A Time For Everything

Image courtesy of IMGBIN.

While I'm not quite swimming in gold coins yet, January was filled with some abundance:

• time
• energy
• productivity
• wealth

Are you wondering how? Well, certainly not in the way you would expect. But let's see...

I certainly wasn't pleased about getting woken up a full hour before my alarm went off several mornings from mid-month onward, but I got up and put that time to good use. I also found myself with small pockets of time to do random things.

For example--I took the "pre-lit" lights off my Christmas tree. They all died over the course of the last two Christmases, but the tree itself is still perfectly fine.

So before I put the tree into storage for the year, I decided to remove the dead strings of lights.

There were several days where I had time to kill, so I started in on those lights. I figured out the pattern of how the lights were strung and then gleefully took some sharp cutters and started snipping wires. It's not as tedious as I imagined, but it is mindless, so I just put on some TV and got several branches done in 45-minute increments.

Despite the early mornings and occasional later nights, my energy levels have been good. That one I can't entirely explain right now other than to say good sleep, good food, some exercise, and good productive days make you feel good and it's a self-perpetuating cycle.

As for productivity...well, the lists and the planners and the chore chart all helped, but so did the extra time, which fed the feel-good vibes from getting stuff done, which feeds the energy levels, which makes you want to cross more stuff off that to-do list and well, it's a self-perpetuating cycle...

And the literal wealth...well, that's kinda separate. We started a new investment program, which I won't go into detail about right now, but suffice to say, the value of our portfolio has increased. Which tickles me pink, which cycles that good energy back into the other things.

But this all needed a catalyst, right?

I think I figured out what it was. And it may cycle back to...

If you said Personality Strengths, you'd be correct. :0)

A couple of weeks ago, I received a newsletter from Chief Strengths guru, Becca, and she does a thing called "Dear Becca." People who are a part of her Strengths family, at any level, can send her questions and she'll answer the really impactful one or the mass-applicable ones in the newsletter.

Someone asked if particular Strengths, especially ones that are lower in the top-ten lineup can be more hungry than higher ranked Strengths. The question-asker said that she'd doubled her reading volume and, as a result, her writing output rose by 30% and asked if that tracked since input for her was "only 9th" and she had all those other really dominant Strengths at the top. The specific Strength she asked about was Input, which ranks 9th for her and which ranks 8th for me. We shared two other Strengths in the top ten...

Anyway, both the question and the answer really hit home for me. The answer was basically yes.

Now, Input as a Strength manifests itself in just the way you might think--it wants input. TV, radio, pod casts, books, articles, movies, etc...

I tend to read a lot and I listen to a lot of pod casts and I read a lot of hockey-related articles. And lately, I've been Inputting a lot more than I have in a while and certainly more than I was able to last year. Not only that, but my head space is clearer now. I can better absorb the information I'm taking in as well.

As a result, I'm feeling more energetic and more myself, which feeds the productivity, which feeds the feeling of well-being, which feeds the...

Well, you get my drift. :0)

I really need to get to those Strengths books I have lined up to read, don't I?

Have a great weekend. Catch you Monday.

In my 01/16 Fresh Start Goals post, I left three four of my goals a bit undone, so for accountability's sake I've come back to document that I did as I said I was going to do...

...which was to a) get an exercise regimen in place, b) get my treasurer's tasks identified and scheduled for each month, and c) have a workable housekeeping plan in place.

Here's how those goals are going to happen:

A) First of all, since Mom died, I've worked on getting back to my daily step counts. Every hour at the 50-minute mark, barring being in a meeting or at an event where getting steps at that point isn't feasible, I dutifully get up and get my steps in. Over the past several months, I've worked at upping the minimum average daily step goal.

Surprisingly, my phone tells me I've been averaging 5K a month since August. June and July were mid-4K, but since then I've been doing well. For some reason, I thought I was still cruising along just under 5K, but that doesn't appear to be the case. So 'well done' me. I don't have any desire to up that much further at this point....

...because getting steps in the manner in which I get them doesn't seem to burn an appreciable amount of calories. The doing of it mainly keeps me from getting stiff while I sit at my desk and work all day. Which is no small thing for me right now.

I'd been trying for weeks at the end of 2022 to get back to using the elliptical/recumbent bike, but I just couldn't seem to make it happen. Also it's very tedious, so there's just no enticement there. I might need to tie it to some sort of tv/video consumption activity. You know, pedal while watching something. Problem is, I don't tend to watch stuff on a daily basis.

I've also been wanting to get back to doing yoga. The problem there is also time. But I found a chair yoga plan for seniors. No, I'm not officially a senior, but these exercises will take all of ten minutes and get me started. I can upgrade in a month or two.

So I've been doing chair yoga at the end of the work day before I leave my desk. The rotation is three days exercise, one day rest. I'll definitely have to make a point of doing these on the weekend even though I may not be at my desk.

So steps, chair yoga, and I'm thinking about walking Rascal daily. He could use it, he would enjoy it, and I think I'd enjoy it too. But...time...we'll see.

