Done for the Week: Too Many Balls in the Air, Irons in the Fire, and Miles to Go...

Last week was not a particularly comfortable one, but it was not without its moments.  The ones I am trying to learn to "be in." 

As I keep on struggling to get it right, to find a balance I can live with between slacker and maniac, these lyrics from Marketa Irglova's "The Hill" play through my mind:

Please try to be patient
and know that I'm still learning.
I'm sorry that [I] have to see
the strength inside me burning.

Here's what I got done last week, as my procrastination recovery tale continues:


Done List--Week of June 1-6

1. Finished Week 3 of revised 14-week Sprint Triathlon training plan
2. Finished The Lake Shore Limited, by Sue Miller; The Lost Art of Gratitude:  An Isabel Dalhousie Novel, by Alexander McCall Smith; The Mindful Way Through Depression:  Freeing Yourself From Chronic Unhappiness, by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Jon Kabat-Zinn
3. Took my blood pressure daily
4. Attended Religious Leaders Caucus
5. Attended Flower Communion service at church
6. Published 5 blog posts
7. Meditated 5 times
8. Weeded yard twice
9. Wrote 6 Gratitude Journal entries
10. Wrote 6 Morning Pages
11. Continued cleaning campaign
12. Began mini yoga practice
13. Walked my dog 6 times, my daughter's dog twice
14. Weathered significant stress storm midweek
15. Decided to go on self-help, self-improvement diet
16. Spent good time with both still-at-home children
17. Conceived new novel
18. Went out with my husband for Happy Hour twice; evening dog walks most nights; resumed reading aloud a book we started together months ago; attended church together; watched first episode of Treme
19. Called my Mom
20. Spent too much time unsuccessfully trying to track down my missing ("in the mail") paycheck

Last week's focus goal (highlighted in green) was, for the third week, to continue my cleanup campaign.  I managed to maintain the progress I had made previously, keeping cleared areas clear still.  I am especially enjoying the improved state of the kitchen, and even my children are now helping to keep the counters cleared and the sink emptied.  I have not awakened recently to the blitzkreig rubble that used to greet me each morning as I groped my way through coffee-making.  However, not much forward progress was made last week.  I did clean the walls in our entryway that have been depressing me each time I walked through the door.  I cleaned the kitchen salad sink, the island, and one of my two mini-cooktops.  But other plans I had made for cleaning did not get implemented.  (I know, passive voice.  I am trying to avoid saying who it was who did not implement said plans.)  So I am keeping this focus goal for yet another week, until I figure out how to make it happen.  I have a feeling the difficulty I am having is with the focus part.  While I am resisting getting caught up in the FlyLady's intimidating program, it may help to adopt her advice to focus on one room at a time, instead of wandering randomly from one irritating disaster spot to another.  So this week, I am going to focus, with my husband's participation, on our bedroom.  If we get that done, we can move on to our bathroom.

The most important thing that I accomplished last week, in my estimation, was consolidating an idea for a novel (in red, above).  I am going to adhere to the common admonition to writers not to discuss it before I am engaged in writing it.  Suffice it to say that the idea grew out of a conversation I had recently with a friend, and her wise and loving advice.  For now, I will be trying to figure out how to schedule time to start working on it.  

And now, another week, another set of learning opportunities.