Saturday, March 28, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Train the brain
So, we have a couple of pooches, technically the DHH's, since I am not really a dog person myself. They are bird dogs, high energy, need a job, ect. They stay cooped up, A LOT. A lot more then any bird dog should. The younger dog is only about four, and the last year or two the lack of exercise and mental challenges has made her more then difficult to work with.
The DHH is making a concerted effort to improve this situation the last couple of months. His frustration levels were getting high with the younger dog Pearl (part of the past drivers that have caused the lack of exercise in the first place). I offered to help him, rather then 'tell' him what to do (as I am more then prone to do). Sort of a 'put my money where my mouth is' sort of situation.
I have started out working her on the treadmill, followed up with an intense clicker training situation. The treadmill is working well (done about 4 sessions now), I am gradually increasing her time, and at this point, a mile and a half at an 8 minute mile speed barely takes the edge off (serious energy stores, serious).
Today I did a 7 minute mile on the treadmill, at a 2-3% grade, and then attempted a walk around the block for the first time for me (husband has been walking her for awhile now).
All I can say is, if you ever want to work on some mental training and practice, walk an out of control super high energy very headstrong bird dog for 45 minutes. I feel like I just played a chess match, while blindfolded, and with someone yanking me out of my chair by my arm every 15 seconds. Phew.
We made progress, but the battles of wills was quite interesting. When you grasp the leash for the dog, immediately a tense energy starts to travel up the lead to your arm, overtaking your entire being if you are not careful. Its so palateble its very intersting to be able to study and analyze it when it happens.
From there, I usually have to take a few breaths and center myself. Relaxing the tension, and sending back a different signal while not allowing her energy to control the situation.
This is essentially what we did for almost an hour today. I mentally relax, take control, step forward, then Pearl flexes, focuses on something, dashes forward, and when restrained tries to manhandle the situation, I take a deep breath, relax, repeat.
I actually see this as a great personal challenge. To be able to keep my frustration out of the picture, remain calm, relaxed, and in control when I am dealing with what amounts to a tazmanian devil on the end of a short lead is very good practice. I am excited to take on this challenge actually. I may not have time to expend this level of time and energy every day, but I definitely will continue this several days a week to help my DHH out.
The DHH is making a concerted effort to improve this situation the last couple of months. His frustration levels were getting high with the younger dog Pearl (part of the past drivers that have caused the lack of exercise in the first place). I offered to help him, rather then 'tell' him what to do (as I am more then prone to do). Sort of a 'put my money where my mouth is' sort of situation.
I have started out working her on the treadmill, followed up with an intense clicker training situation. The treadmill is working well (done about 4 sessions now), I am gradually increasing her time, and at this point, a mile and a half at an 8 minute mile speed barely takes the edge off (serious energy stores, serious).
Today I did a 7 minute mile on the treadmill, at a 2-3% grade, and then attempted a walk around the block for the first time for me (husband has been walking her for awhile now).
All I can say is, if you ever want to work on some mental training and practice, walk an out of control super high energy very headstrong bird dog for 45 minutes. I feel like I just played a chess match, while blindfolded, and with someone yanking me out of my chair by my arm every 15 seconds. Phew.
We made progress, but the battles of wills was quite interesting. When you grasp the leash for the dog, immediately a tense energy starts to travel up the lead to your arm, overtaking your entire being if you are not careful. Its so palateble its very intersting to be able to study and analyze it when it happens.
From there, I usually have to take a few breaths and center myself. Relaxing the tension, and sending back a different signal while not allowing her energy to control the situation.
This is essentially what we did for almost an hour today. I mentally relax, take control, step forward, then Pearl flexes, focuses on something, dashes forward, and when restrained tries to manhandle the situation, I take a deep breath, relax, repeat.
I actually see this as a great personal challenge. To be able to keep my frustration out of the picture, remain calm, relaxed, and in control when I am dealing with what amounts to a tazmanian devil on the end of a short lead is very good practice. I am excited to take on this challenge actually. I may not have time to expend this level of time and energy every day, but I definitely will continue this several days a week to help my DHH out.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Day 29 & 30 - Balance
Well, I cannot believe I am on the end of my 30 day. I have been so busy lately, have not been able to tell which end is up, and definitely haven't been counting down the days. I forgot to post yesterday, and it I did not even know that until I sat down to post tonight.
Day 29 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (20 mins)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Not Done (completely forgot)
Yoga - Not done
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Day 30 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (20 mins)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not done
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
So, its been like 4 or 5 days since I did my last official yoga. I have stretched a bit, have been VERY active, but literally, I have been out of energy and tight on time. Could I have squeezed it in? Yes, I could have found a spare 20-30 minutes I am sure. It appears my motivation has faded, and I have been driven in other directions. I could get upset, but my drive has been very productive, and I have gotten quite a bit done the last 4-5 days, just not necessarily 100% for this challenge.
