My Revised Bucket List

rubyblossom

I revised my bucket list today.  I've had the list for many years, and things have been added or dropped off as my interests have changed.  For the most part, though, what is on the list today has been there since almost the beginning.

Here's my list as it stands today:

1. Reach my goal weight of 165 lbs.
2. Run a marathon.
3. Publish a novel.
4. Pay off all debt.
5. Learn Italian.
6. Visit Italy.
7. Get paid for my singing. // Done!
8. Journal as a daily habit.
9. Build an interesting blog.
10. Live at the beach.
11. Become famous in a good way.
12. Learn to snow ski.
13. Swim with dolphins.
14. Cruise to Alaska.
15. Vacation in New York city.
16. Learn to paint with watercolors.
17. Regularly practice meditation.
18. Visit the hot springs in Greenland.
19. See the Northern Lights.
20. Visit New England in the Fall.
21. Read all of the classic novels.

You can see the most up to date list on my Bucket List page.  As I complete the items on the list, I'll write about it, and you'll be able to see the links to those posts there.

The funny thing about my bucket list is I've always kept it tucked away out of sight.  And what happens when things are out of sight?  They're out of mind!  A few of the things on the list have made it to my goals for the year, and that's what I'll continue to do to make sure I actually get them done!

Do you have a bucket list?  How many things on the list have you completed so far?

2015 Goals Series: A Summary

This post is part of the 2015 Goals Series, where I'll share my goals for the year, why they are important to me, and how I plan to accomplish them.  You can follow along here.

angietorres

I am so happy to be writing this post.  I'm happy because this year I made the choice to think about the things I want to accomplish, and then was motivated to actually write them down.  This time last year -- not so much.

First I'll go back to 2013.  In 2013, I made grand plans for my annual goals.  They were well thought out, and well planned, and I had good intentions.  Very good intentions.  But something happened.  I don't even know what.  I let life get in the way, I guess.  I didn't stand up for what I wanted to do, and I didn't protect the time I needed to do it.  That's not to say that anyone stopped me.  That was all my doing.  I got lazy.  And then I got busy.  And then I was motivated, but too busy to catch up.  And then I was depressed because I couldn't catch up.  And then, I just gave up.

So last year, in 2014, I decided to take a different approach, and did not plan out what I wanted to accomplish.  I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself.  I had become quite busy with work and family and all of the stuff that goes with it.  I didn't want 2014 to end the way 2013 did -- me feeling depressed and sorry for myself because I had not accomplished anything.  So I figured I would just let things happen.  I had an idea of what I would like to do (like, everything on my list from 2013, and then some), but I told myself I would just fit it in when I could.  You know, when things slowed down, or when I found some spare time.  Well that just didn't work at all.

I've always know that I am a list-oriented type of worker.  Ask my husband.  The two of us grocery shopping together always ends up with someone getting mad (usually, that would be me).  When I shop, I have to have a list, in order by store sections, and I cross items off the list as I go along.  If it's not on the list, it doesn't exist.  My husband, on the other hand, prefers to just zip all around, going here and there, picking up this and that... it drives me insane!

Lists provide order for me, and organization, and something to strive for, and something to cross off so I can see what I have accomplished.  I don't know why I ever thought I would complete any of my goals without having them written down.

That brings us to 2015:  a fresh new start.  I love fresh new starts!  It didn't take me long to prepare my list of things to do this year.  They've been up in my head, poking at me and nagging me for two years!  And this time, I decided to share them with you, just for an extra dose of accountability.

So, without further ado, here are my goals for 2015:

• Reach my goal weight
• Read twelve books
• Finish writing my novel
• Publish a daily blog post
• Declutter our home
• Regularly maintain our household
• Develop a consistent meditation practice

In this "2015 Goals Series," I'll go into detail for each goal.  I'll explain why I want to accomplish it, and share my plan for how I will accomplish it.  I'll also post a monthly review of how I'm doing, so you can follow along as I'm being the most productive I've ever been.  It'll be fun, I promise!

Do you have any goals or resolutions for the coming year?  If you do, I'd love to hear about them. Please share them in the comments below, so we can cheer each other on!

