So, thanks to winter quarter finals, my sleep schedule has flipped completely around to "nocturnal." So that, plus the sudden plethora of free time I now have (I don't have to go to Montgomery Hall and work on animation for 12 hours? Really? Are you sure? Okay.) I did laundry for the first time in a month (I have enough clothes for a month, but I have a lot of clothes I'm not a fan of. I used those up, too). I cleaned a little. But for the most part, I was on the computer. Big surprise there. However, somewhere between Saturday and Sunday I got sick of being surrounded by screens (I had four running at one point - imac on The Sims 3, laptop playing youtube videos, my phone on for texting, and my tablet for Candy Crush Saga while waiting for my Sims to wake up). I also couldn't really bring myself to clean more, because bleh cleaning. I am not a fan of cleaning. (I would say "who is??".....but there are people who enjoy it.... you know who you are.)
So, I paused The Sims, stood up, got some food, and thought "....maybe I should read something. Something not on the internet. Like a book."
And then I remembered that yesterday while I was cleaning the living room, I'd come across the Barnes and Noble bag I'd brought home a few weeks ago, with an untouched new book still sitting nestled inside with the receipt. A book called "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin
It was one of those I Had A Gift Card And This Was On One Of Those Mid-Aisle Displays And It Wasn't Too Expensive And I Couldn't Think Of Anything Else To Buy And It Could Do Me Good If I Read It And I've Considered Reading It So I'll Go Ahead And Get It purchases. I have a lot of those. I have a bookshelf full of either untouched or half-read books, mainly because if I don't engulf the whole book in one sitting like a Harry Potter book, I tend to forget it exists. (I'm probably the only child on the face of the planet who STOPPED reading thanks to Harry Potter, but that's a blog post for another day).
So I pulled the book out of the bag, went back to my room, sat down, and proceeded to chew through four chapters. That's almost 100 pages. Now, on Monday morning, I'm almost done.
It's inspiring. This is a book I kind of want to read again after I go through this time. It's actually a book where I actively wished I'd had a highlighter handy nearby or mini post its handy for some of the things she's written. One thing I love is that, in the introduction, she explains that this is a book retelling her own personal experience spending a year finding happiness, and that it is by no means the only way, and that everyone would have to come up with their own Happiness Project for their own struggles and their own way of living.
I want to do it.
So much of it is the little things we keep saying we should do but don't. Like how I say I should actively communicate with my friends more. How I should take the stairs instead of the elevator. How guilty I feel when I don't take my dishes to the kitchen. How I put off little chores til later and let them pile up. Ways of thinking and altering them (like saying "The Fun of Failure." It's all stuff I've heard before but have forgotten - or just downright turned away from. I don't know why.
I feel happier after reading this book. I want to give it a try. I really do.
I think one of the successful ideas of the book was not overdoing it, yknow? She had overall core rules that she followed ("Splendid Truths" like "To be happier, you have to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right in an atmosphere of growth", and "Commandments" like "Enjoy the Process" or "Lighten up."), but then each month, had a specific focus on one aspect she wanted to cultivate for growth. For example, in February she focused on love, and in April she focused on improving being a parent.
I've decided to pretty much start now. I have April planned out, but for the rest of March I have one resolution -- Get Stuff Done. I have a lot of things I've been putting off and putting off. I'm a procrastinator. This month, I need to get things done, and yes, I got some things accomplished before I read the book - I got my federal taxes done, for example. I emailed some people I've been meaning to email. I've taken steps toward getting my FAFSA stuff figured out.
But there are other things I've been putting off. I want to find a doctor (or two) so I can get a full round of physicals and tests and stuff done while I still have health insurance. I have to get background stuff done for Double Rainboom. I want to introduce Justin to more of my friends while he's here this week, but I haven't set up the facebook event yet (....true to my resolution, I just went ahead and did that right now). I've been putting off cleaning my absolutely disgusting car. I've been putting off dishes, and cleaning the kitty litter... I have to put my water bill in the mailbox. I tend to just put things off. So for this month, I'm going to take care of all those things now, not later. (Or, if something requires a later - like I like to clean my car at a gas station, because of the trash containers, or can't print something because printer is broken and roommate is gone - I'll make a note and do it sooner, not later).
So, I've got a Google spreadsheet that I can access anywhere. I've put rows for each day of March, and then columns of resolutions. "Do a chore at first thought"; "Get a doctor" (me and Quinn both need appointments); "Get FAFSA and taxes 100% done"; "If I think about calling/texting someone, do it"; "Contact and meet Student Ambassador Mentees"; "Apartment."
All of these will be tough for me, and pretty much all of them need to get done THIS MONTH. So, I'm going to do them. Because some of these things require multiple steps (I have stuff to print and stuff to mail and stuff to followup on for taxes and FAFSA, for example), instead of just putting an X in a box, I will mention exactly what I did for that box. If I get a column's task 100% done, I can blank out the rest of that column, so that way I can really sense the accomplishment. Maybe I'll replace it with a new task. We'll see. This is just to get me started, yknow?
So, what do you think? Any projects you need to get done but put off for awhile?
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