Starting tomorrow, I am technically off my challenge, but really, I don't see myself deviating much if at all. I might not be on a daily yoga schedule, but I am working on a plan to increase my exercise to a minimum of 4 days a week, and likely something that will step it up a notch (researching crossfit at the moment). I might join a gym for a month or two, and use that to step up my motivation. I am also looking at my schedule, since I am running out of time between getting off work and getting dinner cooked most evenings. Going to do some contemplation on that before proceeding, I need to find my energy again in this direction. We might go out of town in June, and if I finalize those plans it might help me find my drive again.
I will write up a post mortem on my last 30 days in the next 24-48 hours, would like to go over it a bit more before I weigh in. I have some ideas for my next challenge, but my energy is low at the moment, so I am going to hold off making any quick decisions. I would like to start another round within no more then a week, but I think I will meditate and write a bit more to find my drive and focus. If I go into the next challenge in my current state, it will fade quickly. Originally I thought I was going to focus on those around me, husband time, feline time, dog training, ect.....but I am finding my drive mostly in progressing my website and blogs. I might have to follow that trail more to get the energy to take on another strict 30 day. Need to check in with the crew to see how all that sits first I suspect. :)
Day 29 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (20 mins)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Not Done (completely forgot)
Yoga - Not done
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Day 30 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (20 mins)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not done
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
So, its been like 4 or 5 days since I did my last official yoga. I have stretched a bit, have been VERY active, but literally, I have been out of energy and tight on time. Could I have squeezed it in? Yes, I could have found a spare 20-30 minutes I am sure. It appears my motivation has faded, and I have been driven in other directions. I could get upset, but my drive has been very productive, and I have gotten quite a bit done the last 4-5 days, just not necessarily 100% for this challenge.
Starting tomorrow, I am technically off my challenge, but really, I don't see myself deviating much if at all. I might not be on a daily yoga schedule, but I am working on a plan to increase my exercise to a minimum of 4 days a week, and likely something that will step it up a notch (researching crossfit at the moment). I might join a gym for a month or two, and use that to step up my motivation. I am also looking at my schedule, since I am running out of time between getting off work and getting dinner cooked most evenings. Going to do some contemplation on that before proceeding, I need to find my energy again in this direction. We might go out of town in June, and if I finalize those plans it might help me find my drive again.
I will write up a post mortem on my last 30 days in the next 24-48 hours, would like to go over it a bit more before I weigh in. I have some ideas for my next challenge, but my energy is low at the moment, so I am going to hold off making any quick decisions. I would like to start another round within no more then a week, but I think I will meditate and write a bit more to find my drive and focus. If I go into the next challenge in my current state, it will fade quickly. Originally I thought I was going to focus on those around me, husband time, feline time, dog training, ect.....but I am finding my drive mostly in progressing my website and blogs. I might have to follow that trail more to get the energy to take on another strict 30 day. Need to check in with the crew to see how all that sits first I suspect. :)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Day 28 - Balance
Phew, office overhaul mostly complete. Still need to do some file organizing and cleaning out of the closet, but the bulk is complete.
I definitely slacked a bit this weekend on my checklist....got the bulk of items done, but the Yoga fell completely to the wayside, and this morning, I finally just had to succumb and sleep in. Sitting down now is the first time I have stopped all day. Almost the same yesterday, I blogged for about 20 minutes while my primer was drying in the office, but otherwise, I was out and about all day.
Plus side, I got massive amounts of work done on my office space goal. Downside, did not make any progress on the website development and slacked on a couple of my goals for the month. Because this is a huge step in my home career progress, going to stay on the positive sides.
Day 28 results
Wake 5 am - Note Done
Meditate - Not Done
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not done
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
I really was going to get up this morning, I was fully awake with the alarm, but physically, my muscles were really tight and sore. With my past medical problems, I knew I was hitting my limit, so opted to provide more recovery time to them. I am hurting pretty bad tonight, so I am guessing that was the right choice. I cannot afford to miss work next week, so 2 hours of extra sleep is what I needed.
Two more days left in my challenge, and I think I am going to take several days off before starting the next one. Granted, I am going to do my best to carry on my minimal TV/Internet time, keep my exercise up, keep the 5 am morning and meditation up no matter what. Well, technically, thats almost all of my challenge..lol...but I will see if I can cut back A BIT just to recover and get my energy up to tackle new goals in about a week.
I definitely slacked a bit this weekend on my checklist....got the bulk of items done, but the Yoga fell completely to the wayside, and this morning, I finally just had to succumb and sleep in. Sitting down now is the first time I have stopped all day. Almost the same yesterday, I blogged for about 20 minutes while my primer was drying in the office, but otherwise, I was out and about all day.
Plus side, I got massive amounts of work done on my office space goal. Downside, did not make any progress on the website development and slacked on a couple of my goals for the month. Because this is a huge step in my home career progress, going to stay on the positive sides.
Day 28 results
Wake 5 am - Note Done
Meditate - Not Done
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not done
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
I really was going to get up this morning, I was fully awake with the alarm, but physically, my muscles were really tight and sore. With my past medical problems, I knew I was hitting my limit, so opted to provide more recovery time to them. I am hurting pretty bad tonight, so I am guessing that was the right choice. I cannot afford to miss work next week, so 2 hours of extra sleep is what I needed.
