Reverb11
Things I’m procrastinating about:
- Getting my eyes checked
- Cleaning my car
- Deep cleaning the house
- Writing a book
- Putting together an Artist Trading Card Class
- Getting the surface cleaning done
- Getting the deep cleaning done
- Getting the garden cleaned up
- Planning the garden for 2012
- Addressing Christmas cards
- Getting packages ready to be shipped off
- Cleaning out closets and drawers
- Exercising regularly
- Getting early veggies started
- Get my Christmas Shopping Done
12-in-12
Twelve things I want to do in 2012.
- Dejunkification – The year will start with a moritorium on purchasing more books thanks to Molly over at My Cozy Book Nook since I have more than just a few books that I have purchased and never read. Time to read some of these books and find a new home for the one’s I don’t really care for.
It’s also time for some of my stuff to find new homes. There are several things that I no longer love or use that need to bless someone else.
- Finances – I’ve had really good luck with Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover
and with the possibility that I might not have a job when the merger is all said and done, I want to be in as good of position as possible. I’ve been watching my P’s and Q’s and it wouldn’t hurt me to watch them a little more.
- Fitness – It’s time to work on getting back to where I was fitnesswise. I’ve got a plan in mind and I will be talking about it more as I get closer to January. I plan on lots of light lifting and mobility work in the first month.
- Raising my own food – One of my goals is to raise and preserve as much food as I can from my garden. I’ll be writing about a whole host of garden related over at the Sustainable in Houston Blog. Gardening here in Houston is a completely different scenario then gardening in Iowa where I grew up.
- Tackle my sewing machine fear and learn how to quilt. Seriously its just silly at this point. Besides I want to learn how to sew fabric and paper together.
- More Arting – The world needs more art and I want to get better at it. That means practice. Practice. Practice and learn new skills (which means more practice!).
- Decorate my Apartment – It’s amazing what a little coat of paint can do to brighten a place up. I’ve been in this apartment for almost 5 years and it definitely could use some paint. I also want to find some new pieces of furniture that reflect the retro style I always wanted this place to have. I may also see about changing the nasty carpet out for nicer bamboo flooring. I know I’m going to be here awhile longer and if it would make me happy why not see if I can do it?
- Cook a new dish every week. I get tired of the same dinners over and over again. I’ve got a ton of cookbooks thanks to my Half Priced Books addiction so it’s time to put some of them to use. At least one new dish every week.
- Revamp my web sites I need to take the time revamp my web sites and streamline the various categories. I want redesigns that reflect what I’m doing and who I am.
- Get a better understanding of Databases I work with DBs all the time. I really need to know how to pull what I need from them.
- Taking pictures of people. People are hard for me. I’ve always been a bit of a loner and sometimes I feel like a complete idiot when I ask for something. I’d really like to take at least a picture of one new person a week. Someone who isn’t necessarily within my circle of people.
- Teach two different classes I’ve been working on the Artist Trading Card class for Texas Art Asylum for a while. Q1 is the time to bring that baby to fruition. I’ve also had different class in mind that I’m going to be developing on during the first half of this year.
The funny thing is one list feeds into the other.
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Your sewing machine fear sounds so familiar to me. I have a similar fear although I believe it is attached to my perfectionistic issues that I have been working on/with for years.
I discovered, about 15 years, ago that I was having problems (huge anxiety) around creating. I couldn’t even color in a coloring book. My girlfriend at the time suggested I close my eyes, pick a color, pick a place on the coloring book and color it that color no matter what. I did and it turned out to be fantastically colorful and silly.
It was the first step in my being a recovering perfectionist. I share this with you because reading your list makes me think we may share this issue.
I have also discovered that perfectionism is related to procrastination. There is so much anxiety about getting things perfect that I often (before I worked on/with this issue and I still have with new things sometimes) wouldn’t even try because I had so much anxiety about getting it right from the get go when it is suppose to be okay to make mistakes.
If this doesn’t resonate with you then I apologize for seeing something that wasn’t there. If it does resonate with you, you can read some of my posts and articles on how I deal with the various issues around perfectionism, procrastination and anxiety.
Thank you for sharing your list. It reminds me of how much I have accomplished and how much further I still have to go. Conquering my sewing machine I think is going to be at the top of my list as well. Love your wanting to cook a new dish a week. I have tried to get my family to share in this adventure but we haven’t accomplished it yet.
Sorry this comment is so long, but I feel like we are kindred spirits.
I hope you have a wonder-filled day.
Peace,
Morgan Dragonwillow
Morgan:
I’m overwhelmed by the sheer amount of “stuff” I have to the point of that it’s overflowing everywhere. Which is why the dejunkification must happen. I am not my stuff nor do I need to be stuffing my apartment with more things that I’m not using. And honestly, I’m just tired of beating myself up over things. I love creating but I beat myself up because there’s stuff everywhere in my house and I feel like I should be cleaning. That being said, I can’t do some of the things I want though (decorate the apartment) unless I do the cleaning. So I can see the procrastination and the perfection being part of the same cycle.
Also, I feel better when I don’t have so much stuff and have curated my surroundings. The last time I did a careful curation was when I moved to SE Houston from NW Houston. I spent a lot of time packing things based on whether or not I loved/used it or not. I gave away and sold a lot of stuff that move. I’m in a similar place this time in that I feel my tastes are changing and that what has served me in the past, isn’t necessarily what’s going to serve me now. But I’ve been working on clearing over the past week by focusing on a little section of my apartment and sorting/pitching/recycling as I go. Just a little bit of work has made a huge difference. Maybe I should pretend I’m moving as I go through all this stuff?
Paula:
Clearing and cleaning as if you are moving is a great idea. I suggest you totally focus on one room first. That way you have one room you can enjoy during your resting and creative moments.
I too have an issue with accumulating too much stuff. I don’t know how it happens but next thing I know I am over flowing again. I purge periodically, move or no move.
I have really been focusing on only keeping what I love, unfortunately or fortunately I live in a household with three women and a two year old soon to have a new born in the house also. That makes for a lot of stuff/messes that aren’t mine. I am working on getting everyone more organized.
My messes do seem to follow me where ever I go though. I once apologized when I was at a weekend workshop where I had to share a room with another woman. She told me that creative types tend to be more messy. It is just part of their process.
So don’t be too hard on yourself. In fact make a pact with yourself that for every hour that you clean and organize, you give yourself an hour to create. Or reverse it, create for an hour then clean for an hour. And when you have a whole room done, do something special for yourself.
Remember to be kind to yourself. Stop beating yourself up and using your messy clutter as an excuse for not creating. I understand that excuse because I used to use it all the time. Also give yourself credit for creating this blog. That is creative.
Good luck on your cleaning.
Blessings,
Morgan Dragonwillow