Keep the Focus Friday PWYC

[Twins' Mom]

It's Friday! Keep the focus on what's important right now and don't let the little nagging stuff get to you. No, you really don't need to clean out and sort the big basket with baseball caps and hats and gloves and mittens and scarves today. (dog walking needs by the front door) Likewise, you don't need to start clean up today on the big room where you stamp and research...

If you use the Eisenhauer matrix, not everything is "Urgent and Important" because your brain is trying to make it so.

Bw2 said it well yesterday:

When the brain makes you think everything is important, it's often a result of heightened anxiety, stress, or a state of hypervigilance, where the brain is constantly scanning for potential threats and assigning significance to even minor details due to an overactive "fight or flight" response. I think this is true... I keep thinking what is a realistic need. Most aren't important.

As a kindness to yourself, gently move those items to, perhaps, the new year, and focus on what's important today.

[CathyS]

Thank you for a great start today Twins' Mom!

I need to focus!! If I drive my Focus to knitting, I will need to focus on the road conditions because it's snowing here!! This is the only time I like the snow. I just hate having a Christmas that doesn't have snow.

I have started to clear off the island. I've been putting away all of the baking stuff.

I've also been tidying up in the library. There has been a pile of clear plastic filing boxes blocking the former closet. I have something I would like to do in the "hidden" part. I want to keep some stuff in there that I want access to, but I don't want others to know it's there.

On the other hand, because "double garbage day" is in less than two weeks, I want to go through the bathroom storage and clear some old stuff out. Does baby oil have a best before date? Dh has a huge bottle of the stuff and I have never used it.

Supper? No idea. Maybe liver and onions.

[Lady Maverick]

Good Morning!

Teenage foolery was in full blast mode yesterday evening. Thankfully the outcome was temporary and the day ended well.

Cut/paste from my daily journal entry this morning -
6:39 AM Showered & dressed for the day. Kitchen AM cards done. Enjoying sipping 1st cup of coffee with feet up. Watching The Good Wife S2E14.
I don't need to watch the clock so I am not late for the next must do. It is nice to not have to be ON.
It is a wonderful change to be this relaxed. I love Christmas break.

Thinking about what to cook today. I'm leaning toward -
** Zatarins dirty rice with smoked sausage
** Grilled fish fillets
** Green leafy salad.
** Breakfast - eggs, hot link, sausage, hash browns. I keep cooking this same breakfast over and over. Eventually I will get tired of it and move on to something else. But for now, it is my favorite meal of the day.

[Twins' Mom]

I'm feeling positive this morning - will accomplish things, will possibly have a little nap, and will enjoy the day. Yes!

I thought about "Flexible" for Friday also - the ability to pivot as needed and adjust to changing needs.

I'm almost afraid to make a list today. Yesterday blew up with two trips to pharmacy and a lot of time on the phone. Sent an email to doc with info last night to try to get med approved, if I can find in stock again.

Dcleaning lady will be here so I need to get moving. We're having neighborhood friends - four couples plus us - for chili tomorrow night. And I need groceries so also working on order this a.m.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

My overwhelming list at the beginning of the week really helped with my mental health, organizing urgent and important to the top of the list but at the same time getting things done that were important to me but not in the big scheme of things. Although, dh also noted that I had a week at home without many interruptions and therefore managed to get a lot done. I keep stressing to him how frustrating the lack of long blocks of time are to me and how it contributes to my depression.

Getting a few of the 'important to me' but not 'important in the grand scheme of things' items off the list helped me as well. I think my jewelry store visit might be a bit like Twin's basket of caps and scarves. A soft pouch of jewelry was on my dresser for ages. My pre-engagement ring broke last February, IIRC, and then in the summer I thought one of the claws of the replacement ring I was using in its stead (one my father bought his mother during the Depression) was catching so I switched to a third ring (because my ring finger on my right hand can't be 'naked' or I find myself worrying over that.) Then, at the beginning of November, dd and I had an errand day together and I took my rings and dd to the jeweler so she could get rid of her ring but they were closed. Thus her ring got added to my pouch. Finally, it was dgs3.5 breaking my cross' gold chain (and thus me needing a chain before Sunday) that finally made a trip to the jeweler high enough priority that it made it onto this week's list!

But after 4 pretty great days, I'm going to settle down and take a bit of a breather.