Two more days left in my challenge, and I think I am going to take several days off before starting the next one. Granted, I am going to do my best to carry on my minimal TV/Internet time, keep my exercise up, keep the 5 am morning and meditation up no matter what. Well, technically, thats almost all of my challenge..lol...but I will see if I can cut back A BIT just to recover and get my energy up to tackle new goals in about a week.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Day 27 - Balance
Woohoo! Finally getting a large item off my to do list of home career things. Granted, it definitely does not make a serious dent in my future workload, it is something off my list that will allow me additional focus on other items.
Specifically, I needed to overhaul my home office. Too cramped, no storage, no work room on my desk, and my husband and I were stumbling over each other constantly. He has been working on more projects as well, so between that and me trying to expand my career at home, it was getting frustrating. I realized that if I was going to continue to spend more time planning and growing my career in the home office, it needed some help.
My goal was to spend between $1000-1500, hopefully closer to a $1000 so I could take the remainder and invest in Dreamweaver. But alas, after several weeks of searching, I just couldn't do the desk configuration I needed for the tight room space without spending a bit more. So after finally finding a desk today, likely will be around 1300-1500, and dreamweaver will have to wait.
My to do list has been as follows: painting the room a new color, new blinds, general spring cleaning, new (used) desk, better lighting, wall shelves, storage cabinet, dry erase boards, and maybe a cork board if I can find a spot for it, and general organization. The room has to function for two people and two PCs, with both people having their own personal 'zones' so to speak. I am buying used furniture to keep costs down, and shopping craigslist as much as I can for other items.
Phew, so at the moment, I am waiting for primer to dry, so I can get the paint color on tonight before bed. I am sitting on the floor in a guestroom, hooked up the PC so I could make sure to blog tonight. Should be able to move all the purchased furniture in tomorrow, and after that will just need to work on wall shelves and a few accessories.
Day 27 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (30 minutes plus 60 of writing)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not done, but super work out today with furniture and office overhaul
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
I am excited that by the end of the weekend I will have a new workspace to organize all the items I have going on. The cats are not thrilled, they are going to be sacrificing a cat tree for more work area. I am going to build alternative 'nooks' for them, just not going to take up a ton of room like before. They spend as much time in the office as me, so if I do not plan 'cat zones', then I will find myself constantly butting them off the desk and keyboards. One learns how to keep balance with three felines in the house, and this includes planning appropriote places for them to hang out.
Off to continue painting and cleaning....
Specifically, I needed to overhaul my home office. Too cramped, no storage, no work room on my desk, and my husband and I were stumbling over each other constantly. He has been working on more projects as well, so between that and me trying to expand my career at home, it was getting frustrating. I realized that if I was going to continue to spend more time planning and growing my career in the home office, it needed some help.
My goal was to spend between $1000-1500, hopefully closer to a $1000 so I could take the remainder and invest in Dreamweaver. But alas, after several weeks of searching, I just couldn't do the desk configuration I needed for the tight room space without spending a bit more. So after finally finding a desk today, likely will be around 1300-1500, and dreamweaver will have to wait.
My to do list has been as follows: painting the room a new color, new blinds, general spring cleaning, new (used) desk, better lighting, wall shelves, storage cabinet, dry erase boards, and maybe a cork board if I can find a spot for it, and general organization. The room has to function for two people and two PCs, with both people having their own personal 'zones' so to speak. I am buying used furniture to keep costs down, and shopping craigslist as much as I can for other items.
Phew, so at the moment, I am waiting for primer to dry, so I can get the paint color on tonight before bed. I am sitting on the floor in a guestroom, hooked up the PC so I could make sure to blog tonight. Should be able to move all the purchased furniture in tomorrow, and after that will just need to work on wall shelves and a few accessories.
Day 27 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (30 minutes plus 60 of writing)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not done, but super work out today with furniture and office overhaul
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
I am excited that by the end of the weekend I will have a new workspace to organize all the items I have going on. The cats are not thrilled, they are going to be sacrificing a cat tree for more work area. I am going to build alternative 'nooks' for them, just not going to take up a ton of room like before. They spend as much time in the office as me, so if I do not plan 'cat zones', then I will find myself constantly butting them off the desk and keyboards. One learns how to keep balance with three felines in the house, and this includes planning appropriote places for them to hang out.
Off to continue painting and cleaning....
Friday, March 13, 2009
Day 25 & 26 - Balance
Well, I am not falling off the wagon, but I have definitely stressed the limits of this challenge. Few misses, much more then I have had in my challenge. I think the waking time, work, busy schedule is catching up to me a bit. I am trying to not fret over it too much, but still stay fired up to finish my challenge with high energy.
