People always ask me how I get so much done in my life. Well, I work at it. I was writing in my daily journal wondering how come I was so tired this week. THEN I REMEMBERED my blog post about teaching 5 classes last week. DAH! Thus I made the connection between the two. When I was younger I could go non-stop working fulltime, raising a family mostly as a single parent and serving in my church. Now that I've passed my 60s and am into my 70s, I realize that I HAVE SLOWED DOWN. I can't keep up with the former pace I had years ago.
Here's an interesting experiment: write down all the activities you are engaged in and then evaluate them as far as your life goals go. It will be informative!
1. Homemaking-laundry, clean, cook, shop, pay bills, etc.
2. Self care-exercise, diet, personal hygiene, doctor appts, etc.
3. Church service-genealogy, visiting teaching, family history missionary, temple work, attending meetings, currently teaching a Write Your Life Story class for the Family History Center, and Indexing Italian birth records,etc.
4. Community Education-teaching classes and club participation:
a. Camera Club-vice president-publicity work, teach classes
b. Computer Club-occasionally take/teach classes
c. Daughters of Utah Pioneers-attend a monthly meeting, gather pioneer histories
d. Utah State Poetry Society-attend three monthly meetings, chair for Poetry in the Park and Youth Poetry Contest, teach occasionally, enter poetry contests, judge contests, attend regional conferences several times a year.
e. Heritage Writer's Guild-local writers group, attend monthly meeting, advisor to officers
f. AHA! Artful Healing Academy-teach monthly class on Write Your Life Story, take art classes
5. Online Activity-family history website, daily blog, Facebook-to keep in contact with family and friends, emails and Skype with family and friends. Marketing classes and books.
6. Writing-weekly column for Sr. Sampler, monthly column for Eureka Review, see #5, working on book: Discover Your Voice After Divorce.
7. Social Life-weekly date with hubby-mostly eating out, rare cultural events-lecture or concert, invite other couples out to dinner or over for a potluck, and church activities; Wed. play days with Caryn-shopping, lunch and museums, etc.
8. Vacations-hopefully to visit family in Northern Utah and other locations during the summer.
I try to LIMIT each day's activities to no more than 2-3 events, and sometimes I say NO to an extra activity or request when the day is already full or I am spread too thin. Now's that's an interesting expression! So as I look on my looonng list, I love the diversity that is there but I try to spend most mornings at home writing while my hubby works on his boat. Hopefully when it is finished we can go out boating TOGETHER.
great idea. wonder how many truly important things I would have on my list!
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