Moody

Okay, so above all else, I really need to snap out of my sarcastic, everyone better cater to me, attitude. Yeah, I know I have it. And I need to drop it asap. Been working on this for awhile. I think I have improved, but definitely, not at work. Time to step up my game. Perhaps Gandhi is right...I need to be empathetic and see myself in others shoes. Perhaps time to pick up the book again. 

I've been sticking to WW which is good. Need to continue to do so and step up my water intake. I also need to figure out how to get involved in Prague again and clean the house. Still didn't make that schedule. Perhaps tonight, while Ricky is gone?

I've been a bit busy...

However, that is no excuse. It's time to review everything again. 

I started on WW, and that seems to keep me on track for eating, exercise, and water consumption. I wasn't feeling well this weekend however, so fell a bit short in my goals. 

Some things that I know would make me feel better are personal goals such as losing weight, keeping the house clean, and managing finances...well specifically bringing Ricky and I's credit score up. I guess that's what I need at this point, specific, measurable, and attainable goals:

1. Lose 50 lbs in 1 year. 
2. Raise both R and I's credit score. 
3. Find a method to keep the house clean without detracting from other goals.
4. Find a goal that fulfills me personally.
5. Vacation with Ricky once a quarter. 
6. Stick to deadlines at work without reducing quality.
7. Research ways to get energized and deal with demotivating environment at work. 

I think those are all reasonable. Hard to set professional goals when you don't give a damn about your job. I like most of my clients, however my manager is very difficult to work for. There's not much in the way to motivate us to get excited about our work. That's pretty much the mentaility of the whole team. I need to do some reading (added #7)

Starting Over

Well not by much. It's just been awhile. I do feel a bit overwhelmed, so I'm going to limit my daily goals today:

• Find a system to set, acheive, and track my goals including
• Eating healthy (WW?)
• Creating healthy menus and grocery lists
• Exercise
• Work
• Cleaning
• Ridley goals and acheivements
• Finances
• Provide useful information to my clients
• Names
• QSC request
• Videos

Time to kick ass

Status from yesterday:

• Finished hats and balloons for the party.
• Spent time with the family.
• Stayed within calories, but it still didn't work.

Working on Today (revisit all my goals):

• Lose 10 lbs for the month. Build a menu focusing on vegetables.
• Stay on top of requests at work. Take control of my work. I am going to be a control freak about Domains and Splits from now on. No one will know more than me about these.
• Improve communication skills. Talk to the customer and people more often.
• Limit computer use and television watching. Instead fill up this time with activities with the family, one hour of cleaning per day, and one hour of exercise. Clean house for one hour today. Build a schedule for Ricky and I to exercise.
• Be a nicer, more giving person. Do something nice for Will.

Progress, progress

Status from yesterday:

• Weellll, I went of my diet, but I think my body probably needed it. I'm back on again however. 
• Patience. Ugh, I don't know. It takes time I suppose. 
• Work - Finished what I needed to get finished. 

 Guess I'm in no mood to really go over yesterday, although we did get the bean done and floors scrubbed. Still have quite a bit left to do though.

Working on Today:

• Add workouts to the schedule. I really need to work off some steam.
• Work on eating more vegetables and fruits. 
• Finish my com project as well as take care of my splits. 
• Get comfortable with house layout. Start setting up for the party.
• Take care of Ricky.

Back to Work

Status from this weekend:

• Did really well with water and diet until yesterday apparently. Going to try to completely avoid snacking and stick to cereal and my pb crackers and see if that helps. Perhaps it was my thoughts of Chipotle that threw me over the edge.
• Patience - Ugh! Was completely irritated this weekend by Will. Not sure why. May have been the disgusting bathroom, the overflowing trash, or the attitude that says everything and everyone sucks. Vented to Ricky this morning. I really need to figure out what to do.
• Work - Managed to accomplish some things. Didn't do too badly.