Day 25 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Not Done
Yoga - Done (30 mins, strained old injury, quit early)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Not done
Day 26 results
Wake 5 am - Not Done (6 am, fell asleep accidentally)
Meditate - Will be done later this evening
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not Done (seriously dragging tonight)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
I do not know if I am getting ill, but tonight, super fatigue is hitting me. Overall, several times in this challenge I have found myself wearing down. I need to remember this while planning my next schedule, which is pretty busy as well. I am debating whether or not to take some of my workout times into 4 days a week instead of 7, and use the 3 non work out days as 'free time' to catch up. I don't know yet if that is the best tact. I am definitely finding my limits, not a bad thing, but need to balance pushing myself, and not overdoing it.
Still liking my progress all the same. Still focusing on positive achievements and trying to stay off the negative mental trail I can take when I do not complete a goal. This is probably a big part of the challenge itself, just overcoming the abuse I might do to myself if I do not meet a goal.
Yawn.....I am going to bed early, and going to regroup for the weekend. Glad the work week is OVER, and I get my weekend time to prep, regroup, and progress my 'career' goals. :)
Day 25 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Not Done
Yoga - Done (30 mins, strained old injury, quit early)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Not done
Day 26 results
Wake 5 am - Not Done (6 am, fell asleep accidentally)
Meditate - Will be done later this evening
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not Done (seriously dragging tonight)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
I do not know if I am getting ill, but tonight, super fatigue is hitting me. Overall, several times in this challenge I have found myself wearing down. I need to remember this while planning my next schedule, which is pretty busy as well. I am debating whether or not to take some of my workout times into 4 days a week instead of 7, and use the 3 non work out days as 'free time' to catch up. I don't know yet if that is the best tact. I am definitely finding my limits, not a bad thing, but need to balance pushing myself, and not overdoing it.
Still liking my progress all the same. Still focusing on positive achievements and trying to stay off the negative mental trail I can take when I do not complete a goal. This is probably a big part of the challenge itself, just overcoming the abuse I might do to myself if I do not meet a goal.
Yawn.....I am going to bed early, and going to regroup for the weekend. Glad the work week is OVER, and I get my weekend time to prep, regroup, and progress my 'career' goals. :)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Day 24 - Balance
Oh sad sad day. 23 days.......and today, I just could not do it it. I woke at 4:30, and groaned. Head hurting, back tense and tight, I said 'fine, I will just wait until 5'. 5 am came and went, and I laid there wishing I did not have to go to work. Finally rolled out of bed at 6, feeling better, but upset.
I should not get so upset over failed items on my challenges, really, I should be entirely accepting of my failures, but alas, I was so proud of my 23 days up at 5 am. This was HUGE for me.
Ahhh well, I shall just have to work on that reaction, and get up tomorrow at 5 am with a little bit of fire under my bum after today.
Day 24 results
Wake 5 am - Not Done (6 am)
Meditate - Will be done later this evening
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (40 mins)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Tomorrow is another day, and if I can make 29 out of 30 days up at 5 am, with only an hour mistake, I shall be super happy.
I have also decided that I will spend my next 30 day challenge continuing most if not all of everything I had in this challenge. I am going to add the couple of items that I had planned that require me to spend more time on my husband and felines, I will swap 3 days a week out from yoga to another task at the same time, but otherwise I will continue my current tasks. I think all of these tasks are a great benefit to me, but they are by no means 'solidified' habits as of yet, and that is what I would like.
Off to get some additional work done, I have a lot of tasks ahead of me, and need to go while I have high motivation :)
I should not get so upset over failed items on my challenges, really, I should be entirely accepting of my failures, but alas, I was so proud of my 23 days up at 5 am. This was HUGE for me.
Ahhh well, I shall just have to work on that reaction, and get up tomorrow at 5 am with a little bit of fire under my bum after today.
Day 24 results
Wake 5 am - Not Done (6 am)
Meditate - Will be done later this evening
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (40 mins)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Tomorrow is another day, and if I can make 29 out of 30 days up at 5 am, with only an hour mistake, I shall be super happy.
I have also decided that I will spend my next 30 day challenge continuing most if not all of everything I had in this challenge. I am going to add the couple of items that I had planned that require me to spend more time on my husband and felines, I will swap 3 days a week out from yoga to another task at the same time, but otherwise I will continue my current tasks. I think all of these tasks are a great benefit to me, but they are by no means 'solidified' habits as of yet, and that is what I would like.
Off to get some additional work done, I have a lot of tasks ahead of me, and need to go while I have high motivation :)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Day 23 - Balance
Better balanced day overall, still making progress on all fronts. Heading into the homestretch, so just need to remember to stay focused. I am already laying out plans for my next challenge, so I have to make sure I do not move forward yet with anything there other then planning.
Day 23 results
Wake 5 am - Done (4:30 am)
Meditate - Done (20 mins)
Work Goals - Done (slow start, ended day well)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (25 mins, tight on time)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Short post today, need to work on several website and blog items before I run out of time this evening.
Day 23 results
Wake 5 am - Done (4:30 am)
Meditate - Done (20 mins)
Work Goals - Done (slow start, ended day well)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (25 mins, tight on time)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Short post today, need to work on several website and blog items before I run out of time this evening.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Day 22 - Unplugged
Energized and super charged.....well, sorta :)
Got up on time, started a little slow today, but was pumped up as the afternoon approached, and have been busy cranking the rest of the day.