B) After taking some time to think about the various treasurer tasks as well as pulling out the "duties by month" document I have, I outlined a schedule and noted it in my planner. I'm in my planner every day / week, so I should be good to go.

C) Finding a workable housekeeping plan was a challenge. And honestly I didn't really. (YET) But I did start noting chores in my housekeeping planner. For the past couple of Sundays, I've looked at the week ahead and, keeping in mind the rooms I want to focus on, as well as rooms that need constant focus (baths & kitchen), I listed tasks to accomplish each day.

So far, it's working pretty good. If I see something else that I want to do, I just leave myself a note in the planner and then, when I schedule for the next week, I pencil it in. I should probably keep a master list of random tasks like cleaning the oven. Is that a monthly task? Quarterly? Annual? Even annual would be better than not-at-all, eh? lol

And--I forgot to mention above, but remembered along the way...

D) Watching & reading all that "writers education" I paid for or stored up. I forgot that until I re-read my big goals post from a couple of weeks ago when finalizing this post. >face palm< I've blocked some time on Sunday mornings after grocery shopping for this. I need an hour off my feet after that big event, so it's a good time.

I'm not sure if this is the final plan for all of the above, but it's a start, and sometimes getting started is the hardest part. As I keep on, I can tweak and alter how to navigate things based on results. Is something working? Is it not? How could it work better? Become a bit more efficient? Would it make more sense do things that way instead of this way? Etc... Etc... Etc...

So there we go. More plans, more rules, more parameters. We'll see how these tasks pan out.

Here's to a great week. Catch you on Thursday.

Image courtesy of IMGBIN

Who doesn't like a puzzle?

Well, I'm sure there are people who don't, but I'm not one of them. On the other hand, I don't like every kind of puzzle. I mainly prefer puzzles of the jigsaw variety.

Anyway, Sunday the 29th is National Puzzle Day. According to the article, all kinds of puzzles qualify. Word puzzles, number puzzles, picture puzzles.

For a while, I was using the $1.00 puzzles from Dollar Tree as a reward for getting a certain percentage of my chores on my chore chart done. That worked well for a while, but then I quit needing that incentive. Right now, just seeing the columns and rows of boxes filled in with stickers is enough...

As a result, I have a small stockpile of puzzles: a couple of larger, 1000+ piece puzzles and a half dozen of the smaller Dollar Tree puzzles. Since puzzles are good for the brain as well as for hand/eye coordination and are supposed to be relaxing, I've dug one out and kept it handy.

Here are a couple I put together. They fit the theme of my office kitchen so I sealed 'em up and hung them on the white expanse of hallway leading to the bathroom.

Of course, I've been busy trying to get everything on the chore charts and in the housekeeping planners done, I haven't spent much time relaxing, doing puzzles or anything else.

*sigh*

But it's hard to relax when you have all these things you need to get done. Once January officially ticks over into February, and I get all the annual owning-your-own-business tasks that happen at the start of each new year off my plate, then I'll try to play a little more.

Do you like puzzles? What's your preference? Please share in the comments below.

Do a puzzle of some sort and have a great weekend.

Image courtesy the NHL / Dallas Stars.

It's been a while since we've I've talked about the Dallas Stars, huh?

It's not because they aren't doing well, because they are. They're doing so well, they're firmly in a playoff spot, bobbing between first and second place in the Central Division with Division rivals, the Winnipeg Jets, depending on who wins or loses on a given night.

Our top line is the best top line in the League. And that's not just me saying that--that comes from beat writers and pod casters I read / listen to.

Our young goalie is one of the best in the League. His save percentage speaks for itself. But, again, beat writers are writing and pod casters are talking about the young goalie in Dallas.

It's just that I've had so much else going on since the start of the season in October. DD and I have only attended two games because attending games requires (a lot of) money and energy, both of which have been in short supply--the energy more than the money.

While I do keep track of their wins and losses over the course of a week, the last few months have been busy months, so hockey's been more a part of the background fabric of life right now than the thing around which other things get slotted.

DD and I have tickets to two games later in the season, already bought before the no-spend challenge was officially issued, so we'll go, have fun, and add to our bobble head collection. I mean, if we're gonna go, we might as well score before the game too, right??

I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to pre-fund food before the games and a beverage ($6 bottle of water) while there. During our last season as season ticket holders, we got pretty good at keeping the expense to a minimum, usually eating at home or picking up inexpensive food at QT.

QT hot dog: $2.50 versus AAC hot dog: $6.50

Crazy, huh?

At this point I really don't need any more souvenirs-- If the Stars make the play-offs, however, there will be commemorative puck purchases for the collection; possibly magnets if they make it all the way to the Stanley Cup. Maybe a key chain or two as I've discovered that many key chains convert nicely to Christmas tree ornaments.

