Schedule...Duh

Schedule...Duh

So, I've been kind of beating myself up lately because I've been slipping on my New Years Resolutions already. I was all like How is this happening?!?! I started blogging to keep myself on track and I'm still falling behind!!! Then I realized that I'm never going to do something if I don't make time to do it. It's so easy to just come home from work and sit on the couch for the rest of the night. So I made a schedule for myself. 

Sunday-Apply for jobs, Yoga, Guitar lessons, History Class, Finances

Monday-Yoga, Apply for jobs, practice guitar, class/read

Tuesday-Workout/Marathon train, apply for jobs, practice guitar, class/read

Wednesday-Yoga, apply for jobs, practice guitar, class/read

Thursday-Workout/Marathon train, apply for jobs, practice guitar, class/read

Friday-volunteer (at least once a month, hopefully every other week)

Saturday-Apply for jobs, workout, practice guitar, class/read

Rules/guidelines to making a schedule: 

1. Pick a few things you want to focus on. I would love to invest some time in photography classes, cooking classes, sewing classes, etc. But I chose 3 or 4 things that are important to me right  now, at this moment. Eventually I will be able to replace the time I allotted for applying for jobs for something else. Or I will be able to take a class on something else (right now I'm taking history classes to strengthen my teaching content area). But for now, this is what I want to focus on. 

2. Remember there are only 24 hours in a day. Obvious, but if you are like me, you want to do all of these amazing things, but what you actually end up doing is over scheduling yourself. When I was making my daily schedule, I figured out how much time I actually had by adding up the hours I had between the end of work and bedtime. I also accounted for time for dinner, getting ready for bed, etc. I also left the time I actually do these activities pretty open. If playing guitar is helping me relieve stress, I'm okay with focusing more on that than applying for jobs. Or if there is a really desirable job I'm applying for, I'm okay with spending less time reading in order to get my application turned in. 

3. Give yourself a day of rest. I learned this when I started working out regularly. It's important to give yourself one day away from busy, so you don't burn yourself out. Go out with friends, go on a date, or stay in and be a bum, whatever you want to do. It's a you day type thing. Also, it will be easier to keep true to your schedule because you won't feel like you are falling behind if you have one day to do nothing. 

4. Be realistic. Another one that seems obvious, but is easily forgotten. Am I going to want to do a million things on Saturday and Sunday...nope. But that's okay. I'm honest with myself, and only gave myself a few things to focus on for those days. The same with volunteering. I originally thought that I would volunteer once a week, but then I started thinking that I love having very "unscheduled" Saturdays and Sundays, which means I would have to volunteer sometime during the week. I probably won't want to go any where after work Monday-Thursday, because I work later those days than I do on Friday. But do I want to give up every Friday night to volunteer? No. Selfish, but true. So I set myself a goal of at least once a month (which I think is very reasonable), but really trying to aim for every other week (which I think is also reasonable once things get settled around here). 

5. Kill 2 birds with one stone. Yoga and Marathon training complement each other very well. Also, I know I will be able to listen to class lectures while on the treadmill at the gym. Perfect! More time to do other activities or relax if I chose. 

I'm not sure if anyone is actually following my blog at all, but this has been a great way to keep myself tied to my New Years Resolution. You, imaginary audience, are all contributing to making me follow through with what I say I'm going to do. 

Oh, I almost forgot. FREEBIES! I'm not actually paying for guitar lessons or history lessons, etc. The wonderful thing about the modern day internet is all the free resources. 

• Guitar lessons: http://www.guitarlessons.com/guitar-lessons/
• I would give this site 5 out of 5 stars. This guy is really good at explaining technique, segmenting lessons to different guitar styles, and incorporating actual songs while teaching skills. Of course nothing really compares to the real thing, but he will also give you feedback if you send him a video, and he's not too bad on the eyes. 
• History Courses: http://academicearth.org/history/
• I have just started using this site, but I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars so far. I've looked at other sites, where it's like an actual course with papers, tests, quizzes, etc. But there was no lecture, and that's the main source of interest for me. I prefer lectures with possibly some quizzes in there to hold me accountable for the information I learned. I figured that I could also hold myself accountable for the information I learned by making it into a PowerPoint that I could possibly use for future classes. Or maybe I could put it on teachers pay teachers. . . to be determined. Also this site is completely free, and these lessons are coming from reliable sources, like the Berkeley History Department. Hell yeah. This site also has different categories if you click the "courses" tab, but I haven't checked them out yet. Let me know if you run into a particularly good course :)
• Marathon training: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51137/Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program
• There are A TON of marathon training schedules and everything online. I tend to use these schedules as a guideline to make my own schedule. The reason I do this is because I'm going to be more likely to follow a schedule I designed rather than some run-of-the-mill schedule because it works better for me...of course, it was designed by me. Obvious, but true. 
• Yoga: Youtube/Google Videos
• Honestly, there are a million of videos for yoga online. I usually use youtube and google videos. If you are looking for a particular time, you can go into the search settings and adjust your results to give you a particular length. Otherwise, I subscribe to different channels and see what they have to offer. Let me know again if you find a particularly good video. 

