bike again a few weeks ago. No change in weight, very little in how my clothes fit, but mentally it has been a big help. So I'm going to keep it up. My 9 or 10's were my family and my nurtition and exercise. And I can't wait to get home tonight and do Day 2!

Day 1: Asking the tough questions

In the challenge, we were asked to mark 10 different categories with an indicator as to how big of a priority that particular category should be in our lives. Then, we were asked to indicate where it is currently in our lives. If there was a difference between where we think it should be and where it is, these are the areas we need to focus on. We then have four questions to answer. I'm posting those here along with my answers.

What areas have the biggest imbalance between where you are and where you would like to be ultimately? Why do you think that is?

Nutrition and exercise have the biggest imbalance and I think the reason it has the biggest imbalance is simply because I don’t make them a priority in my life.

Time with my kids also has a big imbalance. Now that I have to be “both” parents, I know that it’s much more important for me to be in my kids’ lives. This is a paradigm shift I never anticipated. I’m not there right now because it’s taken the last few years for me to figure out who the hell I am. I’ve been doing things which will lead me to the career I now need to have and I really feel I’m on a good path now. I need to ‘add’ my kids back into my life.

What systems have you tried in the past?

Franklin Covey

Our stress is normally caused by imbalances in our life. Looking at the chart, what stressor do you realize has been playing a big part in your life? Are you ready and willing to change it?

Mainly the stuff with the kids and although I don’t have a choice but to change it, I realize that I really do want to change it. I’m ready to be more of a parent to my kids.

Are you trying to be Superwoman? How many tens did you mark with red pen? If you have more than three, perhaps you are trying to have it all now. Think through your life again and carefully consider the current “season” of your life. Realize that you can change this sheet in a week, a month, a quarter. Where are your biggest imbalances? As a result which items should be your “10s” for this phase of your life?

I only have one ‘10' marked and that is the relationship with my family. I do have three 8's marked, one is where I want it to be, the other two will be things I will be focusing on in this challenge.

So interesting, so far..

I've really enjoyed reading Susan's entries as ours are quite a bit different, one from another. As much as I LOVE new school 'tools', the one success I have had so far this summer was the start of a de-junk marathon.

Because THAT is a big part of what I want to accomplish overall, I will not be going out and buying any new supplies for my challenge. This is a big thing for me. I will make due with the supplies I have and if there is something missing, then and only then will I go out and buy something new.

This is big because I've always been the 'perfectionist' kind of person. If everything wasn't new, I couldn't start the challenge. If everything didn't match, I couldn't start the challenge. If it wasn't just so, or just perfect, I couldn't start it.

Well, dang it. It doesn't have to be new, it doesn't have to match, it doesn't have to be perfect, it simply needs to be functional. Functional, I have already.

First Day of School

I hate to admit this, but I get turned on by the back-to-school sales atWalmart. I think I loved getting the supplies for school more than the first day. But going to that first day with the new paper, pencils, notebooks made it easier to go. I looked at the list of supplies for the Challange. I probably have everything I need already. But I have decided that I need to go to Walmart tonight and get a few new things. And this is good timing because they are having the awesome back-to-school sales right now. I saw some gorgeous colorful binders yesterday in colors other than black and navy blue. So tonight after work I have to find the Challange I've already printed out and head to Walmart. Fun, fun, fun!

My turn

As Susieq mentioned, I found the Change Your Life Challenge a couple of years ago. We tried starting it then but for some reason, I didn't stick to it. I'm confident the reason was that I was trying to do it at the same time I was in school. But, no classes this summer. School starts a little less than two months from now. I know it's supposed to take 70 days to do the challenge but, the first couple of weeks of school will be a great test to see if the changes have really stuck.

I'm looking forward to the challenge and for improving my life. I already have a great life so it seems really strange to say I want to improve it, but there is always room for improvement.

If anyone 'falls' upon this blog, we'd love to hear your feedback about the changes we're making. Have you made similar changes? What has worked for you? What hasn't worked at all? You don't have to have used the Change Your Life Challenge, anything you used to help make the changes will be beneficial for us to know.

But, for now, it's time for Susieq and I to get our stuff together, for the challenge starts on Wednesday? Why Wednesday and not today? Well, let's just say that procrastination may be one of those areas in my life I want to change.

Starting the Challenge Part 3

I definitely think things happen for a reason. My job for example. It has taught me many things, but perhaps the most important one is that I can accomplish anything if I just don't worry about it, just start working on it. I always think I won't get it done, don't have enough time, etc, etc. But at work when I have a project, I just start it and follow through, and I am almost always amazed at how short a time it actually takes.
I am trying to use that trait in my personal or home life. I have realized that I can just take baby steps and get a lot accomplished. I started riding the exercise bike two weeks ago, and I have found that it is my mental stress reliever. The clothes don't fit any looser, but on the days I ride it when I wake up, I do feel better mentally. I just get on the bike and do my ten, now fifteen minutes. Baby steps.
A few days ago I started thinking of making some other small steps. And today I opened an email from my friend Angela who lives in Washington. We have been friends for several years, but have only been able to meet in person once. She emailed me and asked if I would like to start the Change Your Life Challenge again. She is the one that got me started on that the first time. But I don't think either of us finished it. So this will be the third time I've started it. The last time I really started getting into it. But there is so much of it that talks about controlling your physical environment. I was living with my daughter. It is her house, so controlling that environment just wasn't gonna work. But almost three months ago I got my own apartment. It is very tiny, but it's all mine. So Angela's email came at a perfect time. We are going to start over. We have even started a blog to write about what is going on. We both have regular blogs, but have been very lax at writing in those. It is hard because she has three teenagers plus goes to school most of the year. I don't have internet in my new apartment. But we are going to try. She mentioned Outlook today, so I'm giving that a try. And I'm going to try writing something on my laptop several times a week and then when I go to my daughter's to get online, I can just take a few minutes to post it.
So here goes! Wish me luck. And thank you, Angela.