Working on Today

• Diet - Sticking to cereal, pb cracker snack, and almonds. See if that sets it back down.
• Work - Focus on professionalism and take care of my split customers and researching the com project.
• Home - Try to figure out why Will is bothering me so much and be proactive about fixing it.

Goals seem to be working

It worked last time and it seems to be working this time too. I amy not be accomplishing everything but I'm making strides.

Status from yesterday:

• I did lose .4 lbs, so that's good. I increased my water intake and it seemed to have worked (even with a Thai food dinner)
• I did complete two of the three items on my work list from yesterday, so not too bad.
• Patience, I still need to work on. Will has still been driving me nuts and I don't know why. It's like a complete trigger. He's been aggravating about just denying or being negative about everything lately. I just need to get over it. He is who he is and I need to accept it!
• I have been getting uncomfortable. Leaving the windows open in the car rather than a/c. Wearing different shoes, drinking water.

Working on Today:

• Continue to eat cereal and milk. Drink lots of water. Stay away from snacks.
• Work on my patience and acceptance of Will. Start asking him to help more.
• Work on not letting things get to me.
• For work:
• Take care of S for month end
• Take care of E for Free Info
• Take care of M for upgrades
• Take care of J for cloud
• Take care of E for YoH
• Continue to be uncomfortable by using the computer less when at home. Clean for at least an hour.

Insanity Today

Status from yesterday:

• I lost .2 lbs so still going down, just not as fast as I'd hoped.
• I got one thing done yesterday. Need to fix that today.
• I did have fun with Brit, however I did not get laundry done and Ricky made his own dinner.
• Still working on that patience thing. W was driving me nutso this morning.

Working on Today:

• Drinking more water and less snacking. Figure out calories before going out with G'Ma and Josh.
• Tasks at Work that NEED to be done today:
• Free INFO update for A
• Updating the EOM for J
• Doing split update for A
• Work on that patience thing
• Get uncomfortable! I've been lax and I believe that doing this will help!

Focus! Focus! Focus!

Status from yesterday:

- Well I ended up working until midnight and watching movies all day, so much for avoiding technology. Going to refocus today.
- Lost 1.2 lbs! So I'd say staying within calories (was so tempted by pizza) and drinking water worked!
- Stay on top of requests at work: well, I could probably do better. I need to do an update to free info today, a split and a follow up to a question. If I stay focused, I can do this!
- Be a nicer, more giving person. I tried so hard, but ended up blowing up at night. Just another reminder that change doesn't happen overnight. I really need to just relax. Part of my issue with this is my frustration with R's brother. I just feel like he's so negative all the time and takes advantage of the situation. However, perhaps it's time for me to step back and try to understand why he's been acting this way and also realize my impatience probably has somewhat to do with my frustration with myself when I act this way.

Goals for today:

• Stay in calories (with cereal and milk) and drink water the rest of the day (after Diet Coke this morning)
• Work on professionalism at work
• Start focusing on the customer and their needs.
• Take care of B and his premium domains
• Take care of B and E and the free info
• Take care of M and his split
• Take care of J and his split
• Work on my relationships by spending time with Brit tonight. And focusing on my man and his health.
• Make dinner and start laundry before I leave.
• Be more patient, loving, and forgiving.

Distractions

I spend way too much time on computers, email, Facebook/Pinterest. These provide distraction from life. Not that life is bad, but not sure why I've gotten into this dependency on updates. I read an article that said they're like drugs. You're constantly seeking approval from people by watching for updates and comments to your postings. Ugh!

So....overall for the month of August...I have the following goals (let's keep it simple Amy.)

- Lose 10 lbs for the month. (I want this so bad I can taste it. Perhaps that's my issue.)
- Stay on top of requests at work.
- Improve communication skills.
- Limit computer use and television watching. Instead fill up this time with activities with the family, one hour of cleaning per day, and one hour of exercise.
- Be a nicer, more giving person.

Too much? Well I'll try focusing on certain ones during the day.

