Where I’m At #4

“Where I’m at” posts are just random updates about what’s going on in my life at any random time, based on the areas / roles in my life. Any particular goals I’m working on will be highlighted, so you can easily see what I’m actively working on improving (and see that I do try to practice what I preach). Leave a comment & give me ideas for things you’d like to see me write individual posts about!

Hi everyone! It’s been a rough month for my family – we all got COVID mid-November, & apparently we’re all still dealing with the aftermath. Yeah, seriously. My kids’ pediatrician told me I was probably misdiagnosed with a sinus infection because she said they’ve regularly seen some COVID symptoms lasting up to 15 weeks. So there’s that.

On a better note, our holidays were lovely, & I hope yours was as well!

Let’s get into how December went for me…

planner : I actually just switched up my Notion setup a little bit! My main dashboard is now a gallery view of the PARA method, with “Projects” being the equivalent of my planner. “Areas” are the equivalent of the roles you see here, with each area having a separate page & each relevant page having a section for tasks & notes. I like it a lot so far! Also, I’m really excited to move into a new journal! I’ve made an entire year fit into an A5 Stalogy for the second year in a row, & that poor notebook is about to explode!

self (body & mind, emotion & education) : I’ve really been struggling with my diet & exercise ever since I first got sick; that’s a real challenge for me – picking back up after illness. (Something for me to work on!) I’ve really been enjoying journaling & writing my blog posts; haven’t been terribly interested in reading any books lately (I keep trying to read Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Workweek because I like his writing style & some of his ideas, but I just can’t stay interested.) Emotionally, I’ve been pretty up & down because of being sick. Bleh.
marriage : We’ve been rediscovering old ways to have adventures, considering the weather. It’s been fun going “window shopping” & spontaneous restaurants for dinner!
mom (BooBoo & Bubby) : The girls have been great, despite having a very persistent cough. Their favorite Xmas gifts included some Magna Tiles, Miraculous Dolls, & Furblets lol
teacher (K & PK) : We’ve been taking it easy this month, to prep for & enjoy the holidays. We’ve worked through the curriculum a little bit when they felt like it, but most of this month’s education centered around the science of the changing seasons, measuring ingredients for homemade treats, playing games, & doing holiday worksheets.
zB : Had to move some things around because I was really struggling to maintain focus this month, & I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough posts ready for the month, but I somehow managed to pull everything together & I’m excited to share those with you!!!
homemaker (finance, cleaning, travel) : I don’t even wanna talk about the finances this month LOL – I just keep telling myself “tis the season!” I’ve gotten a lot more cleaning done with us not focusing so much on school, so that’s good. And I’ve been trying to plan some interesting adventures for these cold & snowy months – We’ll see what happens!
witch – Nothing going on here; I really should try to find some time to at least meditate more regularly, though I do a little bit every night.
reseller – Absolutely nothing going on here, besides a couple of sales. I’m still very much in limbo about how I want to go about my whole resale business right now & in the future. It’s just not a priority.

Currently

eating – Lots of soup!

drinking – Hot lime water 😋

watching – Beast Games, Xmas movies, Lincoln Lawyer, & finished Royal Pains just in time for it to leave Netflix!

reading – Blog posts

playing – “Beat the Parents “ & “Would You Rather?” (card games from the Dollar Tree that I got the kids hehe)

buying – All kinds of stuff we don’t need, just cuz it’s discounted post-holiday (we really need to put the brakes on! LOL)

listening to – Rain!

celebrating – My youngest is turning 4! 🥳

pinning – self care, journaling, homeschool stuff, & Green Day lol

planning – Kiddo’s bday, goals

feeling – Excited for a new year!

How was your December, & what are you looking forward to in January? Let me know in the comments below!!

And if you’d like, feel free to use this free desktop background I made on Canva for whatever you’d like (I was just screwing around while I was sick, hehe) 😘

See you next week!!

Punk Rock Guidelines for Manifesting a Life You Love

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While daydreaming & scripting may make your wishes feel more attainable, nothing is going to get you where you want to be quite like actually doing something about it. Here are some punk rock guidelines to consider when manifesting a life you love.