Here's to a productive and fulfilling year ahead.  Let's get this party started!

Why Spring and Summer Are Not My Favorite Times of the Year

ganzoman

Almost everyone who knows me is aware of my love for Autumn and Winter.  I'm well-known for my "snow dance" that begins late in the Fall, and my constant tracking of any Winter weather that even hints at stopping at my doorstep. 

It's also true that I love the change into all of the seasons.  The transition from Summer to Fall is my most favorite, because we get some relief from the hot and humid days, and it's the coming of the cold, holiday season. Fall to Winter, as I've said, brings the chance of Winter weather.  It also brings my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Winter to Spring brings fleeting relief from the cold and dreary days and the possibility of me being warm.  Spring to Summer is not much of a transition in my neck of the woods, as they are very similar as far as temperature goes, but I do like the change of scenery -- trees are fully dressed in their grown-up leaves, and the pollen is gone.

For the most part, though, Spring and Summer are my least favorite seasons.  Here's why:

1. I don't like pastel colors.  They're all over the place in the Spring -- in Easter baskets, in fashion, and in cosmetics.  Blech.
2. I don't like showing so much skin.  It's not a body image thing, or a religious thing.  I just don't like it.  If I could get away with it, I would wear sweaters and turtlenecks year round.  I'm uncomfortable in my bare arms and blinding white skin.
3. I don't like bugs.  They bug me.  (See what I did there?  :) )  I can't enjoy sitting outside in the evenings without being pestered by mosquitoes.  And being outside during the day means dealing with ticks and gnats and wasps and bees.
4. I don't like to sweat.  Yes, I adore being warm, but there's a fine line between being snuggly warm and dripping with smelly sweat.  And I don't like crossing that line.

Yes, there are things that I do like about Spring and Summer, but for the most part, I don't enjoy them.  I've already begun my countdown to Autumn 2014.  It's on September 23 -- 153 more days -- in case you're wondering.  :)

Do you have a favorite season?  What do you like most about it? 

Until next time, be well.

365/30 List: Goals for This Month

promanex

This post is coming to you from my phone.  Don't you just love technology?

During the month of April, I am participating in 365/30 Lists.  It's basically a challenge for those who love to make lists to make those lists something meaningful, like a journal of sorts.  There's a list topic for each day of the week, and a different list for each month.

Today's list prompt is "goals for this month."  This is quite appropriate for me, since we are now in the fourth month of the year and I still haven't written out my goals.  Ugh.  Maybe monthly goals is the better way for me to go for now.

So, without further ado, here are my goals for this month.  I'll expand on each one in another post, as typing on my phone is more difficult than I thought it would be!

1.  Write a blog post every day.

2.  Ride the recumbant bike three times a week.

3.  Read five pages of fiction a night.

4.  Meditate for ten minutes every day.

5.  Drink three bottles of water every day.

So, there you have it.  I think these goals are quite doable, and hope to make each one of them a habit.

Do you like to make lists?  If so, you might enjoy the 365/30 List challenge.  I can't link to it here because I'm on my phone, but if you do a search for "365/30 Lists," you'll find links to the full list for April.

Must go for now.  My thumbs are getting tired!  

Until next time, be well.

How To: Weekly Planning in My Filofax

jakebourna

Hi there!

Not long ago I posted a YouTube video on my weekly planning process in my Filofax.  Since then, several folks have asked for the list of my weekly planning steps.

So, here's the list of things I do for my weekly planning each Sunday:

• Add important events of the week to the monthly index page.
• Clean out my planner and move old items to the archive.
• Review goals, update the status and schedule the next steps.
• Journaling:  Where am I in my goals?  What new ideas have come up?  What decisions need to be made?
• Write out tasks for the coming week.
• Review the past week to be sure no tasks have been left unaddressed.
• Review monthly list of things to do and schedule one or more for the coming week.
• Review planner setup things to do and schedule for the coming week.
• Review master task list and schedule one or more for the coming week.
• Add appointments in my Filofax to my Google Calendar so my husband can see them.  Put a check mark next to the appointment in the Filofax to show that it was added to Google Calendar.