Today...
- I will drink only one drink of Diet Coke and 4 bottles of water.
- I will eat only 1000 calories of food and no more.
- I will finish my COM/CO request stellarly.
- I will not be distracted by my computer. I will focus on people, not technology.

Baby Steps?

Not sure I know how to do that anymore. I don't know if I attempt to overplan or underplan anymore. My life schedule is always changing between kids, friends, and family. And there doesn't seem to be enough time in the day. But perhaps that's just my perception. I think maybe logging might help me.

Goal for the week: Log time spent.

Focus

Since finding out I was Vitamin D deficient, and taking a pill to help it, I have been able to focus better. I'm still easily tired, but it's not as hard to focus as it used to be. 

So now, I can appropriately react and handle my work, my life, everything. 

Time to revisit my goals and how I'm going to accomplish them. I'll tackle that tonight hopefully. 

Back on track again. Whew!

Honesty

Can you tell I'm struggling to keep it altogether? I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of expectations and tasks to do. I know I'm doing better, but I'm still so far away from what I used to be. I know this is a combination of lack of support and lack of conviction, but I'm still exhausted. I fear I may have some physically issues as well and this weighs me down even more. I'm raging...

Goals Revisited

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Goals

1. Professional
   1. I am a sucessful career woman which people depend on for creative, intuitive, and clear analysis. My reporting focuses on areas that allow management to easily identify issues and successes.
      1. Communication
      2. Creativity
      3. Accuracy
      4. Teamwork
      5. Focus
2. Personal
   1. I am a sexy, healthy, intelligent woman who cares about her family and friends and values healthy relationships above everything else. I take time to take care of myself and my family.
      1. Relationships
         1. I am invested in my relationships by listening and getting involved in my friends and family's lives. Everyone is important to me and I am there to support and love them.
      2. Health
         1. I cook and prepare my family's meals which are low-fat, fresh, and delicious.
         2. I exercise on a regular basis.
         3. I take time for me at least once a week to destress and relax.
      3. Finances
         1. I revisit and stick to my financial plan bi-weekly.
         2. We have savings
      4. Intelligence
         1. I read most days and invove myself in activities that challenge me phycially and mentally.

Time for some new goals...

I'm actually feeling better. Getting more sleep. Starting to gain some headway at work, although, I still need to slow down and take it all in. So, it's time for some new goal setting and maintaining...

In order of importance...

1. My relationships
1. I will look at people when I talk to them and focus on what they are saying. I will empathize and respect their feelings. I will have fun with them. 
2. I will visit my family and friends more often. I value my time with everyone equally. 
2. My health
1.  I will focus on developing a healthy diet for my family. This can only be accomplished by making food from home (breakfast, lunch, and dinner.)
2. I will be more active at home and out. I will involve my family whenever I can.
3. I will drink more water.
3. My career 
1.  I will improve my existing process to (a) make it easy for anyone to run and (b) to validate it is correct data. 
2. I will learn the data inside and out, becoming a master at pulling correct data efficiently. 
3. I will learn new methods for analyzing and reporting data.
4. My finances
1. I will no longer be a slave to my money. I will budget and save our money so that we are not living paycheck to paycheck, but still afford to go out and have fun. 
2. I will keep track of finances daily to ensure we are not overspending. 

A year in review...

Or at least some time back...some of the financial messes we've had to clean up and actually did...

DOC Band $2.8k
Hospital Bills $500
Target Bill $700
Moving $2k
Car Engine $4k
New Dryer $125
TOTAL $10k

Lord knows there will be more, but honestly, we took car of all this between Dec 2011 and Mar 2012. Insane!

Next feat is to pay off the rest of the bills, tackle one last big debt, and get on a steady schedule for the rest of the finances. Whew!

Focusing

Taking a break from OCDing over goals and ToDo lists to focus on work. 

After I get a grasp on it, I'll be back. 

So tired...

Seriously need to stop mixing my blogs...