Define your vision of success for your life

Nevermind what society, family, friends, acquaintances, or that guy at work who’s always looking at you funny thinks. What makes you feel fulfilled?

Find radical focus & clarity

No fluffy BS – Get crystal clear about your vision of an ideal life. You could even try making a vision board with only things that truly resonate with your authentic self.

Embrace selective apathy to remain focused

Be picky with what you give a fuck about – You may find that you stress yourself out about stupid shit, when you could be focused on making progress toward your goals in life.

Manifest by doing, not waiting

Scripting & visualization are good starting points for an action plan. Just make sure you do the work by taking action on the plan. Small steps daily add up to huge changes in the long run – “It doesn’t matter how slow you go, so long as you do not stop” – Confucius

Create an “I don’t care, I’m doing it anyway” list

Make a list of things you’re sick of putting off for “a more opportune time” or “more research”, & commit to trying one thing for each month of the year.

Reframe past failures into fuel

“Whatever doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger.” While that’s a load of crap half the time, you have to try to spin as much of the BS life throws at you as possible. Look for lessons to learn & ways to grow through tough times.

Edit your life’s playlist

Just like a playlist of your favorite music is unique to you, so is your life. Choose which “tracks” you’d like to “play” more or less often, such as your education, career, hobbies, & relationships, and create a lifestyle that is authentic to you.

Stay true to your vision

Whatever you set your intention to, stay stubborn in accomplishing it. Commit to the fact that any obstacle can be overcome, you just need to figure out how.

“Act as if”

Embody the ideal you’re striving for now. Today, & every day. If you want to be an artist, live as an artist would in your eyes, & create something daily. “Fake it til you make it”, if you must (that’s what most people do!)

Celebrate the little things

Be sure to acknowledge your progress with pride. Every step forward is a step in the right direction!

Conclusion

Actively create a life you love – Dream it, do it, own it, & revel in it. Every chance you get.

Which ideas resonated most with you? Let me know in the comments!

7 Unconventional Goal Ideas for the New Year (start now!)

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New Year’s resolutions are stupid. People pledge to do this thing that they don’t have an actual system for, & change that thing for 2 weeks, & it doesn’t work. Let’s get real about personal growth & plan outside the box this year, shall we? Here are 7 unconventional goal ideas for the new year to contemplate executing now.

“Don’t Do” Bingo

Get a blank bingo grid (or use the one I made, at the end of this post) & fill the boxes with habits, relationships, or activities you want to let go of. If you feel satisfied that you’ve moved on from something on your bingo card, mark it off. When you get a “bingo”, you should treat yourself to a concert or something to celebrate your determination & self respect!

Theme

Instead of goals, choose a theme for the year. Be more intentional with how you show up for your daily life using this theme as a guide for your actions & decisions.

Feeling goals

What do you want to feel more of this year (peace, joy, etc)? Brainstorm activities to bring more of these feelings into your life!

What is your signature strength?

What is your signature strength? Are you particularly good at writing, teaching, or making people laugh? Consider ways to use this strength more intentionally in your daily life.

Set monthly challenges for yourself

You could experiment with different lifestyles by trying a special diet for a week, a scheduled “do nothing day” each week, or a digital minimalism month with no social media one week, no electronics after 10pm another week, & so on. You could also commit to dabbling into learning about a different topic you’ve been interested in each month, like a new language, skill, or hobby – dabbling lessens the pressure of mastery!

Plan mini adventures

Monthly, if possible! A hike or a bike ride & then out for lunch is always fun. Or you could check out a local historical spot you’ve never visited. Museums, zoos, & art galleries are often open year round, and you can camp out at some national parks for free (or cheap!)

Start a gratitude box

Get a big empty jar or cigar box, & add small notes or mementos to it throughout the year. Whenever you need a little boost of gratitude, pop it open & review your deposits!

Conclusion

That are a lot of fulfilling ways to set goals that don’t involve the rigidity of typical systems. Think outside the box & expand your horizons!

