photo credit: @markusspiske via Unsplash
It’s been (quite) a while since I took stock. The months are just flying by. I honestly don’t know how it’s September. Where did this year go?
Demerits
- Feedly. It’s been on and off again. I have no logical explanation for why it’s working for a while and then it’s not. I apologize for this inconsistency. I am not sure if it’s a Feedly problem (although I know that other blogs seem to be affected at times), or a hosting problem, but despite serious efforts, I still have not been able to sort this out yet. (I think it’s working now, so fingers crossed it stays this way.)
- The state of my kitchen table. Engie recently shared things about her home (I loved that post!) and asked why the dining room table becomes the landing pad for every random piece of mail/business/shopping/to-do list item, and I’d like to ask the same regarding our kitchen table. I swear I try to keep it clutter-free, but I am not doing a good enough job and I am constantly moving things around. I need to set up a better filing system elsewhere.
- Not spending enough time in our backyard this summer. I’m not sure if you want to call this a demerit, but it makes me sad. I did not put any effort into our backyard this year. I didn’t plant anything (because I was traveling in April and May during the time I would usually set up the garden) and then it was so hot that I didn’t want to spend any more time outside than absolutely necessary. I did clean up our patio set up and got out the umbrella, and I think we might have had dinner out there twice, but didn’t do much else to make the yard inviting and I am a bit disappointed in myself.
- Screen time. I’ve been scrolling way too much in the evenings lately. I am pulled into the abyss of recipe and IKEA hacks reels (and now I want a makeover of our whole home!). It’s such a nice distraction. I feel that I am getting some worth out of it but at the same time, I lament that I didn’t open my Kindle App to read instead. Sigh. I know I can fix this.
Gold Stars
- Wardrobe purge. A few weeks ago, I pulled everything out of my closet and started sorting. I knew that once I had everything spread out on our bed, I’d have to go through it and clear the bed before bedtime. Do you trick yourself into doing things like this? In the end, I only spent maybe 2 hours of my time and got two big bags of clothing (one to donate, one to toss) out of my closet. I felt so accomplished. (Now I have to go through my footwear. I started with donating some of my retired, but in-good-condition running shoes recently.)
- Reorganization of my desk/work area. I have a fairly small desk and it gets cluttered up quickly, but I rearranged a few things (to make it more functional) and have a little bit more room to put things down (e.g. my coffee cup and my notebook).
- Marathon training. That is a huge gold star for me. As you know, I am no stranger to (almost) daily workouts and you know I stick to my routines, but running five days a week is kind of new for me and it’s been an adjustment. But I am in week 7 of marathon training and have been able to hit all training sessions every week. I thrive on sticking to a plan.
- Communication. One of my biggest pet peeves is poor communication and while nobody is immune from making mistakes, I am trying really hard to be a good communicator, especially at work. Few things drive me more crazy than people not responding to meeting invites, emails, or requests. I’ve been working on timely responses and answering every and all questions in emails from colleagues.
- Hunting down European plums at the Farmers Market. Once a year, I need to bake a German streusel plum cake. Need I say more?
How have things been going for you? Share a recent demerit and gold star with me!
Elisabeth
September 18, 2024 at 3:05 pmSo many amazing gold stars.
Scrolling is a consistent demerit for me, but sometimes I think it’s a good thing. It’s okay to let my mind wander on the internet. It’s a slippery slope, but I bet you make excellent use of your time and having some “mindless” scrolling of things that legitimately interest you (IKEA hacks are SO cool) is still activating your brain and engaging you?
Going through old clothes is one of my favourite ways to de-stress!
And the marathon training is incredible. So proud of you!
San
September 18, 2024 at 8:20 pmI think you’re right – some wandering on the Internet is allowed, even encouraged, as long as we keep an eye on it ;)
Nicole MacPherson
September 18, 2024 at 3:20 pmThose are some great gold stars! I love a wardrobe purge.
My garden has been a huge gold star this year. I now have pumpkins and butternut squash to harvest. It’s been so much fun and I am actually seeing the difference in our grocery bills. Maybe not enough to make up for the actual cost of building the garden but hey, those are sunk costs.
Demerit…I was feeling very impatient with some people last weekend and I really should have been better about that.
San
September 18, 2024 at 8:20 pmOh you’re garden is definitely a gold star – I am living vicariously through you, my friend, you’ve been doing such an amazing job!
Meike
September 18, 2024 at 10:31 pmMaybe next year will be a better garden year for your outside space? I would have liked more time relaxing in the backyard but I spend a fair amount cleaning it up. I am so impressed by your Marathon Training. I did sign up for Fitness classes and I would give myself a foldstar for that. I realized I need the commitment of signing up at a specific time and not being able to back out of it.
coco
September 18, 2024 at 10:58 pmour dining table is a lego stationary, 1/4 of the table, and I’ve given up telling lizzy to put them somewhere else.
Both wardrobe purge and cleaning up the desk would feel rewarding for me too. I do it once every 1-2 months, especially for the girls to get rid of clothes that don’t fit anymore. I like to declutter too, few minutes per day, and gives me some small accomplishment feelings.
oh on luteal phase training. From what I’ve read, it doesn’t impact all women, but I know it affects me for sure, either because it takes me longer to cool down as basal temperature is higher, or just generally lower energy. I also sleep less in those days, although not every month. You can write it down for few months to observe your personal pattern. It’s useful to know so you don’t feel like you’ve lost fitness.
NGS
September 19, 2024 at 8:46 amI have officially broken up with Feedly. They don’t treat you right, so they don’t get me as a user!
Gold star: I did recently declutter one of the totes under the guest room bed. I’ve only had it on my to-do list for 21 months.
Demerit: The dog was sick yesterday and I worked at home to care for her/clean up the disaster area she created and I didn’t really get any work done OR even manage to fit in a workout for myself. Boo. I prioritized badly.