Read This Everday

Note to Self: Read This Everyday

Job searching sucks. Don't even get me started on the ways I have been rejected: by phone, by e-mail, in person...and the worst form, being ignored. I hate when places don't just come out and say, "Sorry, we found someone else." It's like giving your number to a guy and never getting a call or a text. 

And of course if you are job searching you are either a.) unemployed, b.) underemployed, c.) unsatisfied with your job, or d.) relocating or other such related reasons. None of those situations are ideal, except maybe if you like where you are relocating. I could really go for some relocating to Hawaii or something right now. Minnesota winters. . . bur. 

Anyway, so I've noticed I've been getting super down on myself. Which then affects my work. And if you work in education, you need every ounce of positive energy you can get. 

So I've decided to motivate myself. A pep talk everyday. I've made a list of things to read to myself everyday. I've made one for myself as a teacher (as soon as I actually get a teaching position), and one for myself right now. My thought is, if I read this everyday, I will eventually internalize it, and it will permanently become a part of me. Here it is so far: 

1. "When opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." -Milton Berle

      This is a brand new day to impress someone and show them what you're worth. Go do 

      it. 

2. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do." -Steve Jobs

      It may not be worth the pay, but it's worth it for the students.

3. "Be yourself, but always your better self." -Karl G. Maeser

      Push yourself to be a better person, but don't lose your genuine self in the process.

That's it so far. I wanted to keep it short and sweet, since I'll be reading it everyday. And I feel like it encompasses the aspects of my life that need to the most improvement: self confidence and outgoing-ness. 

What would you add to this list? 

The "Treat Yo Self" Gift Jar

DIY "Treat Yo Self" Gift Jar

The good part of this massive polar chill extending over the country is that there is no school because it is literally too cold outside. The good news about having no school, I don't have to go to work :) Yeah! One of the perks of the few perks (and when I say few, I mean the very very few) of working in education. 

So between doing work, applying for teaching positions, and watching Parks and Recreation, I decided to post my "Treat Yo Self" Gift Jar. For those of you who don't watch  the show Parks and Recreation, you could just call it Spa Gift Jar. But seriously, Parks and Rec is a great show and you should consider watching it. 

Anyway, so here is a great gift in the range of $10-$20 (depending on the items you put in the jar) for a friend, co-worker, mother-in-law, mother, bride-to-be, aunt, sister, etc. And it is really cute and easy and customize-able to any event/person/budget/etc.

Here is what it looks like: 

  

And here are the contents with their respective prices:

Note: Everything was purchased at Target. The pink shower scrubie, bodycology lotion, body spray, and body soap were a gift package that was on clearance. The candle was also on clearance. Whoop Whoop!

The total cost of all of these items was $13.08 before sales tax. I bought the jar for $3.00 in the bargain section of Target. Side note: the bargain section of Target is literally my favorite thing in the whole world (Parks and Rec fans, that was a little Chris Tregger impression for you!) I finished the whole thing off with a little twine bow, and ta-da!

Another sweet deal I found in the bargain section of Target was this giant heart envelope for only $1: 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, but Valentine's Day and my 4 year anniversary with Patrick is coming up.... hmmmm, oh the possibilities!

Adios everyone. 

Not Your Mom's Blog

It's a New Year

It's officially 2015, and I started the first day of the year like anyone else...slightly hungover, yet strangely motivated to work out. I made a list of resolutions, as I do every year, and I would love to keep them (again, like I would every year). The only problem is that every year, I start out with good intentions on keeping my resolutions, but a few weeks later, I'm back to my old habits. 

It's not like any of my old habits were bad or anything. I'm not a crack addict, I don't pick my nose, or swear in front of children. It's just every year, I have this romantic vision of the new year being this grand rebirth and a year full of bliss. Pretty much like a music video full slow motion, color-washed sequences of me having fun and doing cool things, like paragliding and surfing. 

This year, I would like to be able to reflect on my past year and have it look like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. So I thought I would keep a journal. Nay, even better, a blog. Plus, I feel like a blog is open to the public, thus keeping me true to my resolutions. And I'm not talking about the type of blog where I'm Betty Housekeeper and I tell you how to sew a cocktail dress out of a t-shirt or make souffle, because a.) I can barely use my sewing machine, b.) I prefer root beer floats to souffle, and c.) I'm not the perfect little housewife type. 

So here it is: I want to take more pictures/videos this year, I want to be more outgoing, volunteer more, go on more adventures, make a home with my the love of my life, be a better friend, get better at playing guitar, uhhhh, I think that's it.

Overall, I want to make this my year.

So. Here. We. Go.