What unique goals do you have for the coming year? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

And here’s a simple “Don’t Do Bingo” card, if you’d like to use it 😊

Year End Reflection : 12 Days of Questions to Connect With Your True Self

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They say that “hindsight is 20-20”, suggesting that you learn the most from reflection on your past experiences. In this week’s post, I’m encouraging you to review your calendar, social media posts, journal entries, whatever you can use to gain some insight into the past year so that you can go into the next with clarity & direction. I insist you take your time journaling your answers, when applicable. Here are 12 days worth of questions to connect with your true self :

Past year

Look back through your calendar, etc – What were the best & worst events of the past year?
What was the biggest challenge you faced, & how did you overcome that challenge?
“Let go of things that no longer serve you, & things you can’t control.” – What would you like to leave in the past? How can you do that?
Describe the past year in one sentence.

Life, & the grand scheme of things

What are you passionate about?
What are your most notable skills?
What did you enjoy most when you were a kid?
What are your values?

Next year

What relationships encouraged growth last year, & how can you nurture those relationships this year?
What would you like to end next year saying, “I’m so glad I did (this), I’m proud that I accomplished (that)”?
How can you simplify your desires from #10 so that they align with your values? Consider the Pareto Principle to prioritize the action steps on your quests, meaning that only 20% of your efforts will be truly fruitful.
Describe next year’s focus in one word.

Conclusion

Reflecting on the past is a great way to connect with who you truly are & where you want to go with your life. I hope these questions provide some insight for your direction in the coming year.

If you answer online, leave a comment with a link below!!

And if you’d like a printout of these questions to add to your journal, here you go!

A Guide to Celebrating the Winter Solstice for Inner Balance

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For those living in the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice arrives on December 21 this year—a night longer than all others because we’re the furthest distance from the sun that we’ll be all year. Winter is a great season for rest, reflection, and renewal, so here are some ideas for celebrating the solstice with introspective practices, ways to connect with nature, and some nurturing self-care.

Introspective Practices

Meditation – There’s no better way to slow down and absorb the moment than spending some time in meditation. Meditation is an especially wonderful practice this time of year, whether a few minutes of mindfulness or an hour visualizing how you’d like the coming month to unfold.

Journaling – There are tons of year end journaling prompts on the internet (I’ll even be posting some in the coming weeks!), but you could always just freewrite anything that comes to mind. Explore the feelings of the moment, or the season. List your favorite seasonal changes or holiday traditions. You could even script a manifestation for the coming year, or reflect on your progress from the past year.

Gratitude – Write a long list of everything that fills your soul with peace (seriously, the longer the better). Your accomplishments, your loved ones, everything you like. It’s good for your whole wellbeing to be able to see the joy of your life in one long list.

Connecting with nature

Dawn or dusk walk – If you’re nothing like me & can stand to bundle up & trek around outside this time of year, that can be a great way to get in tune with nature. Absorb the smell of the cold air, the sights of tracks in the snow perhaps, & the refreshing feel of a cold breeze on your cheeks. Or, if you are like me, spend a few mindful minutes looking out your window to see what fauna you can spot.

Decorate with found items – Bringing some nature into your living space can be another great way to connect with this time of year. Make a special spot to decorate with pine cones, pine branches, or anything else you find outside.

Stargazing – This is another one for those of you who don’t mind the cold (Hello, I’m the Heat Miser! lol) Even I will find myself pausing for a moment after a late-night grocery run to appreciate the refreshing cold air & a sparkling starry sky.

Self care ideas

Warm bath – Bubbles & bombs or not, soaking in some hot water is soothing to the soul. You can add some essential oils as you fill the tub (bonus points for seasonal scents), light a candle with the intent of rejuvenation, or play some relaxing music. Even a quick soak after a shower is good for you.

Enjoy some herbal tea – Herbal tea doesn’t typically have much (if any) caffeine, so feel free to enjoy it any time of day or night. Keep it on a cup warmer & enjoy it for hours if you like! Doing so will encourage you to pause throughout the time it takes to drink it, & savor the warmth, smell, & taste it provides.