And who in the heck is reading this? :-) I checked my stats and I saw a lot of hits. Odd. Well whatever floats your boat lol. If your going to read it, I'll give you a better update. 

As a...ugh...36 year old mother of one. I'm in a very stressful yet extremely happy part of my life. I have a significant other who loves me and respects me and treats me as a desirable person. However, due to our current financial situation is very stressed out because he has to watch our child and work at the same time. Which I am horribly grateful for. 

I'm struggling, as most people do, to find a balance between mom, girlfriend, and individual. I feel like individuality right now is at the sacrifice of my own boyfriends free-time. Both of us feel guilty whenever another goes out. 

I feel I can improve at my job, but lack the motivation at all. I went from being the best in my company to being the floundering newbie. And I'm not sure if it's because of the culture or my ineptitude. It's definately been an interesting experience though and I have learned a "few" things. 

I'm struggling with my weight. I've lost a few lbs, but still haven't really restricted myself and taken the dive. I know friends that are doing fantastically and it's all because they put their whole heart into it. 

I guess thats what I struggle with most. I don't put my whole heart into anything lately. I just half-ass it. But I don't have the time to whole-heartedly do everything. So I really need to reprioritize. 

Whew! Well I guess next I will attempt to reprioritize and set my schedule. I really need to finish 7 Habits. Bleh.

Really? 7 Days??

Okay, time to focus up. Choose one or two and prioritize:

My main concern is my professionalism at work and my family's health right now. Okay, and money. Ugh!

So...

Family health: I will be proactive and prepare healthy meals. If I won't be home, it's time to crockpot.

Money: Start sticking to the daily budget. No exceptions.

Work: Start looking at your requests through your requestors eyes. Give them what they want + 20% more.

Catchup

Okay, it's been awhile. So much has happened. We've moved, fixed the car, taken care of some finances, lost poor Pookie. Stress is boundless right now. So I believe I need to add some "me" time or stress relieving habits to my list. Time to revisit again:

• Love and respect for all people: Been getting somewhat better at this. Been more patient and forgiving with Will. I notice I still need to listen more and really get involved in those around me. The stress has taken away all my energy and focus, but I think it's time to get involved again. Action: Look at the person who is talking to you and reiterate what they said slightly varied. Get excited for them.
  
• Patient and appreciate life: Goodness, patience is a big one for me lately! I am so impatient with everyone and everything. I'm not sure why when what am I rushing for? I need to just relax and enjoy. Even home has been a flurry of clean, clean, clean. Action: Redo schedule to focus on relaxing and enjoying and less cleaning.
• I am healthy and my family is healthy: I've been cooking at home more often and eating better. However, I really need to focus on making a menu and sticking with it. Action: Make a menu with breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, and make sure every meal has a vegetable and fruit. Focus on diabetic friendly meals.
  
• I am passionate and enjoy life: I think I've been getting better at this too. Not making excuses to stay at home. Been going out with friends more often. I think we'll take more of a direct approach for this one. Action: Take pictures of everything!
• I am professional and creative at work: Another difficult one. I'm finding it hard to get really excited about work. I'm in this fog and getting very close to talking to a therapist or doctor about it. Need to focus again and stay sharp and enjoy work. How do I do this? Action: Develop mission and goals for work. Get focused. Review 7 Habits.
  
• I am proactive in dealing with conflict: Need to refocus on this again. I was doing so well and then finances went in the crapper. Action: Schedule time to call debt collectors. Avoid email and voice mail for communication.
  
• I have my finances under control: Weelll, budgeting has gotten better. Spending has not. However, in the past three months we have spent $2500 on a DOC Band, $3800 on a new engine, $900 (minus 400 from Will) on a rental car, XMas spending, ~$400 on moving expenses, $130 on a dryer....so yeah. I supposed I can give us a little leeway on that one. Action: Stick to budget.
  

And most importantly...review this every day. That really is the most important step.