Woke at 5 am again on time, but I am going to bump it back to 4:30 starting tomorrow morning. I have the history of waking at 3:30, and with daylight savings time adjustment this weekend, I am waking up at 4:30 am on the dot. I need more time at work in the AM, so perfect time to bump it back.
Day 22 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (30 mins)
Work Goals - Done (improved, still a couple holes, but gained some ground)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (60 mins, caught up with a vengeance)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Running short on time, but trying to squeeze it in before bed
I had hoped to do some changes to the blog tonight, adding a journal and splitting the 30 day updates out. Running short on time today. Spent about 45 minutes working with one of my husbands dogs, so it was productive time at least. Also stopped and ran an errand on the way home, which I know better, especially since it was not essential. Will have to remember to stick to the schedule; get home, workout, run errands on weekends.
Feel good to be back on track.
Got up on time, started a little slow today, but was pumped up as the afternoon approached, and have been busy cranking the rest of the day.
Woke at 5 am again on time, but I am going to bump it back to 4:30 starting tomorrow morning. I have the history of waking at 3:30, and with daylight savings time adjustment this weekend, I am waking up at 4:30 am on the dot. I need more time at work in the AM, so perfect time to bump it back.
Day 22 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (30 mins)
Work Goals - Done (improved, still a couple holes, but gained some ground)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (60 mins, caught up with a vengeance)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Running short on time, but trying to squeeze it in before bed
I had hoped to do some changes to the blog tonight, adding a journal and splitting the 30 day updates out. Running short on time today. Spent about 45 minutes working with one of my husbands dogs, so it was productive time at least. Also stopped and ran an errand on the way home, which I know better, especially since it was not essential. Will have to remember to stick to the schedule; get home, workout, run errands on weekends.
Feel good to be back on track.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Day 20 & 21 - Balance
Another busy weekend, to a point. I tried to put some freetime in the schedule for myself to help recharge, but even so, feeling a bit drained tonight again. This seems to have happened every Sunday evening, but thus far, I have not had a problem getting going on Monday all the same.
Still slipping on my Yoga in the challenge, but have been doing extra meditation and a good deal of time on my home 'work' issues. I spent the weekend putting together a lot of content and design layout on paper for my website development. I then started getting that content typed up into dreamweaver. I was heading in the direction of building the site first, content second, but was getting too far ahead of myself. So I backed up, am building the content daily along with a very simple web design, and will work on the more complex aspects after I am up and running.
Day 20 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (30 mins, with 60 mins of writing followed)
Daily Blog Entry - Subbed with additional work
Yoga - Not done (did about 10 mins of stretching, but did not meet goal)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Day 21 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (20 mins, with 90 minutes of writing followed)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not Done
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
So overall, happy with my progress on my planning and design of my website. Also, with the clocks set an hour ahead, I went to bed late (not thinking), and still managed to get up at 5 am with the clock set to the correct time. Less sleep, but huge accomplishment for me to get up 100% on time with no excuses.
I will likely be splitting these daily summary updates and a journal into two separate blogs shortly.
Still slipping on my Yoga in the challenge, but have been doing extra meditation and a good deal of time on my home 'work' issues. I spent the weekend putting together a lot of content and design layout on paper for my website development. I then started getting that content typed up into dreamweaver. I was heading in the direction of building the site first, content second, but was getting too far ahead of myself. So I backed up, am building the content daily along with a very simple web design, and will work on the more complex aspects after I am up and running.
Day 20 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (30 mins, with 60 mins of writing followed)
Daily Blog Entry - Subbed with additional work
Yoga - Not done (did about 10 mins of stretching, but did not meet goal)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Day 21 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (20 mins, with 90 minutes of writing followed)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not Done
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
So overall, happy with my progress on my planning and design of my website. Also, with the clocks set an hour ahead, I went to bed late (not thinking), and still managed to get up at 5 am with the clock set to the correct time. Less sleep, but huge accomplishment for me to get up 100% on time with no excuses.
I will likely be splitting these daily summary updates and a journal into two separate blogs shortly.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Day 19 - Balance
Its friday night, ENTIRELY happy about that :)
Long week, glad to be back on track (for the most part), and glad to have the weekend to do some re-focusing.
Day 19 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (30 mins)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (50 mins)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Today I struggled with some negative thoughts, both about my couple prior days where I missed a few of my goals, and also with my work struggles. I have decided my best bet at this point is to find a way to clear those frustrated thoughts and emotions out of my head.
This weekend I am going to focus on progress with my website development goals, and letting go of my negative feelings toward my faults. I read a bit about EFT from a post in the Steve Pavlina forum that someone mentioned, after walking through the instructions today trying it a couple times, and will keep that going as much as I can.
I truly believe these negative thoughts are more destructive to my will power and focus then anything else I do. The last 3-4 days, I have crashed physically and mentally. I could trace this to a couple small external factors, or I could even call it a healing crisis. Instead though, I am going to focus 100% on what I have control of, which is my emotional self, and use this hiccup as motivation.
