reporting on this unbusyness

Real talk. October is over (which, btw, where did November go?!), and, as promised, it's time to report on my October goal of slowing life down a little bit.

I wasn't 100 percent successful every single week, but I did a better job than I had been doing of not overcommitting. And I am definitely loving the positive impact. I am feeling more organized and well-rested, and am going to continue my commitment to slowing down through this month as well. In fact, I might even try to make it a lifestyle change. No promises (as an inability to say no is what got me in this pickle to begin with), but it's a thought. And now it's out there. So it's a start.

Also, my purse is still just as organized as it was when I kick-started this self-campaign, so I'm feeling great about that. Little victories :)

And, to solidify my thoughts that this is, in fact a worthwhile quest, my friend Austin recently sent me this article, The Silliness of Busyness, and reminded me that I'm not alone in my feeling of sometimes swimming/sometimes drowning/sometimes can't say no-ness. The part about making list after list to keep track of everything you planned to do really spoke to me, as two frequent items on my daily work to do list (not to be confused with my daily personal to do list) are: check yesterday's list and make to do list for tonight. It's gross.

I took one small step last night of watching TV and not doing anything else while I did it. It was nearly impossible and I can't say I liked it, but I did it. And tomorrow, I think I will not make a single to do list.

Just kidding.

It hurts to even joke about it.

But either way, I'm aware of the problem and am committed to taking charge. And that, my friends, is all I can ask on this fine day.

Happy November to you little rabbits!

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no more tarzan

Now that it's October (rabbit, rabbit) I am prepared to admit that summer is over. And, with the change of season comes a change in lifestyle as well. Since May, I can count on (less than) one hand how many nights I've spent at home. Not to say I've been weeknight partying, I'm too old for this now that I'm in Club 25, but I've just packed my nights with activities - dinner with friends, new workout classes, committees, sporting events, dates, outings, etc. And last week, it hit me that I can no longer sustain this. I'm deadso. And so, I'm vowing to slow it down this month.

You see, I have always had somewhat of an addiction to busyness. As Shauna Niequist puts it, "I love days when you're always leaving something early to arrive just a touch late at the next place, like pearls on a string or Tarzan swinging on vines, feet never touching the ground."

This is how I've felt my entire life, but it's safe to say that over the course of the last few months, I've overdone it just a bit. So as October begins, I'm making it my goal to sleep more than six hours each night and abstain from making plans at least one, but preferably two, nights each week. I'm confident these two baby steps will help me get things back under control, so that cleaning out my purse and mailing a letter don't become activities that sit on my to do list for weeks.

As my mom reminded me last week when I had a teeny tiny meltdown because I couldn't find time to get Ashley a baby gift and pack between yoga and meeting friends for sushi, balance is the key to life. And just because I've let things get slightly off balance does not mean I've failed (which was what I asked her during my super rational breakdown) but it does mean it's time to reeavalute just, exactly, what is essential to maintain.

So, in November, I'll be sure to report back on how this trial month goes. If all goes according to plan, I'll return as a super-rested, happy-as-a-clam-girl.

Happy unbusying!

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