Weekends used to mean watering the houseplants, watering the patio plants, changing the sheets, and boiling new hummingbird nectar. I always knew when these chores had last been done. Today is Saturday, but after several weeks of retirement, the days are a jumble. When did I change the sheets? I don't remember. How long has that hummingbird nectar been out there? I don't know.
The holidays are over. Time to get organized.
I HAVE put together a sort of structure to aim for: a daily allotment of 20 minutes strength training, 40 minutes treadmill (because that's how long a West Wing segment lasts), I hour unpacking and rearranging, 30 minutes learning something new, 30 to 60 minutes household maintenance, two hours reading, and so on. That, of course, fell apart the first day when most everything but the exercising took longer than I aimed for. But rather than give myself Ann Landers' lashes with a wet noodle, I remembered my Midwestern retired friend's description (see November 22) of what she aims for and how she measures herself against it. She tries each day to include five things: 1) something she does for herself; 2) something she does for others; 3) something for the inside of her house; 4) something for the outside of her house; and 5) something professional. She doesn't tally up every night. Every few days she thinks back on what she's been doing. If she has let something slide, she puts greater effort into that area.
I think I can live with that kind of structure. My daily list says what I want to be sure to do: get time for reading, creating, fun, and learning; time for exercise; time for other people; and time for all the tasks that keep a well-rounded daily life going. Some days one or more of those is going to crowd out the others. But if I'm aware of what I want to fit in, and if I assess myself every few days, maybe that kind of structure will work.
Anyway, it's New Year's Eve, and time for resolutions, right?
The holidays are over. Time to get organized.
I HAVE put together a sort of structure to aim for: a daily allotment of 20 minutes strength training, 40 minutes treadmill (because that's how long a West Wing segment lasts), I hour unpacking and rearranging, 30 minutes learning something new, 30 to 60 minutes household maintenance, two hours reading, and so on. That, of course, fell apart the first day when most everything but the exercising took longer than I aimed for. But rather than give myself Ann Landers' lashes with a wet noodle, I remembered my Midwestern retired friend's description (see November 22) of what she aims for and how she measures herself against it. She tries each day to include five things: 1) something she does for herself; 2) something she does for others; 3) something for the inside of her house; 4) something for the outside of her house; and 5) something professional. She doesn't tally up every night. Every few days she thinks back on what she's been doing. If she has let something slide, she puts greater effort into that area.
I think I can live with that kind of structure. My daily list says what I want to be sure to do: get time for reading, creating, fun, and learning; time for exercise; time for other people; and time for all the tasks that keep a well-rounded daily life going. Some days one or more of those is going to crowd out the others. But if I'm aware of what I want to fit in, and if I assess myself every few days, maybe that kind of structure will work.
Anyway, it's New Year's Eve, and time for resolutions, right?
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