So while I still feel slightly down and physically drained, my energy is growing to tackle this problem and blast through it.
Long week, glad to be back on track (for the most part), and glad to have the weekend to do some re-focusing.
Day 19 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (30 mins)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (50 mins)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Today I struggled with some negative thoughts, both about my couple prior days where I missed a few of my goals, and also with my work struggles. I have decided my best bet at this point is to find a way to clear those frustrated thoughts and emotions out of my head.
This weekend I am going to focus on progress with my website development goals, and letting go of my negative feelings toward my faults. I read a bit about EFT from a post in the Steve Pavlina forum that someone mentioned, after walking through the instructions today trying it a couple times, and will keep that going as much as I can.
I truly believe these negative thoughts are more destructive to my will power and focus then anything else I do. The last 3-4 days, I have crashed physically and mentally. I could trace this to a couple small external factors, or I could even call it a healing crisis. Instead though, I am going to focus 100% on what I have control of, which is my emotional self, and use this hiccup as motivation.
So while I still feel slightly down and physically drained, my energy is growing to tackle this problem and blast through it.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Day 17 & 18 - Balance
Well, I had my slip up day....which is extending into a bit of today.....a bit.
Yesterday started off well, but right as I was going to leave work, a friend asked me if I wanted to go to a Hockey game for free with her. Hrmmm, twist my arm. Husband had plans that evening, so I jumped. It left me ZERO time between leaving work and 10 pm to do anything on my list. No yoga, no evening prep items, ect ect. Bummed.
On the flip side, I have been reaching my physical breaking point. Working out 16 days straight was taking its toll. I was trying to take it easy the couple days prior, but yesterday and today I have had some muscle tension issues that have lead to bad headaches. This is part of my medical history, and while my limits are much better then they used to, I still have limits.
So I took yesterday off from Yoga, and again today. I am going to meditate a second time this evening as a replacement, but I will say, I think I needed a break overall. Mentally I have been struggling with my work goals, the people at work around me have been super stressed, and while I was not losing motivation, I was running super low on energy. So last night I took to myself, tonight I am taking it easy, and tomorrow I will be back up to 100%.
Day 17 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (30 mins)
Work Goals - Not done (struggled)
Daily Blog Entry - Not done
Yoga - Not done
Evening Prep - Not done
Home work time - Not done
(it pains me to write out that day.....sigh)
Day 18 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (40 mins)
Work Goals - Done (better, still needs major work)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not Done (replacing with meditation later)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
I knew I was approaching my wall, but had hoped I could make it til the weekend where I could recharge without deviation from the schedule. My current state of exhaustion I have analyzed, and since it could be several reasons, I have decided I just need to take a deep breath, eat well and drink fluids, get plenty of sleep tonight, and move on. I don't need to focus on the downside, as I do not want to end up staying there.
Tomorrow is Friday, happy for that. Have some minor plans over the weekend, and otherwise will have additional time to catch up on my lost work time yesterday and today. :)
Yesterday started off well, but right as I was going to leave work, a friend asked me if I wanted to go to a Hockey game for free with her. Hrmmm, twist my arm. Husband had plans that evening, so I jumped. It left me ZERO time between leaving work and 10 pm to do anything on my list. No yoga, no evening prep items, ect ect. Bummed.
On the flip side, I have been reaching my physical breaking point. Working out 16 days straight was taking its toll. I was trying to take it easy the couple days prior, but yesterday and today I have had some muscle tension issues that have lead to bad headaches. This is part of my medical history, and while my limits are much better then they used to, I still have limits.
So I took yesterday off from Yoga, and again today. I am going to meditate a second time this evening as a replacement, but I will say, I think I needed a break overall. Mentally I have been struggling with my work goals, the people at work around me have been super stressed, and while I was not losing motivation, I was running super low on energy. So last night I took to myself, tonight I am taking it easy, and tomorrow I will be back up to 100%.
Day 17 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (30 mins)
Work Goals - Not done (struggled)
Daily Blog Entry - Not done
Yoga - Not done
Evening Prep - Not done
Home work time - Not done
(it pains me to write out that day.....sigh)
Day 18 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (40 mins)
Work Goals - Done (better, still needs major work)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Not Done (replacing with meditation later)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
I knew I was approaching my wall, but had hoped I could make it til the weekend where I could recharge without deviation from the schedule. My current state of exhaustion I have analyzed, and since it could be several reasons, I have decided I just need to take a deep breath, eat well and drink fluids, get plenty of sleep tonight, and move on. I don't need to focus on the downside, as I do not want to end up staying there.
Tomorrow is Friday, happy for that. Have some minor plans over the weekend, and otherwise will have additional time to catch up on my lost work time yesterday and today. :)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Day 16 - Balance
Phew....busy days. Busy days.