Digital detox, or information detox – Take a break from absorbing the wealth of information & entertainment our screens provide. Indulge in some “analog” hobbies such as arts, crafts, reading a book, playing a board game with loved ones, or any other offline activity that feels good to you. Your peace of mind will thank you!

Conclusion

The winter solstice is a wonderful reminder of the cycles of life & how we each fit into that process. Taking some time for introspection, self care, & getting in tune with the natural world around you are great ways to find some inner balance, especially amidst the busy holiday season.

How do you celebrate the winter solstice? Share your thoughts & practices in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you!

Where I’m At #3

Where I'm At

planner : Trying to refresh my whole system ahead of the new year because I feel a bit stagnant. I’m testing out a simplified morning routine, a more insight driven journaling routine, and a more simplified goal planning system.
self (body & mind, emotion & education) : Ugh. So my whole family had COVID for a week or so, right? I had worse symptoms than everyone else (I’ll spare you the details lol), and then I developed a sinus infection, which I’m still dealing with. So, everything’s a bit blah for me right now, but I’m trying to take it a bit easy while also trying to get back on track with everything.
marriage (relationship & libido) : We’re doing alright. I’ve been too sick to focus much on us, but we’re getting through it.
mom (BooBoo & Bubby) : The kids are still a bit sneezy & tired, but tis the season lol.
teacher (K & PK) : The girls are doing great with school! BooBoo hates phonics, but she enjoys surprising herself when she can read certain longer words! Bubby can pretty much count to 20, & is working beyond that already! And her fine motor skills haven’t gotten pretty impressive!!!
zB : I’m pretty proud of the progress I’ve made with my passion project 🥰 I have my business plan all situated, and goals set for next year. I’m excited to see where this journey will take me, & I hope you’re excited to join me!!
homemaker (finance, cleaning, gardening, prepping, travel) : Yeahh. Lol. Finances are doing good! I’ve been testing Betterment’s high interest savings & investment accounts, and I’m pretty pleased! (I’m interested in other options too though, if anyone wants to share!) Everything else is kind of…unimportant right now. Except for Xmas decor hehehe!
witch : Nothing going on here. I’ve just been trying to meditate my way through my sicknesses.
reseller : Effortlessly made a couple sales on eBay, but I’m not really doing anything here either.

On an additional note, Frontier DSL has been the bane of my existence for the past couple of weeks. Well, Frontier in general, really.

Currently

eating : soup! 🍜

drinking : tea ☕

watching : YouTube, cuz I can’t stream anything else with how terrible my internet’s been! Lots of Moe Sargi, and some bigfoot videos lol

reading : Nothing. I keep trying to read the 4 Hour Workweek, but I just get so burned out on it!

playing : Bingo Showdown & Candy Crush

buying : Xmas gifts! And bday gifts for hubby & bubby!

listening to : YouTube

celebrating : Xmas, Yule, & bdays!

pinning : yoga, Green Day, homeschool

planning on taking it a bit easy so I can heal

feeling : Sicky 😫

Where are you at right now? Let me know in the comments below!!

Super Simple Methods For Prioritizing Your Tasks

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If you’re overwhelmed by endless to-do lists, I’m sharing my top methods to help you prioritize and simplify your day.

Tools

The only tools you truly need for managing your tasks & schedules are a calendar & a task management system. Personally, I’ve been using Notion for both – A calendar database for scheduled appointments as well as daily task lists, and a separate task database influenced by the GTD & the Eisenhower Matrix systems.

Daily Task Prioritization

Each day, my task list is divided up by “morning”, “afternoon”, & “evening”. This is a version of the “Time Boxing” method that I started using with the Happy Planner, and it’s been immensely helpful. To schedule my days, I simply add tasks to the “box” when I can work on those tasks during the day.