I guess I'd better think about pre-funding those as well. :0)

Have a greet week and don't forget:

A few weeks ago, I listened to a TED podcast that posited that our spending habits can reveal things about us. They can tell others how we were raised, they can uncover uncomfortable truths about our inner-selves, or, at the very least, they can show the ups and downs of our lives.

The presenter of this particular TED Business episode, a woman I'll refer to as MA, was raised by parents who were always dressed to the nines. She picked up the habit. But then she read an article about how a year of no-shopping changed the article author's life. MA started thinking about her own shopping habits, specifically in regards to clothes, and how it affected her life.

After hemming and hawing, MA decided to take a one-year break from buying clothes. She says it was transformational. What she gained was money, of course, but also time and some clarity. She realized there were some emotional issues she'd been suppressing behind her shopping habit.

I couldn't really relate to the clothes shopping habit, but I am in favor of the no spending, so I dug up that article she mentioned. Here it is, if you'd like to read it as well.

Side note: My quest to reduce spending has more to do with looking ahead to retirement and trying to find extra dollars here and there to add to the investments portfolio than any need or desire to probe my psyche. :0) Although I'm open to discovering some insights along the way.

Anyway, the article struck a cord. It wasn't so much why the author decided to do it, but the rules she made for herself about what was okay to buy, what wasn't, and when she was allowed to buy even certain basics. (It was the lip balm part that really resonated.)

One rule was that she had to use up what she had before she could buy even everyday products. As an example, she'd bought and then quit using a bunch of different hair care products...so, now, before she could buy new, she had to use up what she'd stockpiled. Makes sense if you're trying save money or reduce spending.

I took that sentiment to heart.

I have to say, however, there are very few areas where I operate that way. But there is one. I'll give you one guess...

If you said hot tea, you'd be correct.

As I mentioned in last Thursday's post, I'm a sucker for a certain Brand / Flavor. But I do occasionally drink other flavors. Of late I've been trying to alternate caffeinated with non-caffeinated, which means I've been drinking a lot more store brand herbal peppermint tea than usual. But then I ran out. Of course I put peppermint tea on the grocery list.

And then I looked in the cabinet where the tea lives.

And I had a lot of tea in there.

I decided to drink through all / most of the other flavors of herbal tea I've accumulated before I buy more peppermint.

Another vice I have is reading. I'm still a huge fan of fan fiction, but I'd gotten back into the commercially published book habit over the years.

I spent over $130 on books last year! That was a surprise to me, quite frankly. And that's $130 that I could have invested into my retirement. One of those books was how to do just that and was money well spent. We've started that plan--hence the need to evaluate my spending habits and squeeze every penny out of out budget for the future. A comfort and ease with less spending and less stuff will also benefit my future self. (Don't look now--that might have been an insight...)

Back to the books--

A lot of the books I bought I might have been able to get at the library. On the other hand, libraries don't tend to carry a lot of MM romance and at least a quarter of my purchases were books from two of my favorite authors. I'm going to have to figure out how to fund the purchase of any new titles they publish this year if they don't end up in libraries.

Oh, wait, I have an Amazon gift card!!

I did take the time to renew my library card and got my OverDrive/Libby accounts activated so that I can check out e-books from OverDrive. OverDrive, if you don't know is the online e-book library. But you have to have a library card with your local branch to utilize it. And then it will only allow you to check out e-materials that your library or library system has available.

I can also search Amazon's free book listings and utilize Prime Reading as well.

So I'm well on my way to potential savings, but now how do I calculate and save that money? I guess whenever I have the desire to make a purchase and opt not to, I transfer the funds into my savings account...? I'm not sure. I'll have to ponder a solution to that dilemma.

That leaves one last vice. And here's where maybe the psychology aspect comes into play.

I like "stuff." And these days, I'm very susceptible to impulse purchases on certain things. Maybe that comes from the fact that for many years, especially when the kids were younger, we just didn't have the money for much of anything extra. So now that money has been less tight, I've been less frugal/strict/careful.

I have a lot of stuff now. More stuff than I need and, honestly, I'd like to get rid of some of my stuff. And sometimes I do. But then I see other stuff that's really cute and the temptation gets the better of me.

But it's time to downsize, get back to the decluttering, and quit with the impulse buys. I'm doing better. I suppose some rules might also help me make better choices. Perhaps a target to keep my eye on might help as well.

 It looks as though I have some work to do in regards to this challenge.

Take care and have a good weekend.

* * * * *

Here are a few of the articles I read regarding a no-spend challenge--what it is, why people did it, how thy did it...

https://mint.intuit.com/blog/saving/no-spend-challenge/

https://www.insider.com/no-spend-month-saving-money-experiment-2018-7#5-i-expected-to-fail-so-i-did-10

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/opinion/sunday/shopping-consumerism.html

https://www.gobankingrates.com/saving-money/budgeting/plan-a-no-spend-year-according-to-financial-experts/

https://www.motherhoodonadime.com/living/what-i-learned-from-a-no-spend-month/

https://www.moneyforthemamas.com/no-spend-month/