Redefining My Goals

I love goals, in the same way that I love lists.
Over the last couple of decades I've taken delight in setting goals and seeing them come to fruition, even if it does take a couple of years longer than originally anticipated.
This last year I've found it hard to find time for my big goals. This month alone I've had plans compromised by a sore back, changes to the routine at work and now I'm getting over days off work with laryngitis.

Nevertheless, I've come to realise there are some things I do that account for why my goals haven't been happening these last few months.

• I plot the big goal each week. I never get to it. I never pinpoint a time or action.
• I spend  waste a lot of time on the computer when I could be doing something more productive and, most likely, more enjoyable.
• I do have a large number of goals in addition to my regular work commitments and everything else that needs attention in the week.

Well, the time spent reading blogs hasn't been all wasted.  I found a lot of useful ideas after reading comments about routines and goal-setting on the  Down-to-Earth Forum  and  I found some great advice on  http://organisingqueen.com/ .

I know I should probably have crossed out a goal or two and shortened the list,  but I just couldn't.  So, based on what I learnt from the sites above, I have refined my planning.

• I allocated two blocks of time where I could be pretty sure it wouldn't get swallowed up by other  weekly happenings.
• I identified  a smaller, achievable action for the bigger goals for that week alone.
• I moved housework down the priority list (except for the main jobs)

Voila!  It worked.

Take a look.   

Goals:  FAMILY TREE,  FAIRY GARDEN, BLOGGING, HOME
Time:   Tuesday night   I hour,    Saturday 1 hour
Task :  FT - Start collating all the details I have on great, great, grandfather MB
            FG - Go op shopping and see whether they have any little knick-knacks that could be used in
                    the fairy garden.
Result: FT- Done. Had time to go onto trove.nla.gov.au and find more old newspaper articles.
            FG - Nothing special for the fairies but I did find a basket which I'm going to upcycle and use
                    for some spring flowers.

The best result is feeling motivated to go about my week's routine. I feel like I'm achieving and, most of all, I experience the joy that comes with working on my goals.  I've noticed, too,  the positive vibe lifts my spirit and spills over into other areas of  life. I thought about what wasn't working and what I wanted to work. I'm glad to say that the readjustment has actually worked!

My Simple Life

This is a post I prepared a while ago when I moved into my new home. I don't seem to find the space these days to think about life as I did back then ...which is why I want to get back to blogging. Spring is upon us and it is my hope to once again be inspired by the beauty and richness which surround me, and through my blogging, to find the time to savour this.

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I've just moved into my new home. It's charming, sweet, comfortable and cosy. It's better than I had imagined. I decided to move for practical reasons. I desperately needed more space and I wanted a garage. The charm and character of this cottage-styled home, as well as the lovely setting, were extras I had never counted on. It's still hard to believe it's mine.

This house has solar panels and a wood heater. It's relatively small and sits on a small piece of land. It's situated in a prefabricated suburb, one which I had previously refused to look at, but as such it comes with lovely lakes and gardens. I ride my bike regularly and enjoy getting out  and about.

Simple living?

Well, not totally. However I feel like I've landed the perfect place for me and, at the same time, I can look forward to taking all my experience and knowledge of simple living and see how it might work in with my new life here.

OK, I'm not committed to green living the way some enthusiasts are, but I do want it to be a part of my lifestyle and my intention of living well along the pot-holed road to happiness; a life where people are more important than things, where there is respect for the natural environment, where quality is more important than quantity...

So far there have been many opportunities where I've been able to uphold my ideals:

• eating home-cooked meals
• riding my bike around for exercise and enjoyment
• saying hello to the neighbours
• in the big clean-up, sending useful pieces and clothing to Vinnies, recycling all that used paper which was kept in boxes over the years and never referred to
• de-cluttering, de-cluttering and de-cluttering
• using cardboard boxes wherever possible- we went to the supermarket and waited as they unpacked goods onto the shelves then  reused the boxes again in the sorting process
• I haven't needed to buy anything new for this house which has been a blessing, all of my old furniture has fitted in well here
• I now subscribe to solar energy

It's encouraging to see that habits learnt in my previous life carry over into my new life almost automatically.

With immense gratitude I sit back and appreciate all that I have and all that my life offers me. The sun shines through the window as I write. I am warm and comfortable on this icy, cold day. I have a lovely home and an opportunity to live life well. Amongst the clutter, the empty boxes, the filled-to-the-brim boxes and the emerging tranquility, I am rich today.

Back to blogging

I’m back.

Back to blogging.

I like writing. My life feels as if it has greater purpose when I reflect and write.

I like keeping track of my pot-holed journey along the road to happiness, living simply and making the most of what each day brings.

 

But most of all, I want to be a voice for those who know SAd. Or perhaps, more to the point, I want to be a voice for those who don’t know SAd. I think the most difficult thing facing those with SAd is not knowing they have it and all the while trying desperately to advance their life to little or no avail.

Come and join me as I share a little more of my simple, happy, SAd life.



Enjoying the local neighbourhood.




My tiny apple tree.

Along the garden path.