Today's list:

Morning - these will all be moved to tomorrow:
[ ] DPC: Phone the clock repair guy about the clock in for repair
[ ] Take dd her Christmas present.
[ ] Stop in at dd's plaza for a few groceries and an item from the dollar store there. (I just realized we forgot to buy milk yesterday when it was on sale. Rats.) Car has to be back home by 11 for dh.
[ ] pick up mail and start processing it, double check all bills are paid (mail strike = no bills in the mail.)
[ ] Respond to yesterday's emails. There were a lot while I was out.

Afternoon
[ ] watch another Christmas movie
[ ] set up train under tree
[ ] wrap the few presents I have
[ ] prepare the cards with tips for the staff here
[ ] finish the Christmas Eve service (a few prayers need to be added, then insert the sermon, and format and print.)


Evening
[ ] Watch a movie with dh

Aside from the cards with tips and dd's present, nothing is urgent and most are barely important. I just remembered I have a pair of slippers on hold in a far flung subdivision, though, so I need to write that down so I don't forget to go there when I go to lunch with my best friend on Monday. That is important and sort-of urgent as they look like shoes so will give me something to wear that is comfortable when I'm out places. My current slippers are all fur lined moccasins so they are very comfy but look like slippers when I wear them other places.

Dinner is leftovers so easy to do.

[CathyS]

Emptied a spot on the hidden side of the library closet area. This closet hasn't had a door since the week after we moved in. Tried one of the things I want to "hide" in that space and it fit. I say it's hidden but only due to the fact that it can't be seen from the doorway into the library. You need to be within a few feet to see that there are things stored in that area, including my deceased older brother's golf clubs and bag from when he was a caddy in the mid 1960's! There is also a lacrosse stick from the same time just before he died.

So, if I disappear for the next month, I'm stuck in this tiny space and I can't get out!!

[blessedw2]

hello all! good morning!!!

d twins thank you for starting us and reminding us to be kind to ourselves as we do what is important and not letting our brain nag at us! I want to remember that ("Don't let the little nagging stuff get to you")
cleaning you big basket/cleaning the big room made me realize that my focus of cleaning the whole basement is not what I should be doing lol you made me smile and realize that nahhh on the basement cleaning!

As a kindness to yourself, gently move those items to, perhaps, the new year, and focus on what's important today.

what I am going to work on. thank you and have a wonderful positive day d twins! I love flexible Friday.

hello d cathy stay safe on the roads d cathy! we had snow as well and it was slippery last night.
hope you have a great day!

hello d lady good morning! glad the day ended well after a little teenage tom foolery!
if ever you want people coming for dinner - just say it and we will all come over!

hello d Kathryn how sweet about your grandson being excited to see you! wonderful!
enjoy your day!!!

hello d everyone!

May it be a blessing of a day!

listening to bunny Guinness as I have my coffee!

[Ramblinrose]

Morning girls…

Been to class and home to get ready for my coffee gathering. After that I need to return my library books and the stop at GW

Yesterday I did 5 loads of laundry. Told Sweetie I hasn’t done that many loads in one day since my son was living with me.

All my cards are done including the ones for my girls. Handed out many of them at class this morning. My last Am azon package came yesterday afternoon so I finished wrapping all my gifts.

I am done with with everything except setting my table and baking. Will do both on Monday. Excited to try the slow cooker recipe for my spiral ham. That will make my Cmas dinner almost stress free.

Thinking of y’all as you head for Cmas and Hanukkah. May the rest of your week go without a hitch.

Harriet… thinking of you as well. Same for the rest of y’all.

Off to start the rest of my day… BBL

[Lady Maverick]

long blocks of time

I always think of Harmony when I see phases like this. I hope Harmony doesn't mind me using her as an example. Harmony thrives on sticking with a project until it is done. She has the ability and desire to use long blocks of time without stopping.
My definition of "long blocks of time" is entirely different. For me, one hour seems to be a very long block of time. However, I rarely do any activity for an entire hour. My hour is filled with a few minutes here....a few minutes there....repeat often. Focusing for 10-15 minutes seems to be a long block of time.

Hum....big sign that I am in relaxed mode. I am using 10-15 minutes to think about long blocks of time.

Rice and sausage dish has been made. Kitchen clean up done. I listened to Unashamed podcast while in the kitchen

[CathyS]

The snow is coming down steadily here right now.

Dh asked if we could have bacon and eggs for supper, so that's what we will have.

Dh has had his coffee and I'm having a hot tea.