I then effortlessly prioritize the order in which I actually do those tasks using Franklin Covey’s ABC method :

A = Must do
B = Should do
C = Would like to do

From there, I sometimes number them to prioritize what order I will actually do these tasks. The major benefit of this system on Notion is that I can easily drag & drop the items in the order that I want to do them. If I didn’t have time during the morning, I can easily move them to another block of time later in the day.

Managing General Tasks

For tasks that don’t have a deadline, I manage them in a separate Notion database that I call my “GYST” (Get Your Shit Together) list. Notion database properties come in handy for this system, as it is heavily influenced by the GTD method & the Eisenhower Matrix method.

The base of the database is a “Master List”, which I never look at because everything is organized into different views from there.

Anything & everything goes into my “Inbox” tag : next steps for my blog, purchases made throughout the day, anything that I need to remember. I review & organize this information every morning before I set up my daily task list.

There are several other tags I use too (”Someday Maybe”, “Waiting On”, etc), but for the purposes of this post, we’ll be focusing on my “Next Actions” list – this is for things that need to be done sooner than later.

I have a formula set up that will tell me where to put certain items based on the “Eisenhower Matrix”. For example, if I click that a task is “urgent” & “important”, it will tell me to put it in the “Next Actions” list as “Urgent” priority. Another example is if it’s “not important” & “not urgent”, it will suggest the “Someday Maybe” list.

Other GTD inspired properties I use include the energy I assume the task will take, the time I assume it will take, the context (such as home, errands, computer), & any associated links (such as project pages). These are for me to be able to easily pick something to accomplish if I find myself with some free time.

Conclusion

It may sound a bit complicated, but it’s really not. I’ll try to set up a customized Notion page with all of my essential databases soon so that I can share it with everyone, & you’ll see how useful Notion can be! Of course, these systems can be adapted into most apps or analog notebooks, and personalized however you need, but I feel like Notion is the simplest & most useful tool for managing my productivity right now.

With a simple calendar & a task management system, you can be the most useful person in your life! 😜

What do you use to manage your days? Let me know in the comments below!

Do Nothing Day

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I figured this post would be most useful now, before the holidays get too crazy. In other words – IMPLEMENT IT NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!!! LOL

Every day I do dishes, laundry, & cook food. Except Sundays. On Sundays, I do nothing. And I don’t give a fuck. It’s nothing religious; it’s simply self care.

Why Do Nothing? Because I’ll burn out if I’m constantly doing things, & so will most people. Even nature takes a break once in a while. So I try to avoid the sickness & sadness by scheduling time to do “nothing”.

What is a Do Nothing Day?

A Do Nothing Day is a self care boundary I’ve set with myself & my family. It’s a day full of journaling, yoga, reading, meditation, and whatever other self care activities can refill my cup of energy for the week. If I miss a Do Nothing Day, everyone knows it because I’m dragging myself along all week as a cranky mess. The dishes & laundry can wait, & there’s plenty of easy to prepare food in the house between the freezer, pantry, & leftovers in the fridge that I shouldn’t have to cook a damn thing.

When To Do a Do Nothing Day

When to do nothing depends on a person’s schedule, of course. I’ve found that I can generally get out of doing anything on Sundays because it seems like most people don’t like to do things on Sundays.

Solo Retreats & Such

A “staycation”, a “solo retreat”, a “do nothing day”… There are lots of names for making time to keep your head from exploding. A “staycation” can mean forcing yourself out of your usual routine for a day or more, as if you were going on vacation, but not even leaving your town. Or house, if you so please. A “solo retreat” can mean the same thing, but structuring your time to focus on self care. I like the idea of a “Do Nothing Day” because it’s a weekly date set with my peace of mind.

How to Do Nothing

What refuels your energy? This is different for everyone of course, but consider things you don’t often have time to do otherwise. Some examples could be playing video games, reading a book, or writing in your journal. You could structure your day (or days, depending on how burned out you feel) by setting aside certain times for certain activities, or by including nourishing foods at set times throughout. Or you could just go with the flow, just make sure you don’t get sucked into an activity that drains your energy at a certain point (like video games or watching tv does to me…& most people who are being honest with themselves lol).

