Today is a snow day. Although work-at-home types like me don’t really get to take snow days, do we? If we did, instead of writing this in my office I’d be camped out on the couch with my crochet/knitting bag marathoning Gilmore Girls on Netflix… which is pretty much how I spent yesterday, come to think of it.
What’s weird (well, not “weird” so much as “typical for whacked-out Oklahoma weather patterns”) is that just two days ago it got up to 70 degrees and my husband and I spent the better part of Valentine’s day enjoying our backyard. We finally fired up our new fire pit (acquired a couple of weeks ago; before we could use it we had to obtain sand to line the bottom, a useful bit of info that they don’t bother to print on the box to save you a return trip to Home Depot) and enjoyed the sun for a good long while before heading inside for homemade pizza and a movie (we had talked about possibly checking out a new (to us) Thai place, but we were both so tired we decided to take a rain-check on that).
And then less than 48 hours later… Bam! Winter, biznatch!
It actually arrived shortly before we turned in last night, and I kept getting woken up throughout the night by the sound of ice and sleet hitting the windows (and, at one point, thunder). So I’m really having to push hard today to get past the urge to wrap myself up like a burrito and do what’s necessary to lay the foundation for a productive week.
Which brings me to this week’s goals:
Writing/Publishing
- Write on the novel every day.
(I’m not attaching a daily quota. At this point, any words that get added are big progress.)
- Write and post 3 blog posts.
- Keep reading Let’s Get Digital by David Gaughran.
(I finally started reading this last night. Hopefully I can get through it all this week, but it’s pretty info-packed, so we’ll see).
Freelancing
- Catch up on my editing queue so I don’t have to tell would-be clients that there’s a two-week waiting list.
Home/Health/Other
- Complete various financial paperwork that needs to get done
- Stick to my low GI/GF/DF diet all week long
- Do our taxes
- Keep up with Tea & Creativity
This last thing, Tea & Creativity, is something I started doing last week — taking a break in the afternoon to get off the computer, brew some tea, and spend the time it takes to drink my tea before it gets cold making art. So far, because I’ve always wanted to learn to draw, this has involved doodling (see below), but it’s by no means limited to that. I expect at some point there will be haiku or song lyrics or other types of verse, and possibly also dusting off the various musical instruments I never have time to practice anymore.
Although the point of this is just to have fun and relax and not worry about who will see it, I’m posting the results of my sessions on Instagram, and you’re welcome to join me there. If you do, let me know — we’ll start a hashtag.
Note that I left off exercise and cleaning goals. Trying to keep it simple this week. The house is just too cold to get motivated for either, plus the editing and taxes are going to keep me so busy that trying to fit in workouts and housework will just add unnecessary stress. I expect that once this cold spell is over, though, the weather will stabilize enough for me to start a regular walking routine, and hopefully also get motivated to do some spring cleaning.
Check back on Friday to see how it all goes this week. In the meantime, do you have any goals to tackle this week, big or small? Any words of encouragement to help me meet mine? I’d LOVE to hear from you in the comments!
Oooh, I like the tea & creativity idea! I’m going to have to get myself in gear soon. I keep waking up earlier and earlier (it was 4:30 this morning, though I laid in bed until 5:15 ish, because I am not getting up before 5 am on principle), so I should just embrace that my body thinks it’s ready for summer and start getting a routine down XD.
It also means come noon/1 pm, I am zapped, though. I definitely need to step away from the computer (or my tablet) when that time hits and do something to refresh myself.
It’s definitely helping me recharge enough to get through that last couple of hours before I can call it a day. Plus it’s fun!
Ooo, the Tea & Creativity idea sounds like a great thing I might have to try and adopt myself! Very cool. (Although I might have been taking baby steps in that direction with my tea-cravings while I’m making jewellery lately – wire crafting and food or drink nearby aren’t the best combo, however.)
Good luck on your goals this week! (Personally I am trying to finish two short-ish stories that are already in-progress this week, at least . . . and survive all the stuff that has cropped up and needs taking care of.)
Ooh, I love making jewelry, but I haven’t done it in forever. I may have to dig out my supplies when I get past my doodling phase. Or when I finish the crochet boot cuffs I’ve been making on the weekends…
Good luck getting both your stories done. I’ve got plenty of confidence that you can do it. Meanwhile, I’m just hoping I can get to the 40K mark on my WIP this week.
I hadn’t worked with my jewellery-making in years before this past summer, when I picked it up kind of on a whim and remembered how much I adore it. *laughs* (And hey, I actually sold a few pieces, so maybe I’m not just goofing around with it.) It’s a lot of fun, at least, and a whole different kind of creative play. What kind of jewellery did/do you make?
Someday I will actually learn to crochet . . . possibly. (Why is knitting so easy and crochet so hard for me?)
Thanks! (Though I am absolutely not furthering that goal today by working on an unrelated story, oops.) I’m sure you can make your goal, too! *waves writing pompoms*
I just do bead/wire stuff. Earrings and necklaces, mainly. Nothing too fancy.
I knitted for years before I finally learned how to crochet, and now that’s almost all I do (though sometimes I make myself knit so I don’t get rusty). It just goes so much faster. I had a really hard time learning it, though, until I chanced upon a book on granny squares at Gardner’s that had diagrams that actually made sense. If I ever make it to another write-in I’ll have to remember to bring it with me.
Neat! (Hey, all I do is mess around with wire and beads and way too many pairs of pliers.)
I learned to knit ages ago (although I prefer to stick with simpler projects) and I love it, but it does take forever. I’ve tried learning to crochet from real people/books/videos and thus far have displayed a nigh-magical ability to make things dissolve instead of build off of the first row/chain. I’d be interested to look at diagrams-that-make-sense – crochet looks really fun, and I often hear that it builds much more quickly than knitting.