Day 16 results
Wake 5 am - Done (actually got up at 4:15)
Meditate - Done (60 mins, included writing time)
Work Goals - Done (working on my new schedule, better, but not 'good' yet)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (35 minutes)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Woke at 4 am this morning wide awake. One of the cats then started yowling, so at 4:15 I just opted to get up, put him in a room until breakfast, and just use the time for some extra writing. I have been meditating, usually visualizing my goals, but keeping a supply of paper and pens in front of me. I set a goal so that I make sure to finish my meditation for the morning (as best I can), such as visualizing what my plan for the day will be, positive outcomes, and then a lot of times I work on some areas of problems, and write out a plan of attack. I do need to make sure I balance my plans with my actions.....starting to get a bit ahead of myself. So my meditation time is usually a mix of clearing my mind, visualization, and some focused writing.
I have a mental picture coming together of my next 30 day challenge. A lot of it is going to revolve around maintaining some of the habits I have created in my prior two challenges. Keeping the internet and TV time low, yoga and meditation on a regular basis, and continue setting aside time for my projects. Would like to make more progress on my work goals and projects that I have laid out this month. I am going to add a couple items in there to focus a bit on my husband and my felines, who have both probably lost a little of my time as of late. I think solidifying my habits, and making sure to give time and energy to those I love is a good follow up. I will still be busy, but mentally, it will be less 'new' items to instill. I feel like I have made some drastic changes in the last couple months, I probably need a bit more practice to make sure my habits stay in place. I have my home and work projects to keep me super motivated heading into the next 30 days.
But I am ahead of myself........still 14 more days to go here :)
Day 16 results
Wake 5 am - Done (actually got up at 4:15)
Meditate - Done (60 mins, included writing time)
Work Goals - Done (working on my new schedule, better, but not 'good' yet)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (35 minutes)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Woke at 4 am this morning wide awake. One of the cats then started yowling, so at 4:15 I just opted to get up, put him in a room until breakfast, and just use the time for some extra writing. I have been meditating, usually visualizing my goals, but keeping a supply of paper and pens in front of me. I set a goal so that I make sure to finish my meditation for the morning (as best I can), such as visualizing what my plan for the day will be, positive outcomes, and then a lot of times I work on some areas of problems, and write out a plan of attack. I do need to make sure I balance my plans with my actions.....starting to get a bit ahead of myself. So my meditation time is usually a mix of clearing my mind, visualization, and some focused writing.
I have a mental picture coming together of my next 30 day challenge. A lot of it is going to revolve around maintaining some of the habits I have created in my prior two challenges. Keeping the internet and TV time low, yoga and meditation on a regular basis, and continue setting aside time for my projects. Would like to make more progress on my work goals and projects that I have laid out this month. I am going to add a couple items in there to focus a bit on my husband and my felines, who have both probably lost a little of my time as of late. I think solidifying my habits, and making sure to give time and energy to those I love is a good follow up. I will still be busy, but mentally, it will be less 'new' items to instill. I feel like I have made some drastic changes in the last couple months, I probably need a bit more practice to make sure my habits stay in place. I have my home and work projects to keep me super motivated heading into the next 30 days.
But I am ahead of myself........still 14 more days to go here :)
Monday, March 2, 2009
Day 15 - Balance
Halfway....woohoo!!
All in all, I am thoroughly surprised at how well I have done on this challenge. My largest concerns, yoga daily and waking at 5 am, have been very consistent. The waking up has definitely gotten easier, and the yoga is now becoming very patterned for me in the evenings. I am a person that runs most of my daily schedule in a set routine. Come home, feed cats, change, start dinner, ect. Now I just inserted 'yoga' between change and cook dinner. At first, difficult, now, becoming more of the mindset that I cannot touch dinner even if I am super hungry UNTIL yoga is done.
I was struggling on my work goals and getting those wrapped up. Post unplugged challenge, I find myself slipping into old habits, but really only at work. Distractions distractions. Over the weekend though, I spent some time working through the problem, and decided, as seems to always be the case, I needed a more detailed plan. I needed to break the problem down into smaller pieces. Its not 'I need to avoid distractions', but more, what causes the distractions, how do I avoid those distractions through each part of the day, how do I keep motivation and productivity up, and so on. Today I worked on implementing those pieces, and I will continue through the week. First day in, my layout looks promising, but going to be some discipline work initially as I implement these changes. New habits, new routines, not worried though, I will figure it out.
Day 15 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (25 mins)
Work Goals - Done (still a couple holes, but implemented changes that felt promising)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (40 minutes)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Rarely do I get to say I am thoroughly happy with myself. Self confidence has always been a very tough item to come by in my head. The side effect of these challenges and their results, has been a large boost to my self esteem. Setting out goals and items that I need to achieve, and actually completing them for a change, is different for me. One thing that always frustrated me is that I was 'all talk'. I realize now that the act of setting a goal, laying out a plan, and finishing that goal is seriously a learned behavior, and that this was not something I was educated on growing up. I am now realizing I was angry at myself for something I truly did not know how to do. I was notorious for saying I was going to do this or that, in my life, at work, ect....but I never actually checked any of those items off my to do list. The progress I have made in just a few months, now I see that I can truly do ANYTHING.....seriously. Identify the area or problem or task, break it down into pieces, put a plan in place to tackle each piece. If I struggle, break it into smaller parts. Done.