So, pick a day & adapt it as needed. Don’t give up on it – you won’t regret it & you know that! Let me know in the comments below what kinds of things you do, or would like to do, on a Do Nothing Day, and let me know if you’re having any trouble with the idea (I’d love to try to help!)

Enjoy the calm amidst the storm!!

Sprint 5 Goal Recap

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I’ve altered my goal planning system quite a bit over the past few months, and one major change I’ve adapted is using the idea of “6 week sprints”, where I work on certain goals for 6 weeks, and then take 2 weeks to wrap things up & prepare for the next sprint. I like sharing my progress with you all, so here’s a recap of “Sprint #5”…

(I definitely took on too much this past sprint – Live & learn!)

Body

I was feeling pretty rough about my physical state. I had been taking medication that caused me to gain 25+ pounds in the course of only about 6 months (despite my physician’s assistant insisting it wouldn’t), and I was ready to start working it off. I managed to maintain a doable exercise routine : 2 days with 15 minutes of cardio, 1 day with 15 minutes of bellydancing hehe, 3 days of arm workouts (it’s a pain point for me), and 1 day of yoga or tai chi; plus a quick workout with my kids for their homeschool days, and a few minutes of yoga to end each night. And 5 squats every time I go to the bathroom (which, surprisingly, really slimmed my thighs!) As far as diet, which I consider more important than exercise, I was initially trying to just be mindful & include more water, produce, & protein in my daily meals. I did fairly well at first, but discovered a lot of problems toward the end. So, this is something I’ll be working on during the next sprint, while I continue my enjoyable exercise routine!

Wife

My husband—boy, do I love him, but he drives me fucking crazy sometimes! He’s retired, so we spend an awful lot of time together. Which is a good thing, but I do appreciate my space. And with two young kids, it’s a lot of finagling.

So, I spent the sprint contemplating marriage advice that I occasionally forget about (patience, compassion, all that good stuff), and journaling my way through difficult emotions as they arose (instead of getting upset). I managed to improve our communication & improve his attitude as a result. I also made a point to be more affectionate & open, using things I learned from the Tantra course I took earlier this year. Everything turned out great! Now I need to maintain it without being a main focus, as far as goals go.

One thing I do still need to work on is my libido. I’ve always had low energy in this realm. So, next sprint I’m going to try to work on that (& I’m sure Hubby will be grateful lol!)

Reseller

Ugh.

I realized I don’t really care about resale anymore. At least, not the way I’ve been doing it. I can’t find the time, energy, or motivation to prep inventory, let alone list daily. So, this goal really didn’t go anywhere. However, I did realize I need to restructure my business plan so that I can do something with this path. I don’t have a massive amount of inventory to taking up real estate in my home, but I do have more than I’d feel comfortable donating. The original idea of starting the resale business was to have fun working with Hubby, but he’s more of an “in person” kind of seller. So I need to restructure to offload the inventory I have (which I’m dreading) so that I can get him focused on working with other items in the warmer months. Yeah. I don’t know. lol. I gotta figure something out though.

Ikigai

On a lighter business note (LOL!)… I started journaling about what I wanted more of in my life, and how I can try to make some money from it. I came to the realization that I love writing & I love helping people. So I need to figure out how to make money doing these things – My passion project. I resituated my blog here (though there are definitely more improvements to be made!), and did a ton of research on the directions I want to go with this “Ikigai” project, including useful products & eventually coaching. I’m kind of just enjoying the process & seeing where it takes me right now. I hope you’re enjoying it with me!!

Next Sprint

So, the main things I’ll be focusing on for my next sprint are my diet & my libido. Hubby’s been nagging me about taking a trip (since I had to scrap plans I’d been working on for months because he wasn’t ready for it, but I digress); so, I’ll have to plan a simple cabin camping trip for the family sometime soon. I should also work on my business plans, both for resale & my Ikigai. I’ll update on these when I can ♥️

How have your goals been going this year? What are you contemplating for next year? Let’s chat in the comments below, or feel free to shoot me an email at zenblitz@yahoo.com if you’d like to say hi in private!!