There you have it.  It seems like a lot, but it really doesn't take too long.  I probably spend about an hour on my weekly planning each Sunday.  I think that's a small price to pay to make sure that I'm organized for the coming week.

Do you have a ritual for your weekly planning?

A Week in my Filofax #6

Hi!  I've fallen a little behind in my weekly review posts, but I'm ready to get back on the bandwagon.  So let's get started.

Sunday, Feb. 3:  Not a very productive day, as it was Superbowl Sunday and we met friends late in the afternoon to watch the game at the Tilted Kilt.  We didn't really have a favorite in the game (ours is a Steelers household), but part of the fun of the Superbowl is getting together with friends and watching the commercials, right?  By the way, the "farmer" commercial was by far my favorite.

Monday, Feb. 4:  Fairly productive day, even though I took a half-day off from work to go to a much awaited doctor appointment.  Nothing of any relevance to report.

Tuesday, Feb. 5:  Spent the day at home sick, partially related to the doc appointment on the previous day.  Not cool.

Wednesday, Feb 6:  Pretty productive day.  We also found out that a good friend of several years passed away suddenly.  Most of the evening was spent in shock and reaching out to mutual friends. 

Thursday, Feb. 7:  Another productive day, including several high school related activities in the evening for Sarah.  She's already planning her schedule for next year!  Time really does fly by too quickly.

Friday, Feb. 8:  Average day with nothing  major to report.  I was really exhausted in the evening, and fell asleep on the couch at 8:30.  I woke up at 9:30 and went right to bed.

Saturday, Feb. 9:  Pretty busy day.  I was up early to have my annual mammogram, and then did a bit of shopping at Staples and Walgreens.  After that, I went home to pick up the rest of the family and we did some more shopping for guinea pig supplies and a stop at Bath and Body Works, and lunch at Panera.  (A half bacon turkey bravo sandwich and broccoli cheese soup is my staple there!)  I finished off the night by going to a girls get-together with a friend.  That was much fun!


I've been thinking of my friends in the Northeast who are buried in snow.  I love the white stuff and pray daily that we get some, but I don't think even I want THAT much!  :)

I hope you all had a great week.  Did you do anything fun and exciting?

What's on My iPhone

Hi!  I'm having a bit of an "overwhelmed" day, so I thought I'd make today's blog post something simple and fun.

Here's what's on my iPhone 4:

• 1479 songs
• 3 videos
• 208 photos
• 51 applications

My iPhone has a 13.7GB capacity, and I'm down to 312MG available.  :(  I'm debating on whether or not to move my music to an iPod.  I really like having everything in one place on my phone, but the space thing is becoming an issue.

I won't go through each one of the apps on my phone.  That would take too long, and would likely bore you to tears.  But here are the apps that I use most often on a daily basis:

• Messages - for text messages.  I love texting.  I don't like talking on the phone, so texting is the next best thing.
• Contacts - I keep all of my contact info and passwords here.  It syncs with my Google contacts, so if my phone ever dies, I have a good backup.
• Calendar - I don't really use this much, as I'm more of a Filofax girl.  But I do use the calendar to remind me of important things, and I also put my appointments here so my husband can see what I have scheduled (I share my calendar with him).
• Facebook - No explanation necessary.
• Twitter - Again, no explanation necessary.  I do find that I'm spending more time on Twitter these days than Facebook.  Facebook has just become annoying.
• Instagram - I use this app to share photos with Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr, and obviously my Instagram following as well.
• Pandora - I use this to listen to my favorite tunes while doing chores or getting dinner ready.  Right now my favorite "channel" is Mumford and Sons.
• WRAL-FM - This is an app for a local radio station.  I frequenly listen to their morning show while I'm getting ready for work.  Bill and Lynda and Vanna help to brighten my morning.  :)
• WRAL.com - This is an app for my favorite local news channel.  I visit this at least once a day, most times more.
• FoxNews - My other go-to news app.
• Good - This is the app I use to access my work email, calendar and tasks.
• Phone - Obviously.
• Mail - Another obvious one.
• Safari - My web browser of choice right now on my phone.
• Music - Obviously. 

