#The100DayProject, 100 Days of Creativity, April’s Breakup, and Why I’m a Sucker for Anything with 100 In It

Greetings again, faithful readers.  It’s the beginning of a new month, so time for another breakup…and the introduction of another accountability project!  So, without further ado, here’s a current status update on the Breakups.

November Breakup (Inactivity): I average two days of working out for each day of rest; therefore I work out about 4-5 times a week.  At my last doctor’s appointment, I was able to tell the nurse with complete honesty that I get, on average, 150 minutes of exercise a week.  And I could tell that she believed me.

December Breakup (More than two drinks a week): I’m on a roll with this one: a couple of glasses of wine on the weekend and San Pellegrino Sunday to Thursday.  Easy peasy.

January Breakup (Buying grocery bags): Still haven’t bought a bag in the grocery store in over three months.  I have bought a fabric shopper at See’s Candy (forgot mine in the car, and the bag they sell there is really cute) and got a store bag at the American Girl Store (once again, forgot my shopper…but the AG bag is the perfect size to fit a lunch in).  Using my own bags has become a habit…a habit I should have adopted a long time ago.  But, better late than never, right?

February Breakup (Sugar):  Uh, hey!  Did you see how well I did on the previous three breakups?  Look!  Look!  Reread them and bask with me in my triumphs…while I sweep my EPIC FAIL with sugar under the rug.  More on that later (painful as it is).

March Breakup (Procrastination): A mixed bag on this one, folks.  I have gotten a lot of unpleasant but essential things done since the beginning of last month, but I’ll be the first to admit that I have a long ways to go on this resolution.  This, though, actually brings me to this month, namely, the…

April Breakup…which will be twofold.  This month, I am breaking up with A. poor prioritization and with B. buying candy.  When I started the March breakup, I got completely into a “do it NOW” mindset. Not a basket of laundry remained unwashed, a recommendation letter unwritten, or a phone call unreturned.  However, as I tried to tackle everything as it came up, I was often hung up on finishing non-essential projects while important things languished incomplete (temporarily, but you get the idea.)

So, in the last week of March, I adopted the Top Five Daily Hits time management technique.  Every day, I list the five most important things I HAVE to do that day, and, no matter how dreary or boring or intimidating they are, I get them done before bedtime.  Then, I tackle the rest of my to-do list, and I always include a few soft-ball items that I can check off happily and easily.  Work out while watching the latest episode of Reign? Check.  Moisturize my cuticles before giving myself a gel manicure? Check.  So, everyone else is happy because I’m getting them their deliverables and meeting their due dates, and I’m happy because I’m prioritizing things that allow me to nurture myself.  Winning.

And the other breakup?  No one brings candy into my house (except during Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter) except me.  So, I resolve not to buy candy and bring it home or to school.  I have several good reasons to take a second swing at this piñata: I don’t want my daughters developing health problems from excessive sugar consumption, and excessive sugar can imitate estrogen in the body and cause inflammation–which can lead to developing (or re-developing) cancer.  So as you can see I have a dog (several dogs, in fact) in this fight.  Wish us well as we tackle this again.Finally (and this is not a breakup, but it’s related to developing good habits and putting dreams into action), today is the start of #The100DayProject. This project’s aim is to provide an incentive for creative people (basically anyone) to jump-start creative projects: everything from painting to writing to weaving potholders.  Being a total sucker for any 100-day challenge, (Happiness anyone?) I am taking this one on, also, in addition to my Breakup regime.  So, expect more blog posts (and more things of a literary nature).

So, now, I must cut myself off…I have to check on the status of that new seatbelt I’m having installed in my car (after years of having a broken one, I’m embarrassed to say).  And, yes, it was a Big Five Item.  So I am winning, little by little, day by day.  Wish me luck!