Another side effect, is that I am also realizing that I have accomplished a lot prior to these challenges. It was not as obvious, but over time, I have truly made great strides. Maybe I was not as balanced or focused, but in the end, I can now see that I have done pretty well over time.
Suddenly I am in control, and my head is spinning with possibilities.
All in all, I am thoroughly surprised at how well I have done on this challenge. My largest concerns, yoga daily and waking at 5 am, have been very consistent. The waking up has definitely gotten easier, and the yoga is now becoming very patterned for me in the evenings. I am a person that runs most of my daily schedule in a set routine. Come home, feed cats, change, start dinner, ect. Now I just inserted 'yoga' between change and cook dinner. At first, difficult, now, becoming more of the mindset that I cannot touch dinner even if I am super hungry UNTIL yoga is done.
I was struggling on my work goals and getting those wrapped up. Post unplugged challenge, I find myself slipping into old habits, but really only at work. Distractions distractions. Over the weekend though, I spent some time working through the problem, and decided, as seems to always be the case, I needed a more detailed plan. I needed to break the problem down into smaller pieces. Its not 'I need to avoid distractions', but more, what causes the distractions, how do I avoid those distractions through each part of the day, how do I keep motivation and productivity up, and so on. Today I worked on implementing those pieces, and I will continue through the week. First day in, my layout looks promising, but going to be some discipline work initially as I implement these changes. New habits, new routines, not worried though, I will figure it out.
Day 15 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (25 mins)
Work Goals - Done (still a couple holes, but implemented changes that felt promising)
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (40 minutes)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Rarely do I get to say I am thoroughly happy with myself. Self confidence has always been a very tough item to come by in my head. The side effect of these challenges and their results, has been a large boost to my self esteem. Setting out goals and items that I need to achieve, and actually completing them for a change, is different for me. One thing that always frustrated me is that I was 'all talk'. I realize now that the act of setting a goal, laying out a plan, and finishing that goal is seriously a learned behavior, and that this was not something I was educated on growing up. I am now realizing I was angry at myself for something I truly did not know how to do. I was notorious for saying I was going to do this or that, in my life, at work, ect....but I never actually checked any of those items off my to do list. The progress I have made in just a few months, now I see that I can truly do ANYTHING.....seriously. Identify the area or problem or task, break it down into pieces, put a plan in place to tackle each piece. If I struggle, break it into smaller parts. Done.
Another side effect, is that I am also realizing that I have accomplished a lot prior to these challenges. It was not as obvious, but over time, I have truly made great strides. Maybe I was not as balanced or focused, but in the end, I can now see that I have done pretty well over time.
Suddenly I am in control, and my head is spinning with possibilities.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Day 13 & 14 - Balance
Weekend time again, decided again to post once for the whole weekend. I spent a lot of time working on my home 'work' goals, so I did not skip any productive time by any means.
Day 13 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (90 mins, included some writing time)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done (used it for work time)
Yoga - Done (30 minutes)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Day 14 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (90 mins, including some writing and planning time)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (30 minutes)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
I am extremely ecstatic that I managed to get up at 5 am both mornings this weekend with NO delay. That's two weekends in a row, and is an absolute record for me.
I am very tired tonight, my weekends have been fairly busy lately. When I spent years sick, the weekends were my recovery time. I usually had to relax and recoup the whole weekend to try and make it through a whole work of week. This was an essential part of my survival, I seriously had to stop and recover often or pay the consequences.
Now that I have improved my health, while there are times I need to recover, my requirement has gone down quite a bit. All that said, I am still not 100% used to being super busy on the weekends. Waking up at 5 am 7 days a week, keeping up with my busy checklist and exercise regime, definitely have to keep my limits in check. An extreme level of fatigue hit me Sunday afternoon last week, and its hitting again tonight. Going to post this blog, relax a bit, and turn in early. Need to start the week fresh or run out of gas before the week is over. :)
Day 13 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (90 mins, included some writing time)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done (used it for work time)
Yoga - Done (30 minutes)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
Day 14 results
Wake 5 am - Done
Meditate - Done (90 mins, including some writing and planning time)
Work Goals - Done
Daily Blog Entry - Done
Yoga - Done (30 minutes)
Evening Prep - Done
Home work time - Done
I am extremely ecstatic that I managed to get up at 5 am both mornings this weekend with NO delay. That's two weekends in a row, and is an absolute record for me.
I am very tired tonight, my weekends have been fairly busy lately. When I spent years sick, the weekends were my recovery time. I usually had to relax and recoup the whole weekend to try and make it through a whole work of week. This was an essential part of my survival, I seriously had to stop and recover often or pay the consequences.
Now that I have improved my health, while there are times I need to recover, my requirement has gone down quite a bit. All that said, I am still not 100% used to being super busy on the weekends. Waking up at 5 am 7 days a week, keeping up with my busy checklist and exercise regime, definitely have to keep my limits in check. An extreme level of fatigue hit me Sunday afternoon last week, and its hitting again tonight. Going to post this blog, relax a bit, and turn in early. Need to start the week fresh or run out of gas before the week is over. :)
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