Again, I have many other apps that I use on a pretty frequent basis, like Kindle, YouTube, my bank, Google Maps, FourSquare, and Weather.com.  But the ones above I visit every single day, and in most cases, many times a day.

So there you have it.  A quick walk through of my iPhone and my most-used apps.  What are some of your favorite apps?  Please share in the comments.  I'm always looking for new ones!

You Want Happy? Here's 45 Things...

I keep many lists in my Filofax, but one list in particular holds a special place, front and center.  It's a list of 45 Things To Make You Happy Right Now.

I discovered it on the Lifehack blog.  Have you guys been there?  You really should.  It has crazy good information about, well, how to hack your life.  I visit there almost every day.

Anyway, I was drawn to this particular list, so I printed it out and slid it into the promenent top-loading clear pocket at the front of my Filofax, so I am reminded about it every day.

A few of the things on the list I have done, like taking a power nap (ok, I've probably done that one a dozen times or more -- I heart naps), buying someone lunch, and drawing a picture.  I hope to get through them all before the end of the year, but I'm not making that a goal and I won't beat myself up if that doesn't happen.  That would take the "happy" out of it for me!

So here's the list.  You can also find it here in its glory at the Lifehack blog.  Really, you should go there right after you read this list.  You won't be disappointed.

1. Take a power nap (20 minutes).
2. Leave a generous tip at a restaurant.
3. Become a vegetarian/vegan.
4. Get rid of 3 things you never use.
5. Write down 3 things you’re grateful for.
6. Don’t use Facebook for the rest of the day.
7. Stop watching/reading the news for a week.
8. Buy a new album on iTunes.
9. Write a journal entry.
10. Meditate.
11. Go to the local coffee shop and talk to the barista.
12. Sign up for a fitness class.
13. Set a fitness goal.
14. Watch a romantic comedy.
15. Grab a book at the library.
16. Join a book club.
17. Take a deep breath.
18. Clean your bathroom. Just do it. There are surprising benefits to a clean space.
19. Sit on a park bench.
20. Talk to the stranger next to you.
21. Send someone a card “just because”.
22. Go for a walk.
23. Buy a plane ticket…to anywhere.
24. Call a friend.
25. Email a friend.
26. Set a goal and get super-motivated.
27. Stop being busy. Start being productive. Ask yourself: “Is my work producing direct results?”
28. Cancel everything on your schedule that you’re not excited to do.
29. Hell, just cancel everything on your schedule.
30. Hide your credit card.
31. Start your life list.
32. Clean-up your desktop. Use Alfred to find things on your computer. It’ll change your life!
33. Watch a TED talk.
34. Go for a bike ride.
35. Turn off the computer for the rest of the day.
36. Smile.
37. Buy someone lunch.
38. Make a list of every kick ass thing you’ve already done in your life.
39. Draw a picture
40. Make a decision to stop doing what’s making you unhappy.
41. Make a list of things you want to do before your next birthday.
42. Drink some water.
43. Take a picture of something beautiful.
44. Read Zen Habits.
45. Stop reading this. Get off your butt and do something. NOW.

Is there something that makes you happy that is not on this list?  Please share it in the comments below! 

A List: Things I'm Good At

This is part of a series of posts for the "30 Days of Lists" project.  To read more of my posts related to this project, go to my "30 Days of Lists" page, or click on the "lists" tag.

To learn more about the project, visit the ladies at 30 Days of Lists!  They're awesome!

1. Singing
2. Writing
3. Procrastinating
4. Relaxing
5. Driving
6. Organizing
7. Taking Charge
8. Notebook collecting
9. Planning
10. Worrying

A List: A Few Things About Me

This is part of a series of posts for the "30 Days of Lists" project.  To read more of my posts related to this project, go to my "30 Days of Lists" page, or click on the "lists" tag.

To learn more about the project, visit the ladies at 30 Days of Lists!  They're awesome!

1. I love snow.
2. I hate being cold
3. I am working on my first novel.
4. I love cereal.
5. I hate beets.
6. My middle name is Lynn.
7. I rock the karaoke stage.
8. I will faint at the sight of blood.
9. I am grouchy without my coffee.